Mr Dog and the Faraway Fox. Ben Fogle

      

      MR DOG AND THE FARAWAY FOX

       Copyright

      First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Children’s Books in 2020 Published in this ebook edition in 2020 HarperCollins Children’s Books is a division of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd, HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF

      The HarperCollins Children’s Books website address is www.harpercollins.co.uk

      Text copyright © Ben Fogle 2020

      Illustrations copyright © Nikolas Ilic 2020

      Cover design copyright © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2020

      Ben Fogle and Nikolas Ilic assert the moral right to be identified as the author and illustrator of this work respectively.

      A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

      All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook onscreen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

      Source ISBN: 9780008306458

      Ebook Edition © September 2019 ISBN: 9780008306465

      Version: 2019-10-10

      MR DOG AND THE FARAWAY FOX

      BEN FOGLE

      with Steve Cole

      Illustrated by Nikolas Ilic

About the Author

      BEN FOGLE is a broadcaster and seasoned adventurer. A modern-day nomad and journeyman, he has travelled to more than a hundred countries and accomplished amazing feats; from swimming with crocodiles to rowing three thousand miles across the Atlantic Ocean; from crossing Antarctica on foot to surviving a year as a castaway on a remote Hebridean island. Most recently, Ben climbed Mount Everest. Oh, and he LOVES dogs.

       Books by Ben Fogle

      MR DOG AND THE RABBIT HABIT

      MR DOG AND THE SEAL DEAL

      MR DOG AND A HEDGE CALLED HOG

      MR DOG AND THE FARAWAY FOX

       To Jack, Josh and Taran

      Contents

       Cover

       Half Title Page

      Copyright

       Title Page

About the Author

      Books by Ben Fogle

       Dedication

      Chapter One A CRY IN THE NIGHT

      Chapter Two THE FOX FROM FAR AWAY

       Chapter Three NEIGHBOURHOOD NUISANCE!

       Chapter Four A FRIGHT IN THE GARDEN

       Chapter Five ATTACK IN THE ALLEYWAY

       Chapter Six ACROSS THE ROAD OF DOOM

       Chapter Seven A LONG WAY TO SAY GOODBYE

       Chapter Eight THE CULPRIT REVEALED!

      Chapter Nine HAPPY ENDINGS?

      Chapter Ten WILD AT HEART

      Notes from the Author

       About the Publisher

       Chapter One

       A CRY IN THE NIGHT

      It was late in the city. The roads were quiet and the house windows were dark. But not all animals went to bed just because humans did! Nocturnal creatures still roamed the streets and gardens…

      An eerie sound, like a howling scream, rose up into the starry springtime blackness of the sky.

      Mr Dog jumped awake, his dark eyes wide under their bushy brows. He was a raggedy mutt, with dark scruffy fur, a big black nose and front paws as white as his muzzle. ‘What a curious noise,’ he said to himself, stretching with a yawn. ‘I wonder what it was?’

      The short, sad, yowling cry came again. Mr Dog pit-patted across the kitchen to the back door, stuck his head out through the catflap and raised an ear. He tried to trace the lonely sound. But the night was quiet again, just the grumble of a car passing in a nearby road, so he went back inside.

      Mr Dog didn’t often stay in cities. A travelling dog by nature, he preferred fresh air, fields and forests. If he chose to stay with a pet owner, it was usually in a sleepy town or a small-time village. But a little while ago he’d stepped on a thorn and his paw had grown sore. He’d limped into town in search of help.

      Luckily, a kind, animal-loving lady called Minnah had found him and taken him home. She’d pulled out the thorn with tweezers, given him a good bath and even washed the red-and-white spotted hanky that he used as a collar! Her friend, who was a vet, had checked his paw, and luckily the only treatment needed was to soak it in a special bath for ten minutes, twice a day.

      ‘It’s feeling much better already,’ murmured Mr Dog, waggling his paw. ‘And how sweet and clean I smell! I may have to change my name to Lord Dog…’ He stood on his back paws and tried to look as posh as possible. ‘Hmm, perhaps even Sir Dog?’

      ‘Sir Silly Dog!’ someone