when she got off the bus. She missed the afternoon throw-and-
retrieve game. When she investigated further, she found that her dog
was nowhere to be found.
“I’ve taken Snuggles to her new home at Betty’s place,”
Emily’s mother said.
“To Betty’s house?” asked Emily.
“Right,” Mom said. “But there’s bad news and good news.
The bad news is that Betty is already falling in love with
Snuggles and may never want to give her up. The good news is
that Betty gave us three days to decide if Snuggles can come
back here.”
“Snuggles is at Betty’s house?” Emily screamed. “Why?”
“Well, frankly,” Mom said, “I got tired of seeing Snuggles’
ribs showing. I don’t like looking at skinny, malnourished dogs
that are being abused. Their whining bothers my ears and their
ribs disturb my eyeballs, so Snuggles needed a new home.”
“B-b-b-but how do I get Snuggles back?” Emily stammered.
“Will you take me to Betty’s house?”
“You must be kidding,” Mom said flatly. “I just took the dog
over there. Now I’m supposed to bring her back? Do I look like
an idiot?”
So Emily phoned a neighbor who happened to drive near
Betty’s house on his way to work. (Kids can be very resourceful
when they have to be.) Mom had phoned the neighbor earlier in
the day to explain what might happen.
“Sure, I’ll take you by there on my way to work,” the
neighbor said. “And I’ll pick you and Snuggles up on my way
home. You’ll have to call Betty and see if you can spend the
day at her house.”
“Oh, I will,” Emily gushed. “I will.”
Snuggles is safe at home now — happy, loved, appreciated,
a n d well fed. Emily learned an important lesson about
responsibility.
lu
(lu)
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