“Sadie! Wanna play ball?”
Sadie turned her head, red hair blowing in the breeze. She saw Max bounding over to her energetically.
“Yes please!” She tilted her head. “Red ball?”
“Yup. Daddy remembered it this time.” Max looked around and sniffed. “What’s that smell?”
“I don’t know. I was trying to figure out where it was coming from when you arrived.” Sadie sniffed and started walking off. “It’s coming from over here. Mum’s doing a phone call in the car.”
The two investigated the park thoroughly. They checked behind tall trees, in the lavender bushes and around all the flower beds. Every time they thought they’d found the smell; the wind took it off in a different direction. Heads dropped, they headed back to the carpark benches where Max’s dad was sitting.
“What’s up you two?” Max’s dad ruffled Max’s dark head. “Want the ball?”
“There’s the smell again!” Sadie turned her gaze to a grey car whose door had just opened. Bella emerged and came running over to them.
“Mummy brought snacks!!” She yelled; her blonde cropped hair glinted in the sunlight as she came to a halt. “Enough for all of us!”
The three watched expectantly as Bella’s mum locked the car and joined them. “Hello Dave, how are you? Hello you little troublemakers!”
“Hi Maggie.” Max’s dad, Dave, moved over on the bench. “Go on you three, go off and play!” He threw the ball as hard as he could.
“RED BALL!” Max and Sadie shouted at the same time. They ran off with Bella trailing behind happily. For two hours the trio ran, jumped, and played while their parents sat on the bench and talked. Sadie’s mum had joined Dave and Maggie once she’d finished her call.
“I’m tired.” Bella panted and flopped onto the floor.
“Me too.” Huffed Sadie.
“Me three!” Max plopped himself next to the girls and they watched the grass blades moving with the wind.
“Bella! Max! Sadie!” Bella’s mum had stood up and was calling them over. “Want snacks?”
“Yes!”
“Yeah!”
“Yay! Snacks!”
They bombarded Maggie with kisses as she opened the treat box, laughing she attempted to get them to calm down. “Now, now you three. Sit down or no biscuits!”
Wiggling excitedly, the three of them plonked their bums down on the grass and waited for their biscuits. Maggie praised them for listening and handed out the crunchy snacks. She shivered.
“Getting colder now guys, looks like rain too.”
Max looked up at the dark clouds rolling overhead. “I don’t like rain.”
“Me neither.” Sadie whimpered. “It scares me.”
“I don’t like having wet feet.” Bella looked at her feet forlornly.
“Oh, look at their faces!” Bella’s mum, Juliet, smiled. “It’s ok you three, we’ll have you in the car before the rain comes.”
“One more throw?” Dave held up the red ball and wiggled it, laughing as they jumped up at him trying to get it. “Off you go then – big throw!” He launched the ball into the air and watched them run as fast as they could.
A whistle caught their attention. Max’s dad shouted, “Home time!” and they ran back to him, reaching the bench as the first raindrops hit the floor.
“Right, I’ll say goodbye now before it really comes down.” Juliet waved to Dave and Maggie, and opened the car for Bella. “C’mon baby, in you get.”
“Bye Bella.” Sadie shouted and ran to her mum’s car.
“Bye bye Bells.” Max ran to his dad as the rain came down faster.
Maggie walked with Dave to the cars and opened her boot. “We’d better get these two in as well, before we’ve got soggy doggies to deal with.”
“And mud everywhere!” Dave laughed as he opened his boot too. “Max, in.”
Max jumped in wagging his tail and watched as Sadie did the same. He really did love coming to the dog park with his friends.
(652)
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