Beauty took the hint that petting was the order of the day, at least for now, and had just picked out a nice sunny spot in the grass to sit down in when the puppy starting squirming and whining. Worried, she knelt down and set him gently on the ground, stroking his head reassuringly.

"Is there something wrong?" Maybe he just needed to answer the call of nature, or was feeling too antsy to be held any longer. She hoped he wasn't suddenly ill...