Usually when Dot heard Wizzie bark like that she’d shush him because the Coms’ next door neighbour, Mr Pringle (known as Picky Pringle to the rest of Barking Avenue) couldn’t stand the sound of dogs barking. Next day there’d be a little note through the door, always very polite and beautifully written, asking if Wizard could “see his way” to being a “teeny bit quieter” when Picky Pringle was having his nap. Or something.

The funny thing was, Mr Pringle had been more upset than anyone when Wizzie had got lost once, and he was always bringing him treats to eat too!

But however fussy Picky was, Dot was sure he’d have felt just like she did when she heard Wiz go “Bark bark bark bark bark bark bark!!”

at last - and not “Krab krab krab krab krab krab krab!”

It meant Wizzie was back the right way round again – and as Dot watched an amazing thing happened: the colours on his coat went back to their usual pattern, brown and cream in all the right places. They kind of slid over each other like water paints on a painting do when you spill your water pot on them – only instead of ending up a horrible grungy mess, they all went back in the right place!

Wizzie’s eyes were suddenly right again too – they’d looked HORRIBLE when they’d been round the wrong way, white in the middle and brown all round: now once again they were the lovely eyes he’d had ever since he was a puppy.

And he was free of Blackshanks the Baron’s energy lock too! He could move again, without bouncing off the invisible wall that the wicked Information Inverter had put round him when he changed poor Wiz all the wrong way round.

It was easy for Dot to tell this, because the first thing Wizzie did on being free was dash across the floor of the search zone, his paws digging into its soft surface as he zoomed across the sparkling lights, and jump straight into Dot’s arms.

Big doggy kisses! All over Dot’s face, her glasses – everywhere! Even in her left ear!

“Oh Dot!” gasped Wiz. “I’m free! All thanks to you!”

“And Adrienne!” laughed Dot, struggling to keep her wriggly best friend in her arms for a big cuddle. “Don’t forget Adrienne!”

“De rien!” said Adrienne blushing. (You didn’t think a red squirrel could blush? Think again!) “It was nothing!”

Just then there was a clattering noise which made them all jump. It was Blackshanks – still in his crazy canary clothes – rattling his beak along the bars of his cage.

“Very nice!” he sneered. “Very sweet, I’m sure! But what about your part of the deal, huh? Get me outta here – now! ‘Cos if you don’t – remember I still have your seedy little friend Mr Mouse!”

But just as he spoke, he found he spoke too soon! Suddenly, in the middle of the bowl of sunflower seeds, something strange started to happen. It reminded Dot of the time she’d helped her mum make a cake and used the electric mixer to stir up the cake mix – the seeds started to swirl round and round faster and faster, just like the cake mix, with the same kind of whirring noise she’d heard the mixer make (just before she took it half out of the bowl by mistake without switching it off and all the mix went everywhere…!)

Blackshanks didn’t like it much – with a squawk he hopped up onto the highest perch in his cage and hang there upside down, looking very worried as he stared down at the whirling seeds.

Faster and faster, faster and faster and faster. Then suddenly –

BOOSH – PTOYNG!!! The seeds all shot up out of the bowl like a kind of fountain, covering Blackshanks (and everything else) as they fell back down inside the cage.

All but one, that is!