MR DOG AND THE FARAWAY FOX
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
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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.
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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
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.
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
Copyright
Books by Ben Fogle
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
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