The Lonely Pony (2 page)

“Are we there yet?” Janey asked after another few minutes of driving.

“Almost.” Adam pointed. “There—turn right onto that road.”

Dr. Goldman turned onto a narrow, winding road with no sidewalks or street
lamps. There were only a few houses in sight. After a short distance, Adam told her to pull over.

“Is this it?” Janey asked as everyone climbed out of the car.

She looked around. Beside the road was a rickety fence, built half of wood and half of wire. It enclosed a small pen that was choked with weeds. There was a small, tumbledown shed in the middle and a plastic trough half-filled with slimy, greenish water near the gate. On the hillside beyond the pen was a much larger, grassy pasture where a small herd of dairy cows were grazing peacefully.

“Are we here to rescue those cows?” Zach joked. “Because I don't think they'll fit in the dog runs at the shelter.”

“Not exactly,” Adam said. “The animal
we need to help is right in here.”

He waved at the small pen. Janey looked at it again. The only animals she could see in there were some flies buzzing above the water tank.

“Where's the pet who needs rescuing?” Lolli asked. “I don't see anything.”

“The animal I saw is probably in that shed.” Adam leaned on the fence and
whistled loudly.

“I knew it!” Janey said. “It is a dog, isn't it? Adam, I've heard you whistle like that to your clients a million times!”

But Lolli gasped and pointed. “It's not a dog,” she cried. “Look!”

An animal had just stepped into view from behind the shed. Janey could hardly believe her eyes. Could that really be . . .

“Oh my gosh!” she cried. “It's a horse!”

“No way.” Zach climbed on the lowest rung of the fence for a better look. “It looks like it shrunk in the wash!”

Lolli smiled. “It's not a horse,” she said. “It's a pony!”

Adam looked confused. “You mean a baby horse?”

“Not quite,” Dr. Goldman said with a smile.
“A lot of people think a pony is a baby horse. But a pony is actually a horse below a certain height, or sometimes it's a certain breed.”

The animal stepped farther out from behind the shed. Whatever you called her, she was the smallest equine Janey had ever seen!
The pony pricked her little ears, then let out a high-pitched whinny and trotted toward them.

“Aw, she's coming to see us!” Janey said. “Here, pony pony!”

“Careful, kids,” Dr. Goldman said. “Some ponies bite.”

Janey hardly heard her. The pony reached the fence and stuck her muzzle through the wire. When Janey touched the pony's nose, it felt as soft as velvet.

“She's so cute!” Lolli exclaimed.

“Yeah,” Adam said. “But look—her mane and tail are all messed up.”

Janey saw that he was right. There were brambles tangled in the pony's thick mane and tail. Her hair looked even more snarled than Janey's did after swimming.

“She does look a bit neglected,” Dr. Goldman said, peering through the fence at the pony's feet. “Her hooves are long and chipped. And her coat's not in great condition, either.”

Janey glanced at the vet. “Wow, you know a lot about ponies! I thought you only treated cats and dogs and other regular pets.”

“You're right, I do specialize in small animals.” Dr. Goldman shrugged. “But I studied the basics of taking care of large animals in vet school, so I know a little.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of hard candy. “For instance, I learned that most equines love peppermints!”

She unwrapped the candy and held it out, her hand flat with the palm facing up. The pony lipped it up and crunched it.

“You're right, she loves it!” Janey exclaimed. “I think she wants more.”

The pony stretched her head over the fence as far as she could. Her ears swiveled back and forth excitedly, and she let out an eager nicker.

Dr. Goldman laughed. “Sorry, girl, that's the only one I have.”

Adam smiled, too, but he looked worried. “I've seen this pony in this field every
day since I started walking a dog near here last week,” he said. “But I've never seen anyone out here feeding her or brushing her or anything.”

“Really?” Janey said. “That's totally vile. What if she's been abandoned?”

Lolli gasped. “Abandoned? We have to help her!”

“Let's not jump to conclusions, kids,” Dr. Goldman said. “Ponies can get awfully messy in a short time. Maybe she's been rolling in the brambles, and nobody has been by to groom her yet today.”

“Come on, Mom,” Zach said. “If my hair looked like that, you'd have it tidied up lickety-split.” He grinned. “No matter how fast I tried to run away!”

That made everyone laugh, including Dr. Goldman. “I suppose it wouldn't hurt to ask around.”

Janey said, “Okay, let's go!”

“Hold on.” Dr. Goldman put a hand on Janey's arm. “I'm not sure we should wander around knocking on strangers' doors.”

“But we have to do something!” Lolli exclaimed. “We need to help this poor pony!”

“We will,” Dr. Goldman said. “I was just going to say, a few of my clients live around here. We could see if any of them are home, and ask if they know who owns her. All right?”

Janey smiled. She should have known Dr. Goldman wouldn't let them down!

“All right!” she exclaimed. “The Pet Rescue Club is on the job! So, let's go!”

The first house they tried was a tidy farmhouse with a big front porch right next to the pony's pen. When Dr. Goldman knocked on the door, the sound of excited yapping came from inside.

“Wow,” Adam said. “It sounds like these people have a lot of dogs.”

“Five,” Dr. Goldman said with a smile. “The Valentines love dogs. They're among my best clients.”

A moment later, a plump, pleasant-looking man opened the door. He was in
his late sixties, with a bushy gray mustache. Five little dogs danced around his legs.

“Dr. Goldman!” the man exclaimed with a smile. “What a nice surprise! Look, gang, your doctor's here!”

“Oh, your dogs are so cute!” Janey blurted out, bending to pat them as they leaped excitedly around her.

“Hello, Tom,” Dr. Goldman said. “Sorry to bother you on a Saturday.”

“No bother at all!” He beamed at her. “What can I do for you, doc?”

“We noticed the pony in the pen over there,” Dr. Goldman said. “Do you happen to know who owns her?”

The man looked surprised. “As a matter of fact, we do. Her name is Lola.”

“Really?” Lolli giggled. “That sounds almost like my name!”

Meanwhile, Janey traded a surprised look with Adam. Mr. Valentine seemed really nice, and his dogs looked happy and healthy. He definitely didn't seem like the type of person who would mistreat a pony on purpose. What was going on?

“This is Lolli, Tom,” Dr. Goldman said.
“She's practically your neighbor—her family lives on one of the farms over on Crooked Tree Road.” She went on to introduce the other three kids.

“Nice to meet you all,” the man said. “I'm Tom Valentine.”

“Tom?” a woman's voice called from inside. “Who is at the door?”

A moment later the woman appeared. She was just as plump and pleasant looking as her husband, with wavy hair and bright blue eyes.

“This is my wife, Val,” Tom told the kids. “Val, Dr. Goldman and her friends were asking about Lola.”

“I didn't realize you two had a pony,” Dr. Goldman said. “Have you had her long?”

“Just a few months,” Val said. “Why don't you have a seat on the porch and I'll fetch some lemonade. Then we can tell you all about her.”

A few minutes later, Dr. Goldman and the Pet Rescue Club members were settled in comfortable wicker furniture with tart, tasty glasses of lemonade. The little dogs were there, too. Two of them were snuggled in Janey's lap. Zach was playing fetch with a third, while the other two took turns running back and forth between Lolli and Adam.

“So,” Janey said, scratching one of the dogs behind his silky ears. “Where did you get Lola?”

“She came from the racetrack,” Val said.

Zach laughed. “What? That tiny pony
was a racehorse? No way!”

“With those short legs, she must have lost every race,” Lolli said with a giggle.

Val laughed, too. “No, Lola wasn't a racehorse, but she lived with one.”

“That's right,” Tom said. “You see, Lola was a stall companion to a thoroughbred racehorse named Red.”

“A stall companion?” Janey wrinkled her nose. “What's that?”