Ben Fogle - Mr Dog and the Rabbit Habit

First published in Great Britain by

HarperCollins Children’s Books in 2019

HarperCollins Children’s Books is a division of HarperCollins Publishers 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 2019

Illustrations © Nikolas Ilic 2019

Cover design © HarperCollins Publishers 2019

Ben Fogle and Nikolas Ilic assert the moral right to be identified as the author and illustrator of the 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: 9780008306366

Ebook Edition © 2019 ISBN: 9780008306373

Version: 2019-02-09

To Ludo and Iona.

A life of love and respect for all

animals great and small.

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Children’s Books in 2019 HarperCollins Children’s Books is a division of HarperCollins Publishers 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 2019 Illustrations © Nikolas Ilic 2019 Cover design © HarperCollins Publishers 2019 Ben Fogle and Nikolas Ilic assert the moral right to be identified as the author and illustrator of the 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: 9780008306366 Ebook Edition © 2019 ISBN: 9780008306373 Version: 2019-02-09

Dedication To Ludo and Iona. A life of love and respect for all animals great and small.

Map Map

Chapter One: Mr Dog and Mother Rabbit

Chapter Two: White Rabbit

Chapter Three: The Story of Socks

Chapter Four: Digging Deep

Chapter Five: Under the Fence

Chapter Six: The Black Cat

Chapter Seven: Trapped!

Chapter Eight: The Search

Chapter Nine: Rabbit Treasure

Chapter Ten: New Beginnings

Notes from the Author

About the Author

About the Publisher

The rabbit was running as fast as she could. The dog was gaining on her. Her fluffy white tail bobbed about as she darted left and right, trying to give him the slip. But the dog was too fast.

The rabbit rolled over on to her back as a long furry snout loomed above her …

‘Tag! You’re it!’ The dog nudged the bunny’s belly with his nose and snorted. ‘Now it’s your turn to catch me – if you can!’

‘Wait!’ snuffled the rabbit. ‘I’m all puffed out.’

‘Very well. I shall wait.’ The dog sat down for three seconds, then jumped straight up again, panting. ‘There! Ready to play now?’

The rabbit thumped a hind leg in excitement. Most dogs she’d met were scary and chased you because they wanted to get you. This dog was different.

He was a scruffy, scraggy mutt, his coat black except for his white nose and front paws. In place of a collar he had a red and white hanky tied round his neck. His long tail swished all about, busy as a broom, and his shaggy eyebrows were full of expression.

‘What’s your name?’ asked the curious rabbit.

‘Mr Dog,’ the dog replied. ‘What’s yours?’

‘Mother Rabbit.’ She paused, whiskers twitching. ‘If you don’t mind me saying so, Mr Dog is a funny name.’

‘No, no, no. Figgy-Jig is a funny name.’ Mr Dog danced a small jig on his hind legs. ‘Bafflehonk, Wiggy and Dumpy-Drawers are all funny names. But Mr Dog is … elegant.’ He bowed his head. ‘Rather like myself!’

‘Did your owners name you Mr Dog?’

‘Owners?’ Mr Dog’s eyes widened. ‘I don’t have owners. I’ve had a few pet humans, if that’s what you mean. But I prefer the travelling life. Right now I’m staying in a garden.’ He licked his nose. ‘Perfectly nice woman who lives in the house, but she will insist on throwing away perfectly good balls, however many times I take them back.’

‘Well, I’ve never gone further than this field,’ Mother Rabbit admitted. ‘I was born here, and so were my own bunnies. They’re sleeping in their nest right now.’ She got up and stretched. ‘I have to wait until dusk before I go back to feed them. I’d hate to lead something hungry and horrible there.’