The first of a series of books about the interaction of children and animals, the book is about two girls taking responsibility for their actions. The girls, on their way home from school, go through the park on their bicycles. They see an old lady with a beautiful golden retriever on a leash. They ask the lady to let the dog off the leash so they can play with it. The dog is let loose and sees a squirrel shortly after the leash is off. Of course, the dog takes off after the squirrel, and the girls run after it, feeling responsible for the dog being let off leash.