17 Brave Buddy

Brave Buddy written by Pam Holden illustrated by Pauline Whimp

Tom took a newspaper to school to share a story with his classmates. The story told of a huge tornado that blew through their town, breaking things and scaring people and their pets. On the front page, there was a photo of Tom's little dog, called Buddy. Buddy had been so frightened that held run away from home and had been lost for two weeks. After days and days of endless searching and calling, Tom's family had begun to think that Buddy might never come home.

Tom talked about how he and his family felt really unhappy while Buddy was lost - whenever they'd see his empty basket or food bowl, they felt upset. Buddy's toys were untouched and none of the family wanted to go outside for a walk without him. Then, after two sad weeks, something wonderful happened: the family heard a quiet whining noise, so they raced outside to see where the crying sound was coming from. "Look! Our Buddy is home where he belongs!" Tom shouted happily. Poor Buddy was covered in dirt and looked much thinner than before. When the family got close to Buddy, they were really upset to see he was badly hurt. Both of Buddy's front legs were crooked and bleeding.

Lucy, Tom's sister, hurried to get a bowl of water for Buddy. Tom carefully put Buddy's special blanket over the top of him. "How will we get Buddy to the Vet?" Tom asked his parents in a worried voice. "We don't want to carry him, just in case we hurt him even more." The family quickly decided to call the Vet to ask for help. "We are lucky," said Dad, getting off the phone. "The Vet has kindly said she'll come here herself to help poor Buddy. She'll be here soon."

While the family waited for the Vet to come, they stayed outside with Buddy, giving their special dog lots of pats and love. "Don't worry Buddy, we're here to look after you. You're so brave. Everything will be okay," they told him. When the Vet got there, Tom led her to where brave Buddy was waiting. The Vet gave Buddy an injection to take the pain away. "We must wait for the injection to work before I can check his legs. I don't want to hurt him," the Vet said.

"Do you think Buddy's legs are broken?" Tom asked her. "Yes, I think both his front legs are broken. It must have been really painful for Buddy on his walk home. He has been very brave," said the Vet. Before long, the Vet began to gently take a look at the little dog's injuries. "Don't worry," she said. "Buddy will be well looked after. He'll be asleep and won't wake up until we've fixed his legs."