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whimper and moan, “Please, oh please, Hattie. I’m sooooo hungry . . .”
    Hattie turns to Food Lady. She wants to bring me that dish.
    â€œNo,” Food Lady says.
    Fetch Man shakes his head. “Train-ing,” he says.
    What’s wrong? Hattie’s supposed to get up and serve me my food out here in the hallway.
    I whine some more. “Hattie, Hattie, oh please, Hattie. Please, please, pleeeeeaaaaase . . .”
    She’s gazing at Fetch Man, then Food Lady, then back to Fetch Man. She looks desperate. She wants to help me. What’s going on?
    I cry and whimper and whine again and again and again. I even roll onto my back and moan, “Oh why, oh why isn’t anybody feeding me? There’s only so much suffering one dog can take.”
    It’s hard work. I keep whining and moaning while my humans finish eating and put everything away. Hattie acts like it hurts to look at me. The feeling is mutual.
    Just when I’m ready to give up, Hattie walks out of the Eating Place and over to the front closet. I spring up to see what’s going on. She’s holding her backpack and something even better—my leash. Good thing I showed up!
    Fetch Man grabs jingling keys. Food Lady reaches for her purse. This can only mean one thing—we’re going for a ride in the car! Whoopee!
    Fetch Man and Food Lady are chattering up front. Me and Hattie are cuddled in the back. She speaks to me in a quiet voice, like she’s telling me a secret. She pets me over and over.
    My nose detects a fabulous scent in her backpack. There’s no doubt about it! That thing is loaded with treats! Hattie’s obviously planning to give them to me. I can’t stop licking her face. This is the way it’s supposed to be! My Hattie is back.
    When the car stops, I barrel out the door, ready for all the fun we are about to have with those treats. And when I search around the parking lot, there’s more excitement right in front of my eyes. And my nose! Lots of dogs and humans. And they’re heading into a giant building.
    An indoor Dog Park? Hooray! Hooray! I pull Hattie through the doors. I can’t get in fast enough.
    But inside, it’s disturbingly quiet. And worse, the dogs are all on leashes. “What is this place?” I say as we approach a Yellow Lab.
    After we politely sniff each other’s bums, he tells me his name is Lance. He’s with a tall human who smells like hamburger. “Dunno, dude,” he says. “But then, I rarely do.”
    â€œWell, it’s going to be wonderful,” I say.
    He gazes at me blankly. “Huh?”
    I nuzzle Hattie’s leg. “This is my short human. Her backpack is full of treats!”
    He perks up. “Treats? Awesome!”
    Food Lady and Fetch Man are speaking with some other humans. One of them is tugging the leash of a Basset Hound who looks like he wants to run away. Does he know something I don’t? We introduce ourselves. His name is Rocky.
    This place sure is curious. It must be explored! Nose to the floor, I lead Hattie from corner to corner, intoxicated by the amazing aromas. Every single inch of space smells like dogs. All kinds of dogs. I detect whiffs of Schnauzers and Boxers and Poodles and every other breed I can imagine. Even more than I’ve ever smelled before. Has every kind of dog in the world been here? Talk about a promising sign! This place is probably the best indoor Dog Park ever. Or maybe Dog Heaven.
    As I continue to sniff, I discover something even more incredible—treats! And not just the delicious kind in Hattie’s backpack. Wowee! It’s a smorgasbord of dog treats—cheesy, livery, beefy—the smells are totally overwhelming. I pivot and jump on Hattie’s legs. “This is going to be mind-blowing!” I bark. “I can hardly wait till the fun starts!”
    She looks around uneasily and shifts her backpack to her other shoulder. She