9780008390662

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Author’s NoteDogs. Aren’t they just the best?If you answered “no,” or even “yes” with a hint of ambivalence, um . . .what is wrong with you?Sorry. Even if you’re not on Team Canine, I’m sure you’re a swellperson. Maybe you’re a cat fanatic, or a guinea pig fan. I get that. I love allkinds of creatures, right down to tarantulas and naked mole rats.And I’ll admit that some dogs are easier to love than others. My ownmutt, Stan, is a case in point. Mercurial, needy, narcissistic, he’s not exactlythe poster dog for Man’s Best Friend. Still and all, when Stan cuddles up justso (usually while I’m busy on my laptop), he somehow manages to pull offthat mysterious canine magic trick: he makes me feel a little bit better aboutlife.Stan also serves as my muse, albeit sporadically. As a matter of fact, Bob,the narrator of this novel, was modeled on Stan, right down to themisanthropy, the gluttony, and the odor.Bob originally appeared as a character in my novel The One and OnlyIvan, inspired by the true story of a western lowland gorilla. The real Ivanspent twenty-seven years, alone and caged, in a shopping mall in Tacoma,Washington. Did he ever have a pal like Bob? I don’t know. But there was apet store at the mall where Ivan lived, and he had lots of visitors. It wasn’t astretch for me to imagine such a friendship evolving.And so Bob was born. He had to be tiny, to fit in a hole in Ivan’s cage. Hehad to be wily. He had to be a street dog: tough and blunt and no-nonsense.(You can imagine my delight when I learned that the inimitable DannyDeVito would be voicing Bob in the Disney The One and Only Ivan movie.Yep. That’s Bob, all right.)Bob’s had a tough life. He’s seen the darker side of humans. He doesn’treally get the whole “man’s best friend” thing. (His best friend, as it happens,is a gorilla.) He’s carrying some pretty heavy baggage for such a little dog.And he faces down a lot in this story: tornadoes and owls, floods and wolves,terror and guilt and self-doubt.
But through it all, Bob never loses his tiny-mutt swagger. And he neverstops listening to his good-dog heart.Even if you’re a devout cat person, I hope you enjoyed spending timewith the guy.
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Dedicationfor my family:human, feli
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ContentsCoverTitle PageDedicationEp
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a very handsome dogthe beginningtor
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gonefirst aidthe truthforeverrescue
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bed boogie: circular “dance” pe
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One
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and while i’m at it . . .I may or
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numero unoThere’s an old saying a
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Once I had things just so, I lay do
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the amazing history of man’s best
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in my opinionThat dog was a ninny.A
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no oneThat’s what being man’s b
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in safety.Still, I understood, in m
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aloneThe truck happened without war
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the owlDarkness had fallen when it
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more luckMaybe it was my puppy fat,
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exit 8I finally came to a small roa
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It’s a solid solution.But it’s
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Two
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And then I heard it.A faint bark.Th
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on the poetry of stinkOf course, no
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the newsSometimes when Julia and I
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sparkly rain hat, and teensy pink b
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“Does.”“Does.”“Doesn’t
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spoiledI know Nutwit has a point.I
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blanket, the kind where you can bed
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cricket bullyWhen Julia returns fro
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She pulled Julia aside. “He’s a
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clickThat’s when they started cli
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full wag“Are you ready to head ov
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good words, bad wordsI’ve never m
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but she went back to work and she
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When I walk Julia—well, okay, I s
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drooliusI knew this guy, back when
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forgivenessSeems like forgiving hum
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puppy eyesIt’s midmorning, still
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mr. oogHere’s how I figure puppy
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changeThe park’s pretty big. Lots
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kimuThere’s a gray wolf at the pa
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I looked at him and, for the first
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If they caught any other dog there,
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Ivan, being Ivan, is a mellow kinda
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giftOnce I’m in my spot, I don’
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and Ruby, and Stella, too.”Ivan g
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tiny but toughIvan always seems lik
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not talkingOften when I’m with Iv
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“Take a small creature like Eek,
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ruby’s familyLittle Ruby seems mu
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“Hmm. You got me, Ruby. I’m tot
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Kinyani glares at me.She glares at
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a very handsome dog“Hi, Aunt Kiny
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Julia appears, her backpack at the
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“Bob!” Julia calls. “Come on!
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I’m flying.no way
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landingIt’s over.I land—umph—
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bad dogAnd this is why I’m a Bad
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stretchSlowly, with some difficulty
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For the record, small stray boards
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soundsThe eerie quiet doesn’t las
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surveying the damageI pick my way p
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baby slothI say goodbye to the peng
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Takes a few minutes, but I find her
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To my left, water gushes from a pat
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mutt versus wolfI wait for him to l
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gorilla worldI move on. I have to f
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help us!The stone wall separating G
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kudzooI pick my way through the deb
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trying to find a lost toy in a swim
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“Okay,” Akello says, with a nod
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“Can I go with Bob?” Ruby asks
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mouths to me.“Don’t thank me,
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xenaAnother dog races over, a tough
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dragonMore police cars and ambulanc
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An older gentleman holding a blue u
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looseA new police officer joins us.
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cprThe wind dies down to a whisper,
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noNo movement, nothing.But after a
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gorilla ghostIvan emerges from a cl
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wolf on the runI scramble over to I
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shots firedSeveral officers raise t
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a situationOfficer Williams climbs
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Some barks you never forget.never
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a split secondI want to tell Ivan a
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Three
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what ifAt first, I didn’t admit i
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relievedAnd what did I do, when I h
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the windEvery day I went looking fo
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my paddlesAs I run from the park, I
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I’m inside the bow-wow big house.
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pauses in the doorway. “I thought
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aliveThunder claps. Shutters fly. W
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toughBoss isn’t anything like I r
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Something crashes into the front of
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“When someone does something hurt
Page 199 and 200: The officer sighs. “You don’t h
Page 201 and 202: preparing for the worstThe wind slo
Page 203 and 204: a questionWe do all we can do. Whic
Page 205 and 206: romeoBefore I can say anything more
Page 207 and 208: “You’re a looker and you’re s
Page 209 and 210: “Say it,” I command.“Fine. Wh
Page 211 and 212: giant monkey and sea monsterThe scr
Page 213 and 214: to safetyOne thing about being a si
Page 215 and 216: Boss. “Then that means you’re m
Page 217 and 218: yay“We’ll go,” Ivan says.“Y
Page 219 and 220: “We can’t exactly shoot a goril
Page 221 and 222: lightning and fireworksIt isn’t f
Page 224 and 225: another bridgeThe creek is filled w
Page 226 and 227: heroI will not lie. I am not thinki
Page 228 and 229: not a movieSo in a movie, I’d lan
Page 230 and 231: do not let goThe water’s cold, so
Page 232 and 233: kimu againKimu has me.He drops me t
Page 234 and 235: howI don’t know how I do it.If I
Page 236 and 237: first aidRowdy still isn’t moving
Page 238 and 239: foreverThe eye of the hurricane pas
Page 240 and 241: Four
Page 242 and 243: From what we can tell, Boss never w
Page 244 and 245: working on itOn the way home, we pa
Page 246 and 247: “Mack and his wife just moved bac
Page 248: a visitorThis evening is like lots
Page 253 and 254: early and avid supporters of the bo
Page 255 and 256: Discover great authors, exclusive o
Page 260 and 261: CopyrightTHE ONE AND ONLY BOB. Text
Page 262: www.harpercollins.co.ukUnited State
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