by Polly M. Robertus
illustrated by Janet Stevens
illustrated by Janet Stevens
Category
📚
LearningTranscript
00:00The Dog Who Had Kittens, by Polly M. Robertoos, illustrated by Janet Stephens
00:30For all my parents.
00:51Pr.
00:52Baxter the Basset Hound was in his backyard enjoying the smells of spring.
00:57Suddenly, he heard a fuss.
00:58A-Louise, the boy was shouting.
01:00Everybody, come look at A-Louise.
01:03Baxter trotted toward the side of the garage.
01:05Suddenly Baxter was furious with A-Louise.
01:08Where was she?
01:09What right had she to leave her babies alone like this?
01:12When had they last eaten?
01:14Baxter began to pace around the room.
01:16The kittens' cries grew louder.
01:18Oh why, why doesn't anyone come?
01:20He thought desperately.
01:22Finally he went back to the box.
01:24The kittens were in a ball in one corner.
01:26Delicately, Baxter stepped into the box.
01:29He lay down carefully taking most of the extra space.
01:32The kittens sensed his warmth and began to pull themselves toward him crying louder than ever.
01:37Blindly they stumbled and tumbled over each other until they were between his front paws.
01:41Little muzzles scouted his fur.
01:43Little mouths sucked at his legs and neck.
01:45Little paws with needles massaged him.
01:47Baxter was afraid to move for fear of crushing one of them.
01:51He held still for a long time.
01:53At last the kittens fell asleep.
01:55He sniffed and poked them gently with his big nose.
01:58All at once he felt happier than he'd ever felt before.
02:01I did it? he thought.
02:03I helped them.
02:04They feel safe now.
02:05This is wonderful.
02:07Suddenly there was A-Louise with eyes like embers.
02:09A-Louise gave him a hard look, leaped into the box and began at once to sniff and push the kittens.
02:15They began to waken and cry.
02:17Get out, A-Louise said.
02:19He got there just as the boy's parents did.
02:21He had to push his head between all the legs to see what was going on.
02:25There, lying on her side in a box was A-Louise.
02:28When she saw Baxter, she bristled her fur and hissed.
02:32Baxter just had time to see the squirming little bodies attached to her belly before the boy led him away to the oak tree.
02:38You'd better stay here for a while, said the boy.
02:41We're going to move A-Louise into the house with the kittens.
02:44She's very nervous.
02:46So Baxter was chained to the tree and abandoned.
02:49Kittens, he thought.
02:51Just what I need more cats around the place.
02:53More attention for A-Louise.
02:55Less attention for me?
02:57He lifted his head and howled.
02:59Hours went by.
03:00No one even looked at him.
03:02It was almost dinnerim when to his surprise, A-Louise herself came toward him from the house.
03:07Congratulations, he said as sincerely as he could.
03:10A-Louise was licking a paw.
03:12Marvelous, aren't they, she purred.
03:15How many?
03:16Seven.
03:17Three of them look like me.
03:18Gorgeous.
03:19Baxter slumped down in the grass.
03:21Seven kittens?
03:22This was worse than he'd imagined.
03:24That's nice, he said miserably.
03:26How long am I going to be an outcast then?
03:29It wasn't my idea to chain you up.
03:31All the same, I'd appreciate it if you'd stay away for a while.
03:35You are a dog and the kittens and I are cats.
03:38I know you for a very good fellow, but I must warn you, don't come near my kittens.
03:43And she stalked off toward the house.
03:45Finally the boy fed Baxter and scratched and hugged him.
03:48But the ball didn't come out and Baxter wasn't invited for a walk.
03:52Worst of all, Baxter had to go to bed in the garage.
03:55It went on like that for three days.
03:58Baxter was allowed in the house, but not in the laundry room where the kittens lay in a large box.
04:03He could hear their thin cries from time to time.
04:06One day the family left the house, but didn't quite shut the laundry room door.
04:10Baxter nosed it open and pushed inside.
04:13He could hear the kittens crying.
04:15Aloise was nowhere in sight.
04:17Baxter hung his head over the side of the box and had a good look.
04:20Suddenly he didn't feel a bit jealous.
04:23They're so tiny, he thought.
04:25Their eyes aren't open and they can't even hold their little heads up or walk.
04:29The mewing babies seemed to be searching.
04:31Their cries were the most peef wheel sounds Baxter had ever heard.
04:35Baxter climbed carefully out of the box.
04:37I didn't heard them. I can see that.
04:40But it's feeding time. You're in the way.
04:42Past feeding time.
04:44Baxter said remembering his anger.
04:46Poor little mites crying and crying.
04:48And where were you then?
04:50None of your business.
04:51And don't think I don't know my business.
04:53Kittens are always hungry they think.
04:56I have to get away from time to time.
04:58Baxter looked at Aloise.
05:00The kittens were suckling.
05:01A pretty sight, he said humbly.
05:03Once the family realized that Aloise trusted Baxter around the kittens everyone relaxed.
05:09He could come and go as he liked.
05:11To everyone's surprise, he spent most of his time with the kittens.
05:15Since Aloise only came around to feed and wash her babies it was them.
05:19The kittens seemed to think of his nose tail and especially his long dangling ears as a kitten playground.
05:25Baxter was with the kittens when they opened their eyes and when they began to walk.
05:29When they first learned how to climb out of the box, he nearly went crazy trying to keep track of them.
05:34He'd forgotten about his old life until one day when the kittens were several weeks old.
05:39The boy came downstairs whistling and tossing a ball.
05:42Come on Baxter. Let's go to the field, he called Baxter.
05:46Suddenly remembering old times ran outside and trotted happily alongside the bicycle.
05:51They played fetch and then went into the woods nearby.
05:54Baxter dug up a rotting catcher's mitt and to his joy the boy let him keep it.
05:58When Baxter got home, he laid down and gave his mitt a thorough chew.
06:02Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Aloise vanishing through her cat door.
06:06Suddenly, he remembered the kittens.
06:09Baxter raced to the house, nosed opened the door, and skidded across the kitchen linoleum into the laundry room.
06:15The boy was empty.
06:16Sniffing, Baxter searched for the kittens but he couldn't find a single one.
06:21Neither could he hear them.
06:22Where oh where could they be?
06:24He sat down and howled.
06:25Aloise and the boy appeared.
06:27There he gone, of course, Aloise said.
06:30Gone, where, where could they have gone?
06:33I leave them for one day and they vanish.
06:35Said Baxter.
06:36They don't need us anymore.
06:38Aloise said.
06:39They've got homes of their own now, where they've going to be cats like me.
06:43Goodness, didn't you notice how big they were getting?
06:46Baxter could hardly eat his food that night.
06:49He lay at the boy's feet after dinner and when the family went to bed he tried to sleep but he just feel too lonely.
06:55Finally he got up and went into the laundry room where the box was full of moonlight.
07:00He snuggled up in it comforted by its kitten smell.
07:03He was still feeling too sad to sleep when with a soft thud, Aloise landed next to him and curled up by his head.
07:10It occurs to me, I never did thank you for all your help.
07:13She said.
07:14You're welcome.
07:15I enjoyed every minute of it.
07:17He sniffed.
07:18Aloise began absently to lick his ear.
07:21Well, she said.
07:22I have to admit it's strange without them.
07:24It's good to know I might have more kittens someday.
07:27Anyway, I'm glad you're still here.
07:29Oh Aloise really.
07:31Baxter sighed happily.
07:33He fell asleep at last while Aloise licked and licked his ear, just as though it were a kitten.
07:38The end.