Toby woke up in his dog bed and ate his dog chops and dog biscuits. He lived with the Darling DeVines, a rich and snooty family who didn’t care much about him. They only wanted him because he had won a prize on a TV show called Pets Win Prizes.
That night, Toby decided to sneak out of the house and have some fun. He met his friends, a group of stray dogs who roamed the streets. One of them was Patch, a dog with a patch over his eye.
“Come on,” Patch said. “Let’s chase some cats and bite some burglars.”
They ran around the city, causing mischief and mayhem. They ended up looking in the smelly dustbins of a fancy restaurant.
“Salmon or lobster, my lord?” Patch joked.
Toby laughed and ate some leftovers. He said goodbye to his friends and wandered off. He found himself in a park he had never been before.
There, he saw a young man playing a sad song on an old violin. An old lady put some money in his violin case and smiled at him. Others hurried along and ignored him.
Toby felt sorry for the young man. He decided to help him. He barked loudly and drew attention to him. Some people stopped and listened to his music. Some of them gave him some money too.
The young man noticed Toby and smiled. He reached out his hand and petted him.
“Well done, boy,” he said. “You are a good dog. I wish you were mine.”
He looked at Toby’s collar and saw his name tag.
“Toby, huh? Let’s shake on it. I’m Dan.”
Toby wagged his tail and licked his face. He liked Dan. He liked his music too. He felt happy with him.
Dan took Toby with him to his home, which was a small apartment above a shop. It was not very big or fancy, but it was cozy and warm. Dan gave Toby some food and water and made him a bed out of an old blanket.
They became good friends. They played music together in the park every day. They made enough money to buy food and other things they needed. Sometimes, they got free food from the restaurants that liked their music.
Toby was happy with Dan. He felt loved and appreciated.
One Sunday, when Dan and Toby were playing in the park, they saw Mrs. Darling DeVine and her daughter Jessica walking by. They recognized Toby right away.
“Constable! Constable!” Mrs. Darling DeVine shouted to a policeman nearby. “This street person has stolen my dog! He’s been to Pets Win Prizes, you know!”
The policeman came over and looked at Toby.
“Is this true?” he asked Dan.
“No, sir,” Dan said. “He’s my dog now. He came to me by himself.”
“Dogs generally know who they belong to,” the policeman said.
Toby looked at Mrs. Darling DeVine and Jessica. They looked angry and annoyed.
Then he looked at Dan. He looked worried and scared.
Toby thought of his dog chops and dog biscuits at the Darling DeVines’ house.
Then he thought of all the hugs and strokes that Dan had given him.
He made his choice.
He barked loudly at Mrs. Darling DeVine and Jessica.
He licked Dan’s face.
The policeman smiled.
“I guess that settles it,” he said.
Mrs. Darling DeVine huffed.
“This dog is too scruffy to be ours anyway,” she said.
She pulled Jessica by her coat and walked away.
Toby wagged his tail happily.
He had chosen his human for the rest of his life. edge browser The user has the page open in a Microsoft Edge browser wi