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Informationen zum Autor Sam Fortsch; Illustrated by Manuel Gutierrez Klappentext Join former U.S. Army rescue dog Sgt. "Rico" Ricochet, a bomb-sniffing Malinois, as he gears up for his second mission with the Pawtriots in this all-American illustrated chapter book series! The Pawtriots are on a larger-than-life mission down in Texas to rescue a litter of kidnapped puppies...But who can they trust on the mighty Rio Grande? For young readers wanting action-packed adventure with a patriotic message, the Pawtriots are the perfect team! Leseprobe Chapter 1 Hooah! Location: The Sanctuary: Washington, DC, United States Date: 10MAR21 Time: 1800 hours Welcome back, soldier! I’m glad to see you reenlisted. A lot has happened since we saved the Sanctuary, so let me debrief you. That’s Army-talk for . . . that’s right! I’m glad you remembered. Winter is coming to an end and the Pawtriots couldn’t be happier. Morale is sky-high and we’re adding new recruits to our ranks. Dogs, cats, snakes, and birds are arriving every day and they all ask me the same thing: “How can we help?!” There are so many new animals that we set up a boot camp, right here at the Sanctuary. It’s a nine-week program that turns civilians into soldiers. It’s like summer camp but with lots of marching and even more push-ups! After we took down Mr. Mocoso, we knew it was our duty to help others in need—beyond the animals in the Sanctuary. So, we’ve been using pigeons and other birds to relay messages from all over the country. Calls for help have been pouring in for the past six months. Penny is always pushing us to go out on missions and do good deeds for the community. “Our community,” as she says. But we have to prioritize. We can’t help everyone. There just isn’t enough time in the day. I caught her sneaking out the other night to help a pigeon that had some gum stuck on his wings. It was the right thing to do, but it’s risky to go off on your own. As leader, it’s important for me to know where everyone is at all times. She can’t just sneak outside the wire whenever she wants to. That’s Army-talk for “going out on missions.” We call the Sanctuary “the TOC” now. It sounds like tock as in ticktock, and it’s short for Tactical Operations Center. The TOC is our command post and it’s where we plan our missions. Morgan and Sawyer, the rabbit and ferret, got hurt in a training exercise the other day, so they’ve been running the TOC when the rest of us are out on missions. They’re okay now, but they need time to recover from their injuries. Still, there’s an upside to having them stay behind. It’s always good to have capable leaders stay in the rear with the gear and make sure things at home run smoothly. We’ve even established a chain of command. Your rank is a badge of leadership and it determines your level of responsibility within your unit. And we even wrote out our mission statement: “The Pawtriots will provide safety and security to all animals in need.” It’s very important to establish a unit’s purpose. It helps keep everyone focused on achieving goals and completing missions. Soldiers love knowing that what they’re doing is for a good reason. Time: 2100 hours I had planned to lead a quick night-op perimeter check at the TOC with the Pawtriots tonight. But the wind is howling and snow is falling fast, so it might be a better idea to conduct classroom training instead. It’s not exactly everyone’s favorite thing to do, and it’s definitely not mine! Still, I know it’s important to do this type of training. Simon, the marmoset who helped us locate the will in Mr. Mocoso’s mansion, snuck out of the zoo to join our cause. He’s been teaching everyone how to effectively communicate in silence using only hand and arm signals. It takes practice, but I...
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Sam Fortsch; Illustrated by Manuel Gutierrez
