"Lob's Girl" by Joan Aiken

In this short story, a loyal German shepherd develops a life-changing bond with a girl named Sandy.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. midriff
    the central area of the human torso (usually in front)
    At the same moment a large body struck her forcibly in the midriff and she was covered by flying sand.
  2. instinctive
    unthinking
    Instinctively she shut her eyes and felt the sand being wiped off her face by something that seemed like a warm, rough, damp flannel.
  3. atone
    make amends for
    But Lob, as if trying to atone for the surprise he had given her, went on licking the sand off Sandy's face, wagging his tail so hard while he kept on knocking up more clouds of sand.
    The verb is a combination of "at" and "one"--atonement is making up for a wrong so that there would no longer be any hard feelings that could separate two people; they would be reunited as one. This is often used in a religious sense between sinful humans and a forgiving God, but here, it is used to describe the beginning of a different kind of devoted relationship between a dog and a girl.
  4. glance
    a quick look
    But with Sandy, too, it was love at first sight, and when, after a lot more stick-throwing, she and the twins joined Father and Don to go home for tea, they cast many a backward glance at Lob being led firmly away by his master.
  5. reluctant
    not eager
    "I wonder how he found his way here," Mrs. Pengelly said, when the reluctant Lob had been led whining away and Sandy had explained about their afternoon's game on the beach.
  6. resolution
    a decision to do something or to behave in a certain manner
    So they dutifully took no notice of him the next day until he soiled their good resolutions by dashing up to them with joyful barks, wagging his tail so hard that he winded Tess and knocked Tim's legs from under him.
  7. accompany
    go or travel along with
    She saw Mr. Dodsworth get on the train, accompanied by an unhappy-looking Lob with drooping ears and tail.
  8. melancholy
    characterized by or causing or expressing sadness
    Then she saw the train slide away out of sight around the next headland, with a melancholy wail that sounded like Lob's last goodbye.
  9. frenzy
    state of violent mental agitation
    With flushed cheeks and eyes like stars she had darted into the kitchen, where she and Lob were hugging one another in a frenzy of joy.
    Compare with "agitated"--the definitions for both words sound negative, but here, Lob agitates ("cause to be excited or roused") the Pengelly household with a crashing sound, which leads to Sandy's frenzy of joy. Her joy is not dangerously violent, but it is so intense that it makes her cheeks flush red and her eyes shine bright like stars.
  10. objection
    the act of expressing earnest opposition or protest
    Lob was very grateful for the drink and the meal, and made no objection to having his feet washed.
  11. limp
    walk unevenly due to pain, injury, or weakness
    In ten days' time Lob was back--limping this time, with a torn ear and a patch missing out of his furry coat, as if he had met and tangled with an enemy or two in the course of his four-hundred-mile walk.
  12. intimate
    give to understand
    His place, he intimated, was definitely with the Pengellys.
    The definition is for a verb. But the word is most often used as an adjective ("marked by close acquaintance, association or familiarity" or "innermost or essential"), and it can also be a noun ("someone to whom private matters are confided"). Although Lob goes on walks with his old owner each summer, he intimates through his behavior that his intimate desire is to be intimate only with Sandy and her family.
  13. devoted
    zealous in allegiance or affection
    He and Sandy still loved one another devotedly.
  14. hurtle
    move with or as if with a rushing sound
    the Pengellys did not hear the truck hurtle down the hill and crash against the post office wall a few minutes later.
    The verb also means "throw forcefully." This is not how it is used here, but the Pengellys later find out that the truck hurtled Sandy and hurt her with its hurtling speed. Compare this example sentence to the first one in the list: in both situations, a large object hits Sandy and Lob's involvement affects Sandy's life.
  15. intention
    a wish or design that you plan to carry out
    By that afternoon it became noticeable that a dog seemed to have taken up position outside the hospital, with the fixed intention of getting in.
  16. beseech
    ask for or request earnestly
    Sometimes the guard at the main entrance gave him a pat or offered him a bit of sandwich--he looked so wet and beseeching and desperate.
  17. agitated
    troubled emotionally and usually deeply
    Just as she reached the main entrance the guard was gently but forcibly shoving out a large, agitated, soaking-wet Alsatian dog.
  18. bristle
    react in an offended or angry manner
    Do you know," she went on, bristling, "that dog has walked the length of England--twice--to be with that girl?
  19. dislodge
    remove or force out from a position
    Every now and then he shook his head, as if to dislodge something heavy that was tied around his neck.
  20. exception
    an instance that does not conform to a rule
    "It's strictly against every rule, but as it's such a serious case we are making an exception," he said to her quietly.
  21. strain
    exert much effort or energy
    He strained toward it, but Granny Pearce clasped his collar firmly.
    The verb also means "become stretched or tense." Both definitions fit, since Lob is trying to stretch towards Sandy, but Granny Pearce's grip on his collar holds him back. This exertion of energy seems to be the opposite of the previous sentence: "All Lob's attention was riveted on the bed"--something that is riveted is fastened down so that it doesn't move. But the two descriptions together emphasize how much Lob loves Sandy and wants to be near her.
  22. plead
    appeal or request earnestly
    Lob let out a faint whine, anxious and pleading.
    Compare with "beseech"--the words are both verbs, but they are turned into participial adjectives in the example sentences to go with the adjectives "desperate" and "anxious" to describe how much Lob wants to be with Sandy. Although Lob makes a faint whining sound, he is not seen as whiny here, because he pleads and beseeches to be with Sandy, not only because he loves her, but because he knows she needs him.
  23. dangle
    hang freely
    Sandy moved her left arm--the one that was not broken--from below the covers and let her hand dangle down, feeling, as she always did in the mornings, for Lob's furry head.
  24. grope
    feel about uncertainly or blindly
    She looked at the smile on her granddaughter's face as the groping fingers found Lob's wet ears and gently pulled them.
  25. concrete
    a strong hard building material made with gravel and cement
    he and Will Hoskins rowed a half mile out to sea and sank the dog with a lump of concrete tied to his collar.
    The word is used as a noun here, but as an adjective, it means "capable of being perceived by the senses." This definition is suggested by the situation: Lob had died in the accident and was buried at sea with concrete, so he should not have been a concrete presence at the hospital. The fact that he managed to come back one last time to save Sandy's life shows how supernaturally strong his love is.
Created on Fri Mar 13 15:46:07 EDT 2015 (updated Mon Aug 06 15:15:43 EDT 2018)

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