and worth paying attention to And when Prof Lester first met me she said she liked my moxie and that I was a star I didn’t know what moxie meant or much about stars but that was good to hear Morning Prof Lester Alisa said Morning Marcia Reg said Any new cases Prof Lester said Matter of fact I just got a text Reg said Looks like Spooky will be heading to court Prof Lester gave me a small smile and a wink Then she turned to leave But not before she reached down for a quick scratch of my head Good dog she whispered Brightest star around Alisa looked at her phone Shoot she said Late for class Alisa kissed the top of my head I tried to get one more lick of the taco spice but she was too fast 4
All right Spooky Reg said We need to get to class too I gotta check my email see what this new case is all about Reg adjusted my lab coat and opened the door I followed him in He let go of my leash as soon as we got in the room I knew the drill Reg headed for his teaching table at the front of the lab I hopped toward my bed in the corner Every Monday Wednesday and Friday while Reg taught chemistry to the students I slept in my lab gear Even though I never touched the chemicals in the laboratory the rules were that everyone in the lab must wear safety equipment Including dogs Reg didn’t need to bring me to class but he thought it was good practice for me And it was As a Helper Hound sometimes I have to put on extra equipment And I had to get used to all sorts of strange places and people doing weird things If you ask me there aren’t many 5
places stranger or people weirder than humans in white coats and goggles mixing potions in beakers in a chemistry lab As the students filed into the room most gave me a scratch or two behind the goggles As soon as Reg started his lecture I nodded off along with a couple of the students Sometimes the clinking of beakers would wake me up But most of the time I didn’t wake up until the students were shuffling out of the room It was the same on this day Class and my nap were over And not a moment too soon We had a new Helper Hounds case after all I just read the full email Reg said as he knelt beside me in his office and unbuttoned my coat and slid off my boots and goggles A kid named Danny saw someone steal some bikes Now he has to go to court to testify He was actually just in court last year when he got adopted but he’s really nervous about having to 6
say what he saw Judge Mathers thinks you can help I barked at the word help Of course I could help That’s what Helper Hounds do What do you think Should we say yes I barked again Not that I ever said no to Helper Hounds cases but once upon a time I saw someone commit a crime Actually I was the victim of the crime I had to go to court for that too Also I know we don’t act our best when we feel scared Learning to relax is very very important Let me tell you the story of how I know all this 7
