# Jump And Scratch

An episode of [Animal Tales: The Kids' Story Podcast](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1644596989), 9 Feb 2026, 17 min.

Audio: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/69721398/at468_jump_and_scratch_mixdown.mp3

Somewhere on the back end of a very shaggy dog, a tiny tick is about to be amazed. Written especially for this podcast by Simon. If you enjoyed this story, please do leave us a review. And, if you'd like to suggest an animal for a future Animal Tales story, you can do so by emailing podcast@animaltales.uk. We would love to hear from you. Animal Tales Books! Collections of Animal Tales children’s stories are available to buy exclusively at Amazon. Simply search for Animal Tales Short Stories or follow this link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CLJQZ9C9?binding=paperback&ref=dbs_dp_sirpi Become a PREMIUM Subscriber You can now enjoy Animal Tales by becoming a Premium Subscriber. This gets you: • All episodes in our catalogue advert free • Bonus Premium-only episodes (one per week) which will never be used on the main podcast • We guarantee to use one of your animal suggestions in a story You can sign up through Apple Podcasts or through Supercast and there are both monthly and yearly plans available. Discover a brand new story every Monday, Wednesday and Friday – just for you! You can find more Animal Tales at www.animaltales.uk A Note About The Adverts In order to allow us to make these stories we offer a premium subscription and run adverts. The adverts are not chosen by us, but played automatically depending on the platform you listen through (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc) and the country you live in. The adverts may even be different if you listen to the story twice. We have had a handful of instances where an advert has played that is not suitable for a family audience, despite the podcast clearly being labelled for children. If you’re concerned about an advert you hear, please contact the platform you are listening to directly. Spotify, in particular, has proven problematic in the past, for both inappropriate adverts and the volume at which the adverts play. If you find this happening, please let Spotify know via their Facebook customer care page. As creators, we want your child’s experience to be a pleasurable one. Running adverts is necessary to allow us to operate, but please do consider the premium subscription service as an alternative – it’s advert free.

## Transcript

[0:12] Speaker 1: Yeah, Hello, My name's Josephine and this is the Animal
[0:17] Speaker 1: Tales podcast, where you suggest the animals featured in our stories.
[0:22] Speaker 1: There are new tales to enjoy every Monday and Wednesday,
[0:26] Speaker 1: with a third premium only story every Friday. Please continue
[0:31] Speaker 1: to share Animal Tales with your friends and leave us
[0:34] Speaker 1: reviews where you can. Or Anne is from Perth in
[0:39] Speaker 1: Australia and he is asked for a story featuring a
[0:42] Speaker 1: flea and a tick. You can learn more about these
[0:46] Speaker 1: creatures in the animal facts after the story. Okay, are
[0:50] Speaker 1: you ready? That's good, then I'll begin jump and scratch.
[0:58] Speaker 1: Somewhere on the back end of a large hairy dog,
[1:02] Speaker 1: Richard was enjoying an afternoon nap. Richard was a tick,
[1:07] Speaker 1: a very small kind of creature that is related to spiders,
[1:11] Speaker 1: but ticks don't spin webs or catch flies, although they
[1:16] Speaker 1: do have plenty of legs, and this particular tick used
[1:20] Speaker 1: his legs to crawl around on the back of this
[1:23] Speaker 1: particular hairy dog. As far as Richard was concerned, he
[1:28] Speaker 1: could not have picked a better dog. It lived in
[1:32] Speaker 1: a cozy house, spent its evenings in front of a
[1:35] Speaker 1: warm fire, and best of all, its owners rarely gave
[1:40] Speaker 1: it a bath, which meant that Richard could relax amongst
[1:44] Speaker 1: the dog's shaggy coat, knowing he was unlikely to be
[1:47] Speaker 1: troubled by anyone or anything. He was awoken from his
[1:53] Speaker 1: nap when he felt the dog get to its feet
[1:56] Speaker 1: and give a shake. Richard always had two of his
[2:00] Speaker 1: legs holding on to a hair just in case a
[2:03] Speaker 1: shake happened. After all, he didn't want to be thrown
[2:07] Speaker 1: from his home. It was around this time of day
[2:11] Speaker 1: that the dog would go for its walk. The first
[2:14] Speaker 1: time the dog had done this, Richard had climbed to
[2:17] Speaker 1: the top of a hare to see where they were going.
[2:20] Speaker 1: The tick found the hugeness of what he could see
[2:23] Speaker 1: beyond the dog very confusing. He didn't understand where they
[2:28] Speaker 1: were going or why, especially when they always ended up
[2:32] Speaker 1: right back where they started. Consequently, Richard never climbed up again.
[2:38] Speaker 1: He much preferred it deep down within the fur. Although
[2:43] Speaker 1: he couldn't see from amongst the hair, he could still
[2:46] Speaker 1: hear the traffic and bird song or like to day,
[2:50] Speaker 1: when his dog met another Sometimes this was accompanied by barking,
[2:56] Speaker 1: but more often than not he'd hear the snuffling sniffs
[2:59] Speaker 1: of the the other dog's nose as it passed by
[3:02] Speaker 1: somewhere overhead. Richard took no notice of these other dogs.
[3:08] Speaker 1: Everything he needed was right here on his own dog.
[3:12] Speaker 1: He didn't need to concern himself with them. As always.
[3:17] Speaker 1: The sniffing soon stopped, and his dog carried on its journey. Hey, there,
[3:23] Speaker 1: said a cheery voice. Hello. It took a moment for
[3:28] Speaker 1: Richard to realize that the voice wasn't coming from somewhere
[3:31] Speaker 1: beyond the dog, but from somewhere much much closer. He
[3:37] Speaker 1: looked up. Clinging to one of the hares was one
[3:40] Speaker 1: of the most cheerful looking creatures the tick had ever seen.
[3:45] Speaker 1: The little animal was waving at him. Nice place you've
[3:49] Speaker 1: got here, said the newcomer, and I'd like it to
[3:53] Speaker 1: stay that way, replied Richard rudely, so kindly be on
[3:58] Speaker 1: your way, whoever you are. I'm or Anne, said the creature,
[4:04] Speaker 1: still smiling. I'm a flea. I don't care if you're
[4:09] Speaker 1: a kangaroo, snapped Richard. This is my dog and you're
[4:14] Speaker 1: not welcome. Ha It's funny you should say kangaroo, said
[4:19] Speaker 1: or Anne. I can jump just like a kangaroo can.
[4:24] Speaker 1: In fact, for my size I'm probably the best at
[4:27] Speaker 1: jumping on the entire planet. I'm not interested in your jumping,
[4:33] Speaker 1: said Richard grouchily. And I certainly have no idea what
[4:38] Speaker 1: a planet is, nor do I care to learn. Now,
[4:41] Speaker 1: be gone, be off with you. But the flea, instead
[4:46] Speaker 1: of leaving, climbed down the hair a little further. You
[4:50] Speaker 1: don't know what the planet is, asked the flea. Are
[4:54] Speaker 1: you joking? I most certainly am not joking, insisted I
[5:01] Speaker 1: don't joke. I'm a very serious tick. But how can
[5:07] Speaker 1: you not know what the planet is? Asked or am
[5:10] Speaker 1: the flea? It's like everything, it's where you live. No,
[5:16] Speaker 1: it's not, said Richard, dismissing the comment with a wave
[5:20] Speaker 1: of one of his legs. This dog is where I live,
[5:25] Speaker 1: and it's the only place I want to live. I
[5:28] Speaker 1: rather like living on this dog, and I intend to
[5:31] Speaker 1: do it forever, Thank you very much. But what about
[5:36] Speaker 1: all the other dogs? Asked or An They're all so different.
[5:41] Speaker 1: Don't you want to experience how different living on another
[5:44] Speaker 1: dog could be? No, thank you, said Richard sniffily. My
[5:49] Speaker 1: dog suits me just fine. And what about other animals?
[5:55] Speaker 1: There are cats and cows and rats and mice? Are
[6:00] Speaker 1: kowala's and wallabies and wombats and bandicoots. Don't you want
[6:05] Speaker 1: to know what they're like? No, no, I do not,
[6:11] Speaker 1: said Richard crossly. I have everything I need right here. Wow,
[6:18] Speaker 1: said or An in disbelief. I've never met anyone quite
[6:22] Speaker 1: like you before. Richard was quiet for a moment. What
[6:28] Speaker 1: do you mean by that? Well, lah, I don't want
[6:32] Speaker 1: to sound rude, but well, you're not very adventurous, are you,
[6:38] Speaker 1: said the flea as nicely as he could manage. I
[6:42] Speaker 1: am too protested the tick. I'll have you know I
[6:47] Speaker 1: once went all the way to the dog's ear and back.
[6:52] Speaker 1: Or An dropped down onto the dog's flaky skin and
[6:55] Speaker 1: looked around. Yeah, but that's still the same dog. Doesn't
[7:01] Speaker 1: this view get, you know, a bit boring? He gave
[7:05] Speaker 1: the dog's skin a poke. The pair of them suddenly
[7:09] Speaker 1: lurched sideways as the dog abruptly changed its position. Hold
[7:14] Speaker 1: on tight bellowed Richard, suddenly wrapping all his legs around
[7:20] Speaker 1: the hair he was holding. Or Anne had just enough
[7:23] Speaker 1: time to copy him before a giant claw raked through
[7:27] Speaker 1: the hair, once, twice and for a third time. WHOA,
[7:34] Speaker 1: that was more like it? Laughed Oran. That was much
[7:38] Speaker 1: more exciting. No it wasn't, replied Richard angrily. You caused
[7:46] Speaker 1: that scratching with all your poking about. I'll thank you
[7:50] Speaker 1: not to repeat that sort of behavior. I could have
[7:53] Speaker 1: been knocked off my home. You really are quite comfortable
[7:58] Speaker 1: on your dog, aren't you, said Oran gently. I'm sorry
[8:03] Speaker 1: if I gave you a scare. In fact, I'm sorry
[8:06] Speaker 1: to have bothered you. I'll head back to the surface
[8:09] Speaker 1: and jump on to the first creature I see. Wait,
[8:14] Speaker 1: said Richard suddenly, I mean, just a moment before you go.
[8:20] Speaker 1: Were you telling the truth when you say you've been
[8:23] Speaker 1: on more than one dog? Ah, I've ridden on hundreds,
[8:28] Speaker 1: said or An proudly. Sometimes I hang around for a while,
[8:33] Speaker 1: but usually I bounced straight off onto another one. And
[8:38] Speaker 1: did you mean it when you say you've been on
[8:40] Speaker 1: animals that aren't dogs? Asked the tick, Of course, laughed
[8:46] Speaker 1: the flea. I hitched a ride on a bat once.
[8:49] Speaker 1: That was the maddest night of my life. Ended up
[8:53] Speaker 1: hung upside down under a bridge. Richard looked terrified. But why,
[9:00] Speaker 1: he asked, Why, repeated Oram Because there's so much to
[9:07] Speaker 1: experience out there, so much to see, to hear, to smell,
[9:13] Speaker 1: to touch. It's all so big and so amazing. That's
[9:19] Speaker 1: what terrifies me, sniffed Richard. Everything so enormous. I used
[9:27] Speaker 1: to think like that, said the flea. When you're as
[9:31] Speaker 1: small as we are, everything is a giant. But when
[9:35] Speaker 1: I learned just how gigantic the planet is, well, even
[9:40] Speaker 1: this dog we're on is tiny in comparison. There you
[9:44] Speaker 1: go again, talking about a planet. Is that another animal?
[9:49] Speaker 1: Asked Richard. Or An laughed, Not even close, he said.
[9:56] Speaker 1: A planet is where we all live, every animal. More.
[10:00] Speaker 1: You can think of every human, every tree, every object,
[10:05] Speaker 1: all lives on the planet. Wow, said Richard quietly. His
[10:12] Speaker 1: tiny brain was working very hard to imagine such a
[10:15] Speaker 1: colossal thing. And you say that even my dog is
[10:20] Speaker 1: tiny on this planet you're talking about it's titchy teeny weeny,
[10:26] Speaker 1: itsy bitsy, laughed or Anne. If it were a flea
[10:31] Speaker 1: living on a flea that had a flea, it still
[10:34] Speaker 1: wouldn't be as small as a dog living on a planet. Wow,
[10:40] Speaker 1: said Richard. Again, impressive, isn't it, said or Anne. And
[10:46] Speaker 1: because the planet is so big, it's very different. The
[10:49] Speaker 1: further you travel, I want to see as much of
[10:52] Speaker 1: it as possible. In fact, I'm even thinking I might
[10:56] Speaker 1: visit Africa next. They've got some amazing animals. I'd like
[11:00] Speaker 1: to take a ride on Africa, repeated Richard. Is that
[11:07] Speaker 1: where the kangaroos live? No, that's Australia. You're already in Australia,
[11:14] Speaker 1: although I guess from your point of view you're from
[11:18] Speaker 1: a dog that lives in a small part of Perth,
[11:21] Speaker 1: which is in Australia. Australia is massive, though, but not
[11:27] Speaker 1: as big as the planet, asked Richard. That's right, you're
[11:32] Speaker 1: catching on, said or An. Africa is like a whole
[11:37] Speaker 1: other Australia, but with different people and places and animals.
[11:42] Speaker 1: They've got cats bigger than dogs, and these creatures called
[11:46] Speaker 1: elephants that would take you a week to walk all
[11:49] Speaker 1: the way from nose to tail. And you're going to
[11:54] Speaker 1: go there, said Richard. That's right. I'll jump about from
[11:59] Speaker 1: animal to until I find one heading in that direction,
[12:03] Speaker 1: and then bam, I'll be experiencing a whole new country.
[12:09] Speaker 1: Or Anne was extremely enthusiastic, so much so that for
[12:14] Speaker 1: the first time in his life, Richard was experiencing a
[12:18] Speaker 1: feeling he'd never had before. I never realized there was
[12:23] Speaker 1: so much out there beyond my dog. Richard whispered, I
[12:28] Speaker 1: must have missed so much. It's never too late to start,
[12:33] Speaker 1: said or An. You could come with me. We can
[12:37] Speaker 1: see the planet together. But you're a flea. You can
[12:43] Speaker 1: jump from animal to animal, said Richard. I'm just a tick,
[12:48] Speaker 1: and we can't jump at all. I wouldn't even be
[12:51] Speaker 1: able to get off of my dog. Of course you can,
[12:55] Speaker 1: smiled or Anne. My legs are strong enough to carry
[12:59] Speaker 1: both of us us. If you're serious, we could leave
[13:02] Speaker 1: right now. I've already told you I'm serious, smiled Richard.
[13:09] Speaker 1: I'm a very serious tick. Let's do it, and so
[13:15] Speaker 1: the two tiny animals climbed on to the surface of
[13:18] Speaker 1: the dog's shaggy coat. The bright sunlight was dazzling at first,
[13:23] Speaker 1: and it took a moment for Richard's eyes to adjust,
[13:27] Speaker 1: But once he had, he began to realize just how
[13:30] Speaker 1: much he'd been missing. He'd never bothered to understand what
[13:35] Speaker 1: was beyond his dog, but now he gazed up at trees,
[13:39] Speaker 1: passing people, and towering buildings. Far above him. He could
[13:45] Speaker 1: see white clouds drifting underneath a pale blue sky. Now's
[13:50] Speaker 1: our chance, said or An. There's a cockatoo on a
[13:54] Speaker 1: branch up ahead that I think I can reach. Come on,
[13:58] Speaker 1: hold on tight. Richard made sure to do exactly that.
[14:03] Speaker 1: He had just enough time to look along his dogs
[14:06] Speaker 1: long back towards the distant head. It all looked so
[14:10] Speaker 1: far away, but compared to the jump he was about
[14:14] Speaker 1: to make, it was nothing. Here we go, said or
[14:18] Speaker 1: An suddenly, and they jumped. What followed was the most
[14:24] Speaker 1: astounding few hours of Richard's life. The cocker tooo had
[14:29] Speaker 1: flown to a tree, where Oran transferred them both to
[14:32] Speaker 1: a cuoko barre. This had flown them over the houses
[14:37] Speaker 1: to where they jumped on to a brush tailed possum.
[14:40] Speaker 1: Then it was on to a rainbow lur keat until
[14:44] Speaker 1: it stopped to rest upon a fence. Where are we
[14:48] Speaker 1: asked Richard. He trembled nervously at first, but the wonder
[14:54] Speaker 1: of the wider world had won him over. Now he
[14:59] Speaker 1: just couldn't get enough of it. All over there, that's
[15:03] Speaker 1: an airport, said or Anne. They've got these giant machines
[15:07] Speaker 1: that fly to other countries. I think we should try
[15:11] Speaker 1: to get on board one of those. There's bound to
[15:13] Speaker 1: be something we can catch a ride on, even if
[15:16] Speaker 1: it has to be a human. A roaring noise overhead
[15:20] Speaker 1: made them look up in time to see a plane
[15:23] Speaker 1: about to land. Hey, what's happening to the sky, asked Richard.
[15:30] Speaker 1: It's changed color? And what are those dots of light? Ah?
[15:35] Speaker 1: That said or Anne, almost sounding guilty. You know I
[15:41] Speaker 1: said that the planet was everything, Yes, nodded Richard. The
[15:47] Speaker 1: biggest thing I could imagine, Well, out there is the universe,
[15:53] Speaker 1: grinned or Anne. And you're not going to believe how
[15:58] Speaker 1: big that is. Animals fat ticks are just a few
[16:07] Speaker 1: millimeters that's not even a quarter of an inch in size.
[16:12] Speaker 1: Because they can't jump, they use a technique called questing.
[16:17] Speaker 1: This involves climbing up onto objects such as a blade
[16:21] Speaker 1: of grass, and extending some of their legs outwards, waiting
[16:25] Speaker 1: for an animal to brush past. Fleas are a miniature
[16:30] Speaker 1: insect about the same size as a tick. There are
[16:33] Speaker 1: over two and a half thousand different species of flea,
[16:37] Speaker 1: and some of them are amazing at leaping, reaching over
[16:40] Speaker 1: one hundred times their own body length in distance and
[16:44] Speaker 1: fifty times in height. Thank you for your excellent suggestion,
[16:49] Speaker 1: or Anne, we hope you enjoyed the tale, and thank
[16:53] Speaker 1: you to all of you across the world for listening
[16:55] Speaker 1: to it. Remember, if you prefer your stories adverts free,
[17:00] Speaker 1: then please consider our premium service through Apple or Supercast.
[17:05] Speaker 1: For a tiny fee, the stories are advert free. Join
[17:10] Speaker 1: us next time for another great animal tale. Good Bye,

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