This is for Isabel as a big thank you to her for her wonderful drawings. Here's your animal story.

Muchas gracias to BCW for betaing. You're a treasure as always.

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The little rubber ball flew through the air to land near the babbling creek.

"Go, fetch it, girl," the little, curly-headed boy ordered his dog.

The dog eagerly complied, but instead of returning it to her master, she pranced off with her prize farther down the stream.

"Nemo! Come back here!" the exasperated boy shouted. He'd been practicing this trick with his dog all week and she still didn't get it.

"Blair," his father called, "come here, son."

He stomped off to their cabin where Papa waited for him on the porch. The rancher leaned casually against a post, the bridle he was repairing still in his hands.

"What?" Blair asked in a bit of a huff, still frustrated by his apparently dense dog.

"You want to use that tone of voice, young man, you can go cool your heels in the corner for awhile," his father said too calmly.

"Sorry, Papa, but that dumb dog won't do it right," he said in a bigger huff.

"Well, if you were talking to me that way, I won't come back to you either."

That took the wind out of his sails.

"Little Bit, you have to be patient with her, and give her a reason to come back."

The animal in question came bounding up to the porch and dropped the ball in the dirt.

"How do I do that?"

"Wait here," the rancher said before disappearing into the cabin for a few minutes. When he came back out, he scooped up the ball from the ground. "Now watch, Blair."

Blair did as directed. Papa called Nemo over and removed something from his pocket. He held the ball up close to the dog's mouth and gave her what he'd taken from his pocket, then he threw the ball a short distance away with the command to fetch.

After the dog ran for the ball, Papa told her to come in a pleasant voice while holding something out in his hand. The dog came gladly with the ball. Which she dropped at the rancher's feet and greedily claim what was concealed in his hand while being praised lavishly.

This exercise was repeated many times in the next ten minutes. A couple times Nemo left the ball to come running back empty-handed. When this happened, she received nothing and Papa repeated the command to fetch the ball. Only when the ball was dropped at the rancher's feet did she receive a reward.

"What's in your hand, Papa?"

"Little pieces of jerky. Here, you try it."

When Nemo returned with the ball, Blair gave her a small jerky treat and praised her.

"Good, Little Bit. It's important to talk her up when she comes back. After awhile, don't give her the food, just the praise. Do it gradually though." Jim gave the boy's curls a quick tousle before resuming his mending.

A quick thank-you thrown over his shoulder, Blair went back to playing with his dog. His mind pondered other tricks he could teach her. Why, they could build a circus act! Blair and The Amazing Nemo!

The boy threw the ball again, the little dog yapping as she went off to find it. Still lost in his daydream of traveling the world with his incredibly talented pet, it took Blair a moment to realize Nemo hadn't returned with the ball.

He scanned the field and yard until he spotted the lazy beast. Stomping up to the porch for the second time that day, Blair had his lecture ready for the little dog that slept at his father's feet. He never got a chance to deliver it.

"Looks like you tuckered her out pretty good, son." Blair opened his mouth to mount his protests, but Papa cut him off again. "Nemo's not a pup, Blair. Let her rest."

The calm, reasonable words washed away his irritation at having his big plans ruined. He sat down next to the dog and began petting her coat. The little dog raised her back haunch giving the boy access to her tummy so he could rub it, which he did.

"Looks like ol' Nemo taught you a trick herself."

Blair only blushed in response.

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Blair peeked around the corner of the barn, watching and listening. Judging the coast was clear, he quickly scampered in, clutching a burlap bag to his chest. He made his way back to the back behind some barrels and crates. This was his secret place where he kept his pets. He had two horned-toads in a crate with screen over the top, several tadpoles in a jar, various bugs in their respective containers. Blair opened the sack and carefully pulled out his latest addition, a foot-long gopher snake.

The little reptile slithered out of his grasp and began traveling around Blair's torso. Under his shirt, around his back and up through his collar the animal glided. Blair pulled it out and it wrapped around his arms at the wrists, "handcuffing" him. The smooth, soft scales tickled him, and he laughed in delight.

"What the Sam Hill do you have there, boy?" His father's voice startled him. He whirled around to face his father who had an unreadable expression on his face.

He held up his arms, the reptile beginning to tighten its hold. "I caught a snake."

"I can see that. It's a nice one." Papa began unwinding the creature from his arms while surveying the menagerie. "Looks like you've got quite a collection of critters. How long?"

Blair eyed the snake now held securely by his father. "Oh, it's about twelve inch--"

"No," the big man chuckled. "I mean how long have you had this little zoo?"

"I caught the horned toads a couple days ago. The tadpoles this morning--"

"You been pretty busy. Got your chores done first, I assume?"

He nodded his head dutifully. "Yes, Papa."

"School work, too?"

He crossed his fingers behind his back. "Yes, Papa." When a scowl crossed his father's face, Blair quickly amended his answer. "Most of it, anyway."

"I see. The snake can't stay in the barn, son. Can't risk it getting out and panicking the stock. You need to let it go out in the field." Blair couldn't hide his disappointment and his father added gently, "It's better for it, Little Bit."

With a heavy sigh, Blair took his new, and all too briefly coveted prize, to the middle of the grassy field and let it go. He watched it slither away in the tall grass. A heavy, familiar hand squeezed his shoulder, and he leaned into the reassuring presence behind him. The hand squeezed one more time and then patted in dismissal.

"Come on, son. You've got a spelling test to study for." Blair allowed himself to be led back to their home, only half listening to what Papa was saying, until he heard, ". . .day after tomorrow when we go to town so Miss Erwin can test you and review your other work--"

"Papa, can I get a bunny when we're in town? Miss Rhonda raises them and they're real cute. I saved up seventeen cents. You think that'd be enough?"

His father continued to walk while listening to his proposal. "We'll see, Little Bit. After you get your studying done, we'll talk about it."

The end