Rudy & Papi and A Slice of Cheese Read online

too short to open the doors, and too weak to push your way out.” He was not used to having his much smaller, much younger, much less experienced and (according to Rudy) definitely not more intelligent brother helping him. This was an unusual situation for Rudy and he wasn’t sure how to handle it.

  “But I can jump, and jump really high”, proudly stated Papi. I’ll jump over the hedge and go find a neighbor to help us. I know I can do it.”

  As Papi was preparing to jump over the hedge, a yard friend of theirs stopped by the hole and looked down. It was Mr. Frog. “What’s wrong, Rudy? Why are you in the hole?”

  “I can’t get out, Mr. Frog”, said Rudy. “I forgot to stop digging until it was too late. I dug too far down.”

  “Why don’t you jump out? I could,” said Mr. Frog. “And I’m a lot smaller than you”.

  “I may be big and strong but I can’t jump like you can,” said Rudy. My legs are too short.

  “Good luck”, said Mr. Frog, and he hopped away.

  Meanwhile, Papi had cleared his toys out of the way so that he could get a running start for the big jump to the top of the fence. He backed up all the way to the house and started running as fast as he could. Faster than if he was chasing a lizard, or running to the sound of a cheese snack fresh from the refrigerator in the crinkly wrapping. With all of his might he pushed off, but it wasn’t a high enough jump. Just another inch, he thought, and so he pulled one of his toys over to use as a ramp from which to push off from. ‘Maybe that will do it’ he hoped and prayed. This time it worked. He pulled himself up on top of the hedge and looked around. He had never been to the other side of the hedge and now knew why. They lived right on a canal and there was no way to get to the neighbors from there. Now what?

  Meanwhile, another yard friend stopped at the hole and looked in. It was Mr. Lizard.

  “Hi Rudy, why are you in the hole? And why isn’t Papi trying to chase me today? I haven’t had any fun all day and now it’s just about night time and you two will have to go inside before it gets too late and too dark?”

  “Hi, Mr. Lizard. I was trying to show Papi that I was better and faster at digging than he was. But I forgot that I’m not so good at jumping very high and got myself into trouble here. I can’t jump out.” Rudy wasn’t good at admitting that Papi was better than him at certain things but he couldn’t avoid it at the moment.

  Sensing that Rudy was somewhat humbled by the situation, Lizard replied, “So Papi is a better jumper than you?”

  In a low, soft tone, Rudy replied, “Yes, Papi is a better jumper than me.”

  “I’m sorry I can’t help because I’m so tiny, but good luck, Rudy.” And off ran Mr. Lizard, looking forward to being chased by the two boys another day.

  As Papi looked around he was also thinking of a solution. He may have been smaller and younger, but he was still a very smart doggie. He jumped down and ran over to the hole.

  “Papi, did you get help? It’s getting dark and I don’t want to be stuck down here all night alone”, stated Rudy. It was bad enough he couldn’t jump out, but he certainly didn’t want to let on that he was scared of the dark too. Just the lack of cheese treats alone was bad enough for Rudy. Papi would never stop teasing him if that happened, he thought.

  “Rudy, I have an idea to get you out. If you dug too much dirt out of the hole, then maybe if I put enough back in, it will raise you up and you will be able to jump out “, said Papi. That was a good idea Papi thought to himself.

  “That’s a pretty good idea, Papi”, said Rudy in an excited tone. “Get those paws working pushing the dirt back in and I’ll do my job in here spreading it around.” WOW, thought Rudy. His little brother was a lot smarter than he gave him credit for. And so they started. Dirt and paws were flying inside and outside of the hole. It didn’t bother Rudy that he was wearing most of it as it came back into the hole. He was thankful that he had a smart brother who was helping him out.

  Frog and Lizard sat side-by-side and watched as the two worked together.

  Finally, after some good teamwork, there was enough dirt back in the hole so that Rudy was able to hop out without too much effort. They then filled in both holes and went inside just as Lily was getting home.

  “RUDY, PAPI, CHEESE!” yelled Lily to get their attention. “Where are you two?” She knew the word ‘cheese’ would get them to run from wherever they were hiding. There would be a race with a whole lot of pushing, and shoving, and jumping just to be first in line for that golden slice of heaven.

  But tonight was different. Tonight each one realized that they had talents and shortcomings and worked well with each other despite the competitive nature that existed between them.

  And tonight for the first time, each one realized that they were both winners of the contest that day, and so they walked together, side-by-side, into the kitchen for a slice of cheese.

  (That’s not the end; it’s just the beginning…!)

  Fun Facts about Rudy and Papi

  Rudy:

  Type: short hair

  Weight: 19lbs (no kidding)

  Height: short (he’s a Dachshund for gosh sakes)

  Color: Black/White/ w/ brown paws

  Adopted: yes

  Favorite toys:

  -squirrel

  -moose

  -tennis ball

  -twisted whiskers bear

  Favorite Foods:

  -Puppy food

  -Cheese (a.k.a quesito in Spanish used for bribery )

  -Chicken

  -Afternoon puppy snacks

  -Water

  -Chew bone

  Physical Features:

  -stocky

  -broad shoulders

  -normal sized feet (patotas)

  -big eyes

  -can’t jump very high

  -normal sized ears

  -wagging tail

  -hearing isn’t as good as Papi’s or he doesn’t want you to think it is

  -sensitive tummy

  -stinky breath (we’re working on that)

  -barks during the day

  -very social w/ people and other animals

  Friends:

  -Papi (his brother)

  -Lily, his mom

  -Grandparents in Mexico

  -Ed

  -Frog

  -Snail

  -worm

  -Kennel friends

  -Neighborhood dogs

  -UPS man

  -Lawn care people

  -Neighborhood kids

  Favorite places:

  -Moms bed & lap

  -Ed’s lap

  -Under the covers just enough with his nose sticking out for air

  -Big fluffy bed

  -On top of a pillow

  -Back yard

  -Living room

  -Porch

  -Car rides in the back seat

  -Puppy park

  -Playing anywhere

  Places lived and visited:

  -Born in Michigan and traveled to Chicago often while Mom worked

  -Moved to Pennsylvania

  -Moved to Florida

  -Puppy Resort

  -Puppy Park

  Papi:

  Type: Dapple

  Weight: 9lbs

  Height: short (he’s a Dachshund for gosh sakes)

  Color: Black/White/gray spotted w/ brown paws

  Adopted: yes

  Favorite toys:

  -squirrel

  -moose

  -tennis ball

  -twisted whiskers bear

  Favorite Foods:

  -Puppy food

  -Cheese (a.k.a. quesito in Spanish, used for bribery)

  -Chicken

  -Afternoon puppy snacks

  -Water

  -Chew bone

  Physical Features:

  -lean

  -very muscular legs (front & back)

  -big feet (patotitas in Spanish meaning big little feet)

  -big smile
r />   -can jump very high

  -large floppy ears that allow him to hear very well

  -fast wagging tail

  -understands Spanish when Mom isn’t happy with him

  -barks a lot at night

  -somewhat shy when meeting people and other animals

  Friends:

  -Rudy (his brother)

  -Mom

  -Grandparents in Mexico

  -Ed

  -Frog

  -Snail

  -worm

  -Kennel friends

  -Neighborhood dogs

  -UPS man

  -Lawn care people

  -Neighborhood kids

  Favorite places:

  -Moms bed & lap

  -Ed’s lap

  -Under the covers boroughed way under

  -Big fluffy bed

  -On top of a pillow

  -Back yard

  -Living room

  -Porch

  -Car rides

  -Puppy park

  -Playing anywhere

  Places lived and visited:

  -Born in Pennsylvania

  -Moved to Florida

  -Puppy Resort

  -Puppy Park