The Sugar Dog was old and crippled. He had a terrible pain in his tummy and in his back. One day, while in The Back Yard with Elvis The Puppy, The Sugar Dog laid down and went to sleep. When he awoke, all of his pain and stiffness was gone. The lake was still there. But Elvis The Puppy was not there. There were four others in The Back Yard when The Sugar Dog awoke. There was Charlie The Siamese Cat, Dan The Horse, Penny The Pony and Sluggo The Solid White English Bulldog. The Sugar Dog noticed a large concrete statue of a seated bulldog that he had not seen before. The statue was at the edge of the woods, facing the lake. At the far, far end of The Back Yard was a long bridge. The Sugar Dog could not see the other side of The Bridge, but there was a big and beautiful Rainbow above it every day.
There was always plenty of food, water and warm sunshine in The Back Yard. The Sugar Dog and Sluggo The Solid White English Bulldog played together every day. Charlie The Siamese Cat basked in the sunshine, licked her paws and purred. Penny The Pony and Dan The Horse grazed in the field and would often gallop from one end of The Back Yard to the other.
As time went by, other friends came to live in The Back Yard as well. There was Otto The Orange Tabby Cat, who was allergic to himself. He sat around and sneezed all the time. Then came Elvis The Puppy, who had grown big and strong and was no longer Elvis The Puppy. He was now Elvis The Dog. He brought a lot of rubber squeaky toys with him, but their squeakers were all missing. After Elvis The Dog came Shorty The Scent Hound. Shorty liked to sit around and bark for no particular reason. But his barking did not bother The Others. Not too long after Shorty The Scent Hound came Georgie The Cat. He would sit snuggled close to The Sugar Dog and doze. You see, Georgie The Cat thought that The Sugar Dog was his Momma when he was a kitten. He also liked to walk around the edge of the yard, stopping to sit on the bench by the lake and look at the water. When he meowed, it sounded like “Hel-lo! Hel-lo!” Lelu The Grey Cat came next. She was a very pretty and nice cat, but she was a bit jumpy and slow of foot. She liked to lay close to the ground behind a rock and watch.
The last to come to The Back Yard was Maggie The Whippet. She was white with two large black spots on each side of her chest and face. She was the most beautiful dog that The Sugar Dog had ever seen. Maggie The Whippet had big brown eyes and was lean and athletic. She could run very fast and jump very high. She was very sweet natured, and liked to lay in the grass with her front paws folded in a very ladylike manner. Maggie the Whippet thought that The Sugar Dog was the most handsome gentleman she had ever seen.
Everyone in The Back Yard was happy and content. But something was missing. They each missed The Boy And The Girl. The Boy And The Girl were very special to each and every one in The Back Yard. But The Boy And The Girl had to be left behind, you see.
One day, as they were all running and playing together, The Sugar Dog sensed something. His ears perked up and he peered intently into the distance. His stubby tail began to wag. His hips shook and his body quivered. Suddenly he began to run from The Group. The Others sensed something as well, and took off after The Sugar Dog. He was moving so fast that even Maggie The Whippet could not outrun him. They were side by side, flying over the green grass with their legs stretching and their hearts racing. Elvis The Dog was right on their heels, with Penny The Pony and Dan The Horse were right on his. The cats ran as fast as they could, with Lelu The Gray Cat lumbering along behind them. Shorty The Scent Hound and Sluggo The Solid White English Bulldog ran as fast as their short legs would take them. Shorty The Scent Hound was barking the entire way, his wagging tail propelling him forward.
It was then that The Sugar Dog realized that what he thought he saw was indeed what he saw. It was The Boy And The Girl, standing at The Brigde! He leapt through the air and landed in The Boy’s arms. Maggie The Whippet leapt at the same time and landed in The Girl’s arms. The Sugar Dog kissed The Boy’s face over and over again. The Boy hugged The Sugar Dog ever so tightly and laughed and laughed, rubbing the happy dog’s head. The Sugar Dog sensed The Boy telling him he was sorry for the times he had scolded him. The Sugar Dog let him know that it was all right and that it did not matter because they were together again.
Maggie The Whippet rained kisses on The Girl as well, then bounced and bounced to show her how high she could jump again. Then she laid on her back with her feet in the air, waiting for The Girl to give her a belly rub. The Girl and then The Boy rubbed her belly, and her back foot started kicking the air as if she were starting a motorcycle. The Boy and The Girl then hugged each other and Maggie The Whippet got in between them, barking loudly and happily.
“Hel-lo! Hel-lo!” meowed Georgie The Cat, rubbing against their legs. Otto The Orange Tabby rubbed against their legs as well, then sat down and started sneezing. Elvis The Dog then jumped into The Boy’s arms and almost knocked him down. Elvis The Dog, you see, was a bit of a lummox. Penny The Pony and Dan The Horse whinnied and snorted until The Boy and The Girl hugged them. The Girl rubbed Penny The Pony’s forehead and nose over and over again. Lelu The Gray Cat jumped bouncily about, and Shorty The Scent Hound barked and barked. Then he sat on his side and showed The Boy and The Girl his hurt leg. His leg was no longer hurt, but he showed it to them anyway. Finally, Sluggo The Solid White English Bulldog sat at The Boy’s feet and pawed The Boy’s leg. He looked up at The Boy with his big brown trusting eyes, smiling at him through his underbite. The Boy picked Sluggo The Solid White English Bulldog up and gave him the biggest hug of all. For, you see, The Boy had not seen his stocky friend in a long, long time.
Then, The Sugar Dog ran ahead of The Group and looked back, wagging his stubby tail and shaking his hips. Then, Maggie The Whippet ran up to The Sugar Dog. They both went a little further and looked back anxiously at them again. The Boy And The Girl then knew what their beloved pets wanted. The Girl swung up onto Penny The Pony’s back. The Boy swung up onto Dan The Horse’s back. With The Sugar Dog and Maggie The Whippet leading, they all started across The Bridge. The Sugar Dog could now see the other side of The Bridge with The Rainbow above it. It was the place where they would all be now, together forever and ever.
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