In this book, Kristine Nöstlinger, a classic of Austrian children's literature, has a new batch of stories about Franz, who is eight years old. Franz has a secret: he is very, very afraid of dogs. Any - big and small, old and still puppies. Franz is so shy about this that he does not tell anyone about his fear, even mom and dad. After all, he is already small in stature, his voice is squeaky, and many more say that he looks like a girl... No, let mom and dad better not know what kind of coward he is. Franz cannot imagine in a nightmare how it is - stroking a dog, walking with it, playing, being friends... And how can it ever happen that more than anything else he wants to have a dog? No way!