Stick Dog Wants a Hot Dog Read Online Free Page B

and forth and said, “Watch this.”
    Stick Dog, Poo-Poo, Mutt, and Stripes all watched as Karen proceeded to drop down on the ground and tuck her little dachshund legs up close to her long dachshund tummy. Then she curled her tail up underneath and between her legs. Finally, she tucked her chin close to her chest and, trying not to move her lips at all, said, “What am I?”

    â€œA dachshund who just forgot how to walk,” guessed Mutt.
    â€œNo.”
    â€œOoh! I love guessing games,” said Poo-Poo. “You’re a furry torpedo!”
    â€œNo.”
    Stripes walked a couple of circles around Karen, staring down and examining her the whole time. “I think I got it,” she said. “You’re a gorilla who fell asleep wearing a dachshund costume.”
    â€œNo!” said Karen, feeling a little exasperated. “Stick Dog? Do you have a guess?”
    Stick Dog did indeed have a guess. He wanted to say, “You are the weirdest dog on the planet!”—but he didn’t. He simply said, “No, I don’t have a guess. I give up. What are you?”
    â€œDuh,” said Karen, lifting her little chin up slightly and looking at herself. “I’m a frankfurter! See the color!? The shape!? Everything?!”
    â€œUmm, okay,” said Stick Dog. “You’re an awfully large frankfurter, by the way. But let’s try and see past that. Let’s say everybody—including Peter—believes you are a frankfurter. What’s the rest of your plan after you’re done imitating a frankfurter?”
    Karen looked at Stick Dog like his brain had just turned into a rawhide chew. She sighed. “Do I really have to explain it? It’s so simple.”
    â€œUmm, yes,” said Stick Dog. “Please explain it.”
    â€œWhen Prickle Pop . . .”
    â€œPeter,” corrected Stick Dog.
    â€œRight, right. That’s what I said,” said Karen. “When he sees me, he’s going to think he hit the jackpot. I’ll be the world-record, biggest frankfurter he’s ever seen. He’ll do anything to have me. Think about it: His whole world revolves around frankfurters. And when he sees me, his greed will overtake him. He’ll do anything to get me. You can trade me in for all the other frankfurters!”
    They just looked at Karen, so she continued with her plan.

    â€œAfter you get those frankfurters from the cart, he’ll put me down to admire me. He’ll think he is in some crazy, beautiful dream with the world’s largest, most magnificent frankfurter right there for him to have and to hold.”
    â€œWhat then? What will you do when Prickle Pop—” Stick Dog said. Then he stopped. He looked down at the ground and shook his head a couple of times before looking back up. “I mean Peter. What will you do when Peter is admiring you?”
    â€œThat’s easy,” said Karen. There was a clear sense of superiority in her voice. “I’ll pop out my legs and run all the way to your pipe, Stick Dog. Save some frankfurters for me! Yeah, baby! Brilliant plan, huh?”
    Stick Dog had grown more and more impatient. And his stomach had grown more and more grumbly. He usually tried to be polite when one of his friends had a plan that was a little, umm, not so good. But now he had just had enough.
    When was the last time you had had enough? I’ll tell you mine. I was taking out the garbage. Do you have to take out the garbage? Well, I do.
    It was one of those big, white, plastic, stretchy bags from the kitchen garbage can. It had a bunch of old food and paper and old cleaning rags in it. And my mom had just dumped all the dust and yuck from the vacuum cleaner in there. You know that big, gray clump of grossness that has dust and hair and shoe mud all swirled around inside it like a tornado? The bag was full of it along with all the other garbage stuff.
    So I’m taking it out to