Buddy raced around the corner. He'd wriggled out of the gate and was free – free! He was just done with a bath, and he'd been tied at the gate to dry in the sun, but he was off to get dry in a fun fashion.
Buddy reached the park. Next to the swing, sitting down primly, he saw something small and white and clean. Buddy ran in that direction. He skid to a halt, kicking up sand and creating a little cloud of dirt that settled on him and the white thing. He shook himself happily, creating another small dust cloud. The white thing gave him a dirty look and moved a couple of feet away. She walked as if it wore high heels, and Buddy barked out a laugh. The white thing tossed her head a bit. She had a pink collar and a silver plated name tag but of course, Buddy couldn't read.
“Who're you?” he asked. “What are you?”
Before she could answer, Buddy heard someone come up, and the white thing was lifted off her feet. “Oh my poor Dimpy!” a voice said, “You've got sand on you. Go away dog – stay away from my Dimpy!”
Buddy ignored the rude words. He followed the person who carried Dimpy out of the park and to their home. Why, they lived just two houses away from him! Buddy raced up and down and round Dimpy's house, digging her eand there, looking at through which he could get in or she could get out, then he went home. The moment Big Mother saw him she screamed, “You naughty dog! Look at you – how dirty you are!”
“Not another bath, not another bath…” repeated Buddy to himself desperately. Luckily Big Mother just let him in and sent him to the corner of the yard. What was it with people and being clean? Didn't they know that mud was to be played in?
The next day he dug below Dimpy's fence and ran towards the soapy smelling enclosure he was absolutely sure housed Dimpy. She saw him and shrieked. “Go away, you got me all dirty yesterday.”
“You mean you like looking the way you do?” he asked. “Weird!”
“ “Rude and dirty, just go away!”
But Buddy wouldn't. There was something fascinating about this clean white thing and he jumped over the enclosure gate and sat next to her. In a short while, though, he got bored and began to play, tossing grass and mud and pebbles and racing around happily. Dimpy didn't participate, but she didn't stop him either.
“Hide!” she warned suddenly when she heard her owner coming out. Buddy dashed out of sight and by the time he emerged, the enclosure was empty and Dimpy was gone.
He trotted home, determined to return. When he did, the next day, he was greeted by a handful of stones, and he ran off squealing in pain. The same thing happened a couple more times, until Buddy realised that Dimpy was no longer left alone in the garden.
Oh well! Buddy thought, nothing I can do. He put his head on his paws and closed his eyes. He heard a scratching sound from the other side of the gate and looked up. He saw something small and white and…not so clean, wagging her tail at him. He jumped up. With a happy bark he wriggled through and soon he and Dimpy were rushing around and rolling in the mud together, having the time of their lives.
