Look Who Went To The Circus

Jake Willard and Winston have another adventure this time at the circus

Jake, Willard, and Winston had just returned from their big adventure on the farm. They had made new friends, rescued the farm dog, and even survived being chased by a very cranky bull. You would think that was enough excitement for a while�"but not for Jake and Willard.
Those two wanted more.
Winston, however, would’ve been perfectly happy napping under a shady tree. But he could never let his two best friends go off alone. If anything happened to those goofballs, he’d never forgive himself.
One sunny morning, Jake and Willard came racing up the street to find Winston.
“We heard people talking about something called a circus!” Jake said, panting.
“A circus?” Winston asked. “Why would we want to see more animals? We just came from the farm.”
“But this place has tons of food!” Jake said. “And people doing tricks for dogs instead of dogs doing tricks for people!”
Winston considered this. “Hmm… good point. When is it?”
Willard�"full of energy like any little Chihuahua�"was bouncing in circles.
“It’s tomorrow night! I can’t wait!” he squeaked.
“Relax before you overheat,” Winston said. “You’re going to get us in trouble again.”
Willard kept spinning anyway.
Jake and Winston began planning.
“Okay,” Jake said. “Tomorrow evening we meet here at the fire hydrant. We sneak out together. Wear your tags, just in case something goes wrong. And remember�"we need to avoid the dog catcher.”
That night Jake and Willard could barely sleep from excitement.
Winston couldn’t sleep either, but for a very different reason�"he knew how much trouble they could get into.
The next evening the three friends met at the corner and put their plan into action.
They crept behind the dumpster at the end of the street and slipped through the hedges into the construction site next door. This was their secret shortcut to adventure�"and, if they weren’t careful, a one-way ticket to the dog pound.
Once they reached the sidewalk, they hustled toward the circus.

They could hear the music before they ever saw the tent. The whole town was buzzing with excitement. Willard hopped from paw to paw.
“I can’t wait to see elephants!” he squeaked. “And that long-necked horse!”
“That’s a giraffe,” Jake said. “And I want to see the people doing tricks. Let them see how it feels! ‘Fetch, Jake, fetch!’ gets old fast.”
When they rounded the corner, they froze in awe.
A giant circus tent stretched across the fairgrounds. People hurried everywhere. Booths lined the streets, bursting with games and food. Bright music filled the air.
“How are we getting inside?” Jake asked.
“I’ve got a plan,” Winston said. “Follow me.”
He led them around the back of the tent where the performers kept the animals. The dogs stared, wide-eyed.
“Look! It’s the long-neck horse!” Willard cried.
The giraffe leaned down. “I’m not a horse. I’m a giraffe. How would you like being called a prairie dog?”
“I didn’t know you spoke dog,” Willard said shyly.
“It happens,” said the giraffe kindly.
Just then Winston and Jake shouted, “Now’s our chance!”
Handlers opened the tent door to move animals inside. The three dogs dashed forward and slipped right in. Suddenly�"they were backstage at the circus.

“Act normal,” Winston whispered. “Blend in.”
“Let’s go!” yelled a handler as he rushed by with a lion tamer and his lions.
In all the chaos, another handler grabbed Jake and Willard by their collars.
“There you are! Where’s your trainer? You’re up next!”
“We’re WHAT?” Jake squeaked.
They were being marched toward a staircase leading up�"way up�"to the tightrope platform thirty feet above the ring.
Winston, unnoticed, ducked behind a stack of crates.
The handler rushed Jake and Willard up the stairs when suddenly the real trainer burst in.
“Stop!” he shouted. “Those aren’t my dogs!”
The handler blinked. “They’re not?”
“No! Mine are right here!”
“Oh! Sorry!”
Jake and Willard were quickly returned to the floor.
“That was close,” Winston said as he rejoined them. “Maybe we blended in a little too well.”
The three found a quiet spot off to the side where they could safely watch the show.

The lights flashed. The music blared. Performers paraded across the ring.
Clowns tumbled. Lions roared. Trapeze artists soared through the air. Tightrope walkers balanced high above the crowd.
It was more amazing than the dogs had ever imagined.
“That was incredible!” Willard barked, bouncing so hard his ears flopped.
“It really was,” Jake agreed.
Winston stretched. “It sure was�"but we’d better get home before our people notice we’re gone.”
They slipped out of the tent and started down the street.
But then they froze.
Parked at the corner was the dog catcher’s van.
“Stop!” Winston whispered. They dove behind a tree.
“That’s the only way home,” Jake whispered. “What do we do?”
Just then, a crowd of schoolchildren came walking from the circus.
“If we blend in with them, he might not see us,” Winston said.
They waited until the kids passed by and slipped into the group. They walked past the dog catcher�"
Or so they thought.
“Hey! Stop!” the dog catcher suddenly shouted. “I know you three!”
The dogs bolted.
They sprinted for the construction site with the dog catcher chasing behind. They dashed through the gate just as a huge dump truck rumbled through, blocking the dog catcher’s view.
When the dust settled, the dogs were gone.
“I’ll get you next time!” the dog catcher yelled.

“That was almost too exciting,” Winston said once they were safely home.
Jake and Willard were so exhausted they fell asleep on the spot, not even stopping to talk about the adventure.
Winston curled up beside them.
“Well,” he thought, “we survived another wild day. And something tells me they’ll drag me into another one soon.”
With that, Winston drifted into a well-earned rest, wondering what their next adventure might be.
The End