Dog Days: A Dog, His Girl, and A Cookie Jar Heist (Dog Days #1)

Mischief comes in every shape and size, and in this story, it comes in the shape of a dog and his girl.

The sun sifted through the curtains and danced on the window edge warming the attentive, dark face of Toby, the guardian of this house, the brave warrior, the strong sentry—in other words, the Mitchel's dog. And the steady protector of the young girl who reeled into the room, with tears streaming down her face. Toby’s perpetually perked ears swiveled towards his Mila and he dashed to meet her in the middle of the room. The small girl threw her damp hands around his stocky neck and he lowered his large head, licking at her nose. She gave him a teary smile, and giggled. 

“Toby,” She whispered from behind a cupped hand, “I need your help.” Brushing a finger down the brown of his cheek she reached, flailing her fingers toward his black ear, he dropped his head and she fondled the ear before padding into the other room with him following closely at her side so that she could keep one hand on his shoulder as she walked. Once in the kitchen, Toby thumped his rump down on the floor in front of the counter his girl had stopped at and watched intently as she popped onto her tippy toes and pointed at an open cabinet. He cocked his head and nudged her gently out of the way and lay down. Mila climbed onto his back and he rose gingerly. Then, with her tiny hands holding on tightly to his collar, he swiftly lifted his front paws onto the counter and rested his chin on the surface, allowing her to climb clumsily up over his neck and onto the counter. Once she was on the counter, Toby nuzzled his snout under her diaper and raised her to the cabinet's open frame. Mila threw her arms around the glass cookie jar that had been displayed in the cabinet. Hugging it to her chest she squealed, “Okay, Toby, I got it, let’s go!” And so she shimmied down onto his back and he gently lowered himself off the counter. Marching into the living room, Mila scooted behind the couch with a grin that, Toby thought, outshone the sun in every way. 

And so, that was how Mila’s mom found them, the empty cookie jar on its side next to the girl holding the big dog in her lap, her head draped over his, snoozing soundly with cookie crumbs on both their noses.