Absolutely Lucy Read Online Free

didn’t look all that sure.
    A chunky woman with curly hair and a big smile said hello. She wore a big, shiny silver whistle around her neck.
    “I’m Marsha. I’m the trainer,” she said.
    Mr. Quinn introduced himself. He introduced Bobby and Lucy.
    Marsha leaned over and patted Lucy’s head. “Hello, Lucy. You’re going to be a good student, aren’t you?”
    Lucy tried to jump on Marsha and lick her face.
    Marsha just laughed. “We’ll start in a few minutes. When I blow my whistle, meet me by the big oak tree.”
    Marsha pointed out the tree. Then she walked away.
    “She seems nice,” Mr. Quinn said.
    “Lucy liked her,” Bobby said.
    “Hi,” said a girl about Bobby’s age.
    Bobby looked at the ground. “Hi,” he mumbled.
    “My name is Candy,” the girl said. “This is Butch.” She pointed to her dog, a boxer.
    Mr. Quinn patted Butch on the head. “Hello, Butch. Hello, Candy. I’m Mr. Quinn, and this is Bobby.”
    Butch sniffed at Lucy. Lucy sniffed right back.
    “How long have you had Lucy?” Candy asked.
    Before Bobby could answer, Candy said, “We’ve had Butch about two months. We got him from a neighbor who was moving away. His name was already Butch. He looks like a Butch, don’t you think? Is Lucy a good dog?”
    Bobby looked at his father. Bobby hoped he would answer all the girl’s questions.
    “What about it, Bobby?” Mr. Quinn asked. “Is Lucy a good dog?”
    “Yes,” Bobby said quietly.
    “Butch isn’t,” Candy told Bobby.
    Butch gave a long growl.
    “Butch is wild,” Candy looked rather happy about that fact. “My mother says Butch is driving her crazy.”
    Candy’s mother joined the group. “That’s why Butch is going to obedience school,” she said.
    Marsha blew her whistle. Dogs and their owners gathered by the big oak tree.
    “Go ahead, Bobby,” his father said.
    “What about you?” Bobby asked.
    “I’ll wait on the sidelines and watch,” his father answered.
    “I thought we were going to do this together. You, me, and Lucy.”
    “No,” Mr. Quinn said. “A dog needs one person to train with.”
    Candy tugged at Bobby’s arm. “C’mon, let’s go.”
    Bobby looked back at his father as Candy dragged him away. His father just gave him a wave.
    Everyone was lining up with their dogs.
    “I think our dogs are the best, don’t you?” Candy asked.
    Bobby looked at the other dogs. It was hard to judge. All the dogs were so different. He thought Lucy was the best. He wasn’t too sure about Butch.

    “Lucy and Butch are the best, right?” Candy asked again.
    Butch looked like he might be the best at growling. He was growling loudly at the other dogs. Candy was still waiting for an answer.
    “I guess our dogs are the best,” Bobby finally said.
    Candy said, “I like having a big dog. The other day Butch …”
    Candy sure liked to talk , Bobby thought to himself.
    Marsha blew her whistle again. “We will begin by teaching our dogs how to come when we call their names. Dogs want to learn to obey their masters. It makes them happy. It makes us happy.”
    For the next half hour, the owners called their dogs. When they came, the owners patted their pets and said, “Good dog.”
    By the end of the class, Lucy was coming when Bobby called her.
    Butch was another story. Sometimes Butch ran away when Candy called him. Sometimes he sat down and scratched himself. Every once in a while, when he felt like it, Butch came.
    “He’s getting the hang of it. Don’t you think so?” Candy asked Bobby when the class was over.
    Bobby didn’t want to hurt Candy’s feelings. “Well, he’s trying,” Bobby said.
    Bobby picked up Lucy. He looked around for his father.
    “Let’s go get ice cream,” Candy said.
    “What?” Bobby asked with surprise. No one his age had ever asked him to go for ice cream.
    “We worked hard. Let’s get some ice cream,” Candy repeated.
    “I—I don’t think I can,” Bobby said.
    “Why not?” Candy wanted to know.
    Bobby’s