It was dark on Albert’s street. Everyone had gone to bed. Mummy had spent an hour straightening her hair with her hot metal tongs. Daddy had spent an hour reading his book on big pointy pyramids in Egypt. And Albert’s best friend baby Clive had spent an hour grooving in his cot before he finally dropped off into slumber.
Downstairs on the big cushion on the living room sofa, Albert had kept one of his eyes open for as long as he could just in case something happened.
But after trying and trying to stay awake his tail eventually uncurled itself and Albert drifted off into pug snoreland.
However, though Albert was in snoreland, his ears were still finely tuned to every sound in the house (except baby Clive’s crying which he heard every night and mummy’s shouting at daddy for leaving the toilet seat up which he heard some nights).
First, Albert’s right ear pricked, then his left ear pricked. What was that noise? It sounded like scraping. It came from the back yard. Albert opened one eye in a flash. He knew something was wrong.
From his vantage point on the sofa Albert was able to peer into the darkness, towards the back of the house where the noise had come.
Albert heard the same sound again, but this time for longer. Something was not right.
After opening his other eye and curling up his tail, Albert lifted his head from between his black paws.
He remembered when he had first heard the scraping sound. Mummy had brought home a big green plant. She seemed really pleased with it and put it into a big plant pot and then dragged it across the yard and left it next to the door.
That’s the sound Albert can hear now. This is not right, he thought. He got ready for action.
Through the glass door Albert looks into the kitchen. Suddenly, he sees a shadow. It moves.
It’s a thief. He’s trying to steal mummy’s favourite green plant.
The back yard is dark. Albert can only see the shadow of the thief by the moonlight. Sometimes Albert doesn’t like the dark, but this is no time to be scared – there’s a job to be done.
Time for a pug growl. Grrrrrrr…
Albert leaps off the sofa and sprints towards the kitchen. He pushed past the door from the dining room into the kitchen. The big black shadow was getting bigger. Albert knew what to do.
The kitchen bench is very high. Albert had never jumped that high before. He tried to once, when daddy had left a sandwich on the bench, but he never managed it.
But he knew that this time he has to. He knew he had to try his very, very best. He concentrated very hard. He moved his little black feet faster than he has ever moved them – faster than when he saw a butcher a dragging a chain of sausages along the street.
Albert darted into the kitchen. He sprinted across the tiled floor and with one super pug leap he launched himself towards the kitchen bench.
His little legs left the floor. They kept running as he sailed through the air. He seemed to fly forever.
The top of the bench got closer. Albert was not sure he was going to make it.
"It is too high," he thought as his inky body sailed through the air out of control. "I’m not going to make it."
Albert closed his eyes.
BANG!
Crash, Smash.
Albert landed on the bench. Clatter, bash, thud! On the bench where the kitchen sink is. Smash, smash, smash. Where all the plates were.
The shadow outside jumped. The thief stared at the window. The moonlight shone on him. Albert could now see his face.
The thief jumped back in fright. Albert barked at him. The thief began to run. Albert jumped at the window. Crash! Another plate hits the floor. Albert kept barking.
The thief ran to the end of the backyard and jumped over the wall. In an instant, he is gone.
Albert keeps barking and jumping. A cup spins onto the hard kitchen floor. SMASH!
Behind Albert, a light comes on. Daddy comes running into the kitchen.
He switches the light on. "Albert, what are you doing?" shouts daddy.
Albert looks back at daddy, then turned towards the window and barked some more.
Daddy rushes over to Albert and looked out of the window. "What can you see, Albert?" he asked. Albert wishes he could talk to humans. If he could, he would have a lot to say. At least he can talk to other animals.
Daddy is still looking out of the window. There is nothing there.
But Albert is determined to let daddy know what has happened and keeps barking.
Daddy looks out of the window again. Nothing. He grabs the back door key and opens the door.
Albert launches himself from the kitchen bench and runs outside. He barked into the darkness and he barked at the big heavy plant pot in the middle of the yard.
The inky gremlin barked and howled until his throat is sore.
"There’s nothing there, Albert," says daddy. "But there are broken plates everywhere in here. Come on get inside."
Albert stopped barking and looked up at daddy. He knows he can’t make daddy realise there was a plant-pot thief in the back yard. He puts his head down and runs back inside.
Just before daddy shuts the back door he says: "I’m sure I didn’t leave that plant pot there."
Daddy looks at the mess on the floor and then turns to Albert. "I’ll have to clear all this mess up now, Albert," says daddy. "You better go to your bed."
Albert can tell daddy is a bit cross with him. If only he could tell daddy that there was a plant-pot thief who he chased away. And what if the plant pot thief comes back?
"Get to bed Albert," shouts daddy.
Albert trots off slowly to his big cushion on the sofa. He looks back into the kitchen and watches daddy clear up. He sighs a pug sigh before slowly closing his eyes. It can be very frustrating being a pug dog, he thinks.
The next morning.
Albert is excited, but not as much as usual. Clive and daddy are going to take him for walkies round the park, which is great, but Albert is still worried about the thief in the back yard last night.
Albert lifts each paw in turn to put his harness on and then pulls them both out of the front door.
Outside, daddy sees Auntie Anne from next door.
"Hello Clive," she says, "hello Albert. She then turns to daddy and says: "Someone was in my back garden last night. They trampled all over my petunias. I think they jumped over the wall from your back yard – you didn’t notice anything strange last night, did you?"
Daddy replies: "Well, actually, Albert was barking and barking in the kitchen he woke us up. And come to think about it, one of our plant pots might have been moved by someone."
Albert looked up and barked. You’re right, daddy, you’re right!
Albert is delighted and pulls on his lead. Come on, he thinks, we’re going to have a great time on the park this morning.
Downstairs on the big cushion on the living room sofa, Albert had kept one of his eyes open for as long as he could just in case something happened.
But after trying and trying to stay awake his tail eventually uncurled itself and Albert drifted off into pug snoreland.
However, though Albert was in snoreland, his ears were still finely tuned to every sound in the house (except baby Clive’s crying which he heard every night and mummy’s shouting at daddy for leaving the toilet seat up which he heard some nights).
First, Albert’s right ear pricked, then his left ear pricked. What was that noise? It sounded like scraping. It came from the back yard. Albert opened one eye in a flash. He knew something was wrong.
From his vantage point on the sofa Albert was able to peer into the darkness, towards the back of the house where the noise had come.
Albert heard the same sound again, but this time for longer. Something was not right.
After opening his other eye and curling up his tail, Albert lifted his head from between his black paws.
He remembered when he had first heard the scraping sound. Mummy had brought home a big green plant. She seemed really pleased with it and put it into a big plant pot and then dragged it across the yard and left it next to the door.
That’s the sound Albert can hear now. This is not right, he thought. He got ready for action.
Through the glass door Albert looks into the kitchen. Suddenly, he sees a shadow. It moves.
It’s a thief. He’s trying to steal mummy’s favourite green plant.
The back yard is dark. Albert can only see the shadow of the thief by the moonlight. Sometimes Albert doesn’t like the dark, but this is no time to be scared – there’s a job to be done.
Time for a pug growl. Grrrrrrr…
Albert leaps off the sofa and sprints towards the kitchen. He pushed past the door from the dining room into the kitchen. The big black shadow was getting bigger. Albert knew what to do.
The kitchen bench is very high. Albert had never jumped that high before. He tried to once, when daddy had left a sandwich on the bench, but he never managed it.
But he knew that this time he has to. He knew he had to try his very, very best. He concentrated very hard. He moved his little black feet faster than he has ever moved them – faster than when he saw a butcher a dragging a chain of sausages along the street.
Albert darted into the kitchen. He sprinted across the tiled floor and with one super pug leap he launched himself towards the kitchen bench.
His little legs left the floor. They kept running as he sailed through the air. He seemed to fly forever.
The top of the bench got closer. Albert was not sure he was going to make it.
"It is too high," he thought as his inky body sailed through the air out of control. "I’m not going to make it."
Albert closed his eyes.
BANG!
Crash, Smash.
Albert landed on the bench. Clatter, bash, thud! On the bench where the kitchen sink is. Smash, smash, smash. Where all the plates were.
The shadow outside jumped. The thief stared at the window. The moonlight shone on him. Albert could now see his face.
The thief jumped back in fright. Albert barked at him. The thief began to run. Albert jumped at the window. Crash! Another plate hits the floor. Albert kept barking.
The thief ran to the end of the backyard and jumped over the wall. In an instant, he is gone.
Albert keeps barking and jumping. A cup spins onto the hard kitchen floor. SMASH!
Behind Albert, a light comes on. Daddy comes running into the kitchen.
He switches the light on. "Albert, what are you doing?" shouts daddy.
Albert looks back at daddy, then turned towards the window and barked some more.
Daddy rushes over to Albert and looked out of the window. "What can you see, Albert?" he asked. Albert wishes he could talk to humans. If he could, he would have a lot to say. At least he can talk to other animals.
Daddy is still looking out of the window. There is nothing there.
But Albert is determined to let daddy know what has happened and keeps barking.
Daddy looks out of the window again. Nothing. He grabs the back door key and opens the door.
Albert launches himself from the kitchen bench and runs outside. He barked into the darkness and he barked at the big heavy plant pot in the middle of the yard.
The inky gremlin barked and howled until his throat is sore.
"There’s nothing there, Albert," says daddy. "But there are broken plates everywhere in here. Come on get inside."
Albert stopped barking and looked up at daddy. He knows he can’t make daddy realise there was a plant-pot thief in the back yard. He puts his head down and runs back inside.
Just before daddy shuts the back door he says: "I’m sure I didn’t leave that plant pot there."
Daddy looks at the mess on the floor and then turns to Albert. "I’ll have to clear all this mess up now, Albert," says daddy. "You better go to your bed."
Albert can tell daddy is a bit cross with him. If only he could tell daddy that there was a plant-pot thief who he chased away. And what if the plant pot thief comes back?
"Get to bed Albert," shouts daddy.
Albert trots off slowly to his big cushion on the sofa. He looks back into the kitchen and watches daddy clear up. He sighs a pug sigh before slowly closing his eyes. It can be very frustrating being a pug dog, he thinks.
The next morning.
Albert is excited, but not as much as usual. Clive and daddy are going to take him for walkies round the park, which is great, but Albert is still worried about the thief in the back yard last night.
Albert lifts each paw in turn to put his harness on and then pulls them both out of the front door.
Outside, daddy sees Auntie Anne from next door.
"Hello Clive," she says, "hello Albert. She then turns to daddy and says: "Someone was in my back garden last night. They trampled all over my petunias. I think they jumped over the wall from your back yard – you didn’t notice anything strange last night, did you?"
Daddy replies: "Well, actually, Albert was barking and barking in the kitchen he woke us up. And come to think about it, one of our plant pots might have been moved by someone."
Albert looked up and barked. You’re right, daddy, you’re right!
Albert is delighted and pulls on his lead. Come on, he thinks, we’re going to have a great time on the park this morning.
