should help Mrs. Feeny.”
“Yeah, Mads, that’s what we’re doing right now.We’re bringing Barkley back to her. Though, it feels
like he could have gone on walking for hours. He sure
does have a lot of energy.”
“Exactly,” Maddie responded. “He has a ton ofenergy, but no one to play with him. Mom said we
couldn’t have a dog, but I bet she’d let us spend time
helping Mrs. Feeny take care of hers.”
Parker smiled, knowing his sister was right. Theirmom was always telling them to be more neighborly.
With this idea, he and Maddie would get to spend time
with a dog and they’d be helping out their neighbor.
When they got closer to their house, Maddie raninside to ask their mom about walking Barkley after
school and playing with him in the backyard.
Parker brought Barkley next door to Mrs. Feeny.She had the front door open before he even stepped
onto the walkway. “You found him!” she cried with
tears in her eyes. “Where was he?”
“At the dog park running around,” Parker explained.
“I should’ve guessed,” Mrs. Feeny replied sadly.
“Do you kids think you could help me use one of those
dog-walking apps to find someone who’ll walk him
while I’m recuperating?”
Maddie appeared with a smile on her face. “I think I
might have a better idea if you’d rather use two people
you already know.”
After Maddie explained her plan, Mrs. Feeny’s mood
brightened. “Oh, you kids, that’s so nice of you to offer.
Are you sure I won’t be taking you away from your
schoolwork or your friends?”
“No way,” Maddie replied.
Parker nodded in agreement. “We’d love to take
care of Barkley for you. We promise we’ll take care of
him like he’s our very own dog.”