Dog Squad: Chapters 47–67

by Chris Grabenstein
Fred is your average, lovable dog who looks like his favorite hero, Duke, on the crime-fighting hit show Dog Squad. When Duke needs a stand-in, Fred fills in for him and discovers that Dog Squad action doesn't always stop on the screen.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–15, Chapters 16–30, Chapters 31–46, Chapters 47–67, Chapter 68–Epilogue
40 words 11 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. tattered
    worn to shreds; or wearing torn or ragged clothing
    Big Tony had taken the dogs to an abandoned warehouse where he could work on their “intruder attack” skills. He’d put on a big padded suit that he’d made out of pillows, a tattered movers’ blanket, and a pair of puffy winter parkas.
  2. motivate
    give an incentive for action
    “What do I gotta do to motivate you two?” Big Tony wondered aloud. “Have I been working you too hard? You want a reward? You want to stream tonight’s brand-new episode of Dog Squad?”
  3. bellow
    shout loudly and without restraint
    At the far end of the platform, a conductor waved his arms over his head.
    “All aboard!” he bellowed. “Use all doors except those in the rear car of the train. The rear car is closed. All aboard!”
  4. lurk
    wait in hiding to attack
    Dogs like Dozer and Petunia lurked in all the shadows, ready to pounce.
  5. vault
    jump across or leap over, as an obstacle
    What would Nala do? Fred thought quickly. And then he did it.
    He hopped up into a nearby seat, sprang forward, and vaulted over the tops of all the other seat backs like an Olympic hurdler.
  6. invigorating
    imparting strength and vitality
    “That was some workout!” said Nala as the four dogs trotted down a set of steps to a sea of cars lined up in a parking lot. “Very invigorating. Good idea, Fred.”
  7. improvise
    perform without preparation
    “In the future, Tater,” suggested Nala, “let’s try to stick to the script. Improvising can be dangerous.”
  8. commotion
    a disorderly outburst or tumult
    Before long, the commotion drew the attention of a police cruiser.
  9. blunder
    an embarrassing mistake
    “Trust me, Duke. They’ll delay new episodes until you’re better if we—or rather, I—can encourage Fred to make a few more embarrassing blunders.”
  10. shabby
    mean and unworthy and despicable
    Jenny and Abby walked the dogs over to their first location, which was only a few blocks from the hotel. It was a place the script called Shinbone Alley, in a shabby section of the city.
  11. natty
    marked by up-to-dateness in dress and manners
    First he’d rent the dog back to the TV people. And he’d charge them a ton. Then he’d buy a natty suit so he could take meetings with advertising executives.
  12. burly
    muscular and heavily built
    Big Tony glanced around. He noticed several burly bodyguard types wearing dark blue Windbreakers with SECURITY stenciled in bright yellow letters across their backs. He also noticed a few uniformed members of the NYPD.
  13. filch
    make off with belongings of others
    He was hatching a plan. He’d head up to Connecticut and filch Fred in the middle of the night.
  14. negotiate
    discuss the terms of an arrangement
    Once Big Tony had his dog back, he figured Jenny Yen would be much more willing to negotiate.
  15. giddy
    exultantly proud and joyful; in high spirits
    Giddy, he sashayed over to the cages where the dogs were destroying their chew toys, shredding them to pieces. He opened the crate doors to let them out.
  16. lanky
    tall and thin and having long slender limbs
    Petunia, the lanky Doberman, was leaping off the floor and banging her paws against the basement window.
  17. lurch
    move abruptly
    Fred was terrified. His old life was coming to get his new life. He knew it. His stomach lurched up into the back of his throat.
  18. fateful
    having momentous consequences; of decisive importance
    The old dog Fred had protected that fateful night crawled out from underneath the dumpster.
  19. grudgingly
    in a reluctant manner
    Jenny sighed. It seemed like she didn’t want to say what she knew she had to say next. “Feed him. Then call the animal shelter. Ask for Barbara Wolin.”
    Grudgingly, the man carried the gray-flecked old dog away.
  20. grueling
    characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion
    “Yes. He was better. But starring in this show, being the lead dog, it’s intense. The pace is grueling. It takes a certain kind of fearlessness. Guts. Fred just may not have what it takes.”
  21. preoccupied
    having excessive or compulsive concern with something
    Fred was so preoccupied, it took hours to finish shooting the scenes that should’ve taken thirty minutes.
  22. evacuation
    the act of leaving a dangerous place in an orderly fashion
    “Hurricanes don’t scare me, pal.”
    “Really? This one should. The Atlantic Ocean is right across the street. The last big hurricane, the one they called the Big Wind, it flooded this whole area. Where we’re standing was under three feet of water. If they order an evacuation tomorrow, you may have to check out early.”
  23. contingency
    a possible event or occurrence or result
    “Well, if things get really rough, you could take your dogs next door. The Coastal Animal Shelter. I’m sure they have emergency contingency plans.”
    “Thanks for the tip.” Big Tony paid cash for his room.
  24. douse
    put out, as of a candle or a light
    “Here we are,” whispered Big Tony. He doused his headlights and quietly coasted to a stop.
  25. bleary
    tired to the point of exhaustion
    “What?” said Duke, shaking his head, looking bleary-eyed. “Who are you? What are you doing in my house?”
  26. outwit
    beat through cleverness
    “No, Dookie. You got me caught. By the dogcatcher. In the alley near the dumpster.”
    “What season was that? We’ve done so many sequences where I outwit dogcatchers....”
    “This was for real! Down in the city!”
  27. bicker
    argue over petty things
    While Dozer and Duke bickered, Big Tony reached in and clipped a leash to Duke’s collar.
  28. buffoon
    a rude or vulgar fool
    “Who is this buffoon?”
    “Nice crib,” said Big Tony, looking around the cozy dog quarters. “Don’t worry. If your lady friend plays nice, you’ll be back here in a jiffy.”
  29. feisty
    showing spirit and courage
    Big Tony looked down and saw a feisty little puppy yapping at him.
  30. vigorously
    in an energetic manner
    Tater lunged forward and sank his tiny teeth into the cuff of Big Tony’s pants. Big Tony, still balancing Duke in his arms, shook his leg vigorously. “Get. Off. Of. Me!” Big Tony squawked.
  31. grimace
    contort the face to indicate a certain mental state
    Fred grimaced. It was a very queasy smile.
  32. fiasco
    a complete failure or collapse
    “Oh, by the way, did you hear? They want the old Duke back. Can’t blame them. You have such a weak stomach. Most cowards do. Most failures, too. I guess that’s what you are, Fred. A failure. A flop. A fiasco. That’s why you were the F dog in your litter. That’s why your breeder called you Fred.”
  33. bluster
    vain and empty boasting
    Underneath all the make-believe bluster of pretending to be the heroic Duke, Fred realized who he really was: a coward.
  34. pelt
    rain heavily
    Rain pelted the van as it made its way out of New York City and up to Wilford.
  35. cower
    crouch or curl up
    The two dogs he’d brought with him from the city lunged and snapped at the TV star cowering behind the bars of his cage.
  36. telepathic
    communicating without apparent physical signals
    “Power’s out,” she announced. “Aunt Jenny thinks I should stay here with you guys for a while and not bug her anymore with the telepathic communications I’m picking up from Tater.”
  37. treacherous
    dangerously unstable and unpredictable
    Adelaide has now been downgraded to a tropical storm. Still, conditions are treacherous, especially along the shoreline of coastal Connecticut....
  38. pensive
    deeply or seriously thoughtful
    Nala had a very pensive, reflective look on her face as she thought about what Fred had just said. Then she nodded decisively. “Fred’s right,” said Nala. “This is our time to Face Everything And Rise!”
  39. decisive
    characterized by resoluteness and firmness
    Nala had a very pensive, reflective look on her face as she thought about what Fred had just said. Then she nodded decisively. “Fred’s right,” said Nala. “This is our time to Face Everything And Rise!”
  40. honorary
    given as an award without the normal duties
    “Well then,” said Nala. “When this is all over, remind me to award you the Honorary Good Shepherd Badge.”
Created on Wed May 04 20:33:43 EDT 2022 (updated Tue May 17 14:54:14 EDT 2022)

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