001Good evening, boys and girls. My name is Mr. Swan. I am the principal at Meadow View Elementary, and I have the privilege of reading uh to you portions of Dog Town this afternoon. Um I'm going to be starting at chapter 86 and I'm going to read to chapter 90. So, grab your books and read along with me as I read out loud. Chapter 86, Back of the Truck. I was new to the three-legged business. I moved even slower than I do now. and I got very tired. I hadn't even made it to the mailbox by the time the boyfriend found me. He grabbed me, ripped my dog tags off, and tossed me in the back of his truck. Then he climbed in the cab, and the truck shot forward. I knew whenever he was taking
002me, I didn't want to go. But the dog sitter's boyfriend was stronger than I was and weighed five times as much. My only hope was to jump out. At the first stoplight, there were cars on either side. I didn't see how I could avoid being run over. I didn't see how I could avoid being run over. Then we got on the freeway and there was nothing I could do. When we finally got off, I was ready. At the first stop sign, I hooked one paw over the side of the truck and shoved off with my back back legs. I landed upside down in a snow drift. When I dug myself out, the dog sitter's boyfriend was gone. I had no idea where to go. But as cold and scared as I was, it was still
003better than being home with the dog sitter and the dog sitter's boyfriend. The boyfriend's last words had been chilling. We won't need to feed her anymore. She'll be gone. Chapter 87. The smell of walnuts and honey. I did what any dog would do. I followed my nose. I stayed away from scary smells like cigarette smoke and spoiled meat. and I hopped toward good smells like dumplings and deileled eggs. My nose led me to a restaurant that smelled of beef and broccoli and orange chicken. I curled up near the door which was worn from the restaurant kitchen and slept. When I woke up, a man with kind eyes and gentle hands was kneeling down next to me. He smelled of walnuts and honey. "Poor thing," he said. "You come with me." I followed him to his
004car. He turned on the heater and soon it was warm and toasty. I nuzzled his leg. He checked my collar. There were no tags. The dogs sitter's boyfriend had made sure of that. But my name was embroidered on my collar. What a love you are, Chance. I wish I could take you home with me, doggy, he said. But my my landlord won't let me have pets. He took a long time petting me like he really didn't want to stop and then he clicked on his seat belt and drove me to dog town. We arrived just before closing. Front desk was locking up. I found her outside our restaurant. She's a sweetheart. He sat me down at front desk feet. You'll take good care of her. We'll do our best, said front desk. He gave me
005one last pat, then turned and walked away. Chapter 88. Wondering. I knew the dog sitter and her boyfriend wouldn't be looking for me, but every day I wondered if Jesse and Professor Besser would come back from their sabbatical and search for me. Day after day, week after week, month after month, they didn't come. and my heart broke all over again. After a while, it was too painful to wonder anymore. Chapter 89. No. Now, do you believe I know how you feel? I asked Metal Head. Metalhead nodded. Mouse did, too. He knew most of the story already. Even so, he pulled a piece of toilet paper off the roll in the trunk and dabbed at his face. So, come with us, I said. No, Metalhead said, closing his eyes. Chapter 90. The mind of a metal
006dog. I didn't know what else to say. I'd always been successful getting Boohoos to move on, and that was without telling them my own Boohoo story. I'd pulled out all the stops with Metalhead, and it had made no difference at all. Maybe he couldn't relate to a real dog story. Or maybe once a robot dog's mind was made up, he couldn't change it. Metal is not a flexible material. I was considering my next step when Mouse tapped my leg and me in and motioned for me to follow him. There wasn't much room in the trunk, packed as it was. I climbed over a yoga mat and some hockey sticks to where mouse was digging in the donation box. He pulled up the hard corner of something. I thought maybe it was a manual. something to
007help us understand our metal friend. But it wasn't a manual. It was green eggs and ham. Boys and girls, thank you so much for listening to Mr. Swan as he read Dog Town, chapters 86 through 90. And I hope that you have enjoyed the reading this afternoon as I have. Thank you.