Bertie's story

by Jane Clark

"Eight-year-old Laura is very kind and thoughtful to all animals, whether it's a baby bird who has tumbled from a tree, or a scary spider lurking in her bedroom. Her mum and dad decide that she is definitely responsible enough to have her very own puppy -- so take her to Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, where she meets Bertie the West Highland terrier. Poor Bertie hasn't been treated very well by his previous owners, so is very thin and frightened, with patchy fur. Laura wants to take Bertie home, look after him and make him bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Her big sister Leah can't understand why...