The Secret Life of Pets 3

Chapter 9

"Little one, come here," Rooster ordered, thumping his tail twice. Looking over at the Welsh sheepdog, Liam giggled happily as he made his way over to him. Duke and Max watched quietly. Clearing his throat, Duke mumbled, "Uh, no disrespect or anything sir but... what are you going to do with Liam?" Gazing down at the child that stood before him, Rooster answered, "I sense an alpha spirit inside of him. So what am I going to do you ask? I'm gonna show him how to act like an alpha and not make a fool of himself... like you clumsy."

"I'm not clumsy!" Duke insisted, standing to his feet and holding his tail high. However, his tail was also wagging at the moment and it hit a nearby vase. The beautifully adorned pottery fell to the ground and shattered into a million pieces. The three dogs and small child quietly looked down at it. Max made sure that Liam didn't go near any of the shards while Rooster raised an eyebrow at Duke. Glancing left and right in dead silence, the large Newfoundland mix quickly pointed at his brother and exclaimed, "Max did it." The Jack Russell terrier whipped his head around and barked, "What?!"

Lowering his head down to Liam's level, Rooster looked the child in the eyes. Lifting his paw and pointing it at Liam's eyes before pointing at himself, the dog muttered, "Watch me." Though he couldn't possibly understand what the canine had just said to him, Liam quietly nodded his head. Max and Duke sat nearby to watch. Standing straight up, Rooster held his head high and his eyes straight forward. Stealing a glance at Liam, he flicked his tail for him to do the same. The little boy copied him, though he did it on hands and feet. The sheepdog swiftly got him into a standing position. Watching the pair, Duke murmured quietly to himself, "I can do that. I'll show him I'm not clumsy." Scooting a little behind Max, the mutt did what Rooster had showed Liam.

"Okay, walk forward. Don't look back, chin up," Rooster instructed Liam as he walked back and forth. Liam walked by his side, copying what he was doing. Max watched the pair, impressed by what he was seeing. Unknown to all three, Duke was doing the exact same thing behind the terrier. And he continued to secretly copy the Welsh sheepdog for a bit until Max happened to look behind him. A question written on his face, he asked, "Duke, what are you doing?" Realizing that he had been caught, the larger dog stopped what he was doing and lumbered out towards the kitchen as he muttered, "Nothing..."