Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

It was Christmas morning. Austin woke before anyone else and quietly tip toed downstairs to peek at his presents. Under the tree was a large dog crate with a giant red bow. It was filled with all kinds of toys and chew bones for a new dog or puppy. Could it be? Was he finally going to get a new puppy? He rubbed his eyes and looked again. He wanted to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. He knelt down in front of the new crate and picked up a blue rubber ball. This was definitely not a dream. He was really going to get his very own dog!

His parents had promised him when he was eight years old, he would be old enough for a dog of his own. He was after all eight now.

When his mom and dad came downstairs, Austin said “Mom, Dad! Am I really getting a puppy for Christmas? Where is it?”

“Yes, Austin,” his mom replied.

“Your dad and I think you are finally ready for a puppy. We’ve decided that there are so many unwanted dogs and puppies that we should adopt one from the animal shelter.”

They promised Austin they would go to town the following morning to the Limestone County Animal Shelter, an adoption center for dogs in need of a new family. Austin would be able to pick out his own new dog or puppy with of course, help from mom and dad. There was no way Austin was going to sleep tonight. He was finally going to get a dog of his very own!



The next morning, he was up before anyone else. He was dressed and waiting downstairs when his mom and dad came down.

“Yippee! I can’t wait until we get there Mom, hurry up Dad!”

They laughed at Austin. After a quick breakfast, all of them went out to the car to begin the journey to town.

After what seemed to be a million miles to Austin, they arrived at the Animal Shelter. Austin and his mom and dad went inside. Mr. Andy was there to greet them. Mr. Andy was the man who made sure all the animals at the shelter were taken care of. He was also in charge of finding homes for all of the unwanted dogs and cats.

When they went in, Mr. Andy took them to a large room full of dogs and puppies in big cages. All of them were so excited. They started jumping and barking when they saw a new family. They knew that one of them would soon have a new home. Austin grinned so hard, his cheeks hurt. He was so happy! How in the world could he choose one? He could have picked any one, or even all of them to take home!

Austin walked up and down the room looking at all the dogs and puppies. He spotted a small scruffy brown puppy just sitting quietly in the back of her cage. Austin asked Mr. Andy if he could put his hand through the gate to see if she liked him. Mr. Andy said it was okay and that this little puppy didn’t bite.

Austin’s parents had taught Austin to always ask permission before petting someone else’s dog. Some dogs aren’t very friendly or are easily frightened by children. They may bite someone they don’t know.

Not this little puppy. Austin put his fingers in the gate and quietly called the puppy. When she came to the front, he put his hand through the fence and the puppy started to lick his fingers. She looked up at him with big brown eyes that seemed to be saying, “Please take me home Austin.” He knew then that this was the puppy for him. It was love at first sight!

“Please Mom, this is the one, I know this is the puppy for me!” he exclaimed.

“This puppy just arrived yesterday. She’s only ten weeks old. She was bought for a child for a Christmas present about two weeks ago. That family should have waited. Their child was too young to have a puppy and she was put aside in the all the Christmas excitement. They just didn’t have the time to raise a puppy. She was purchased at a pet shop and they don’t take them back. She was brought here to see if we could find a better home for her. Sometimes we can’t always find homes for them and they stay here for a long time waiting for a new family. She’s a Border Terrier and any terrier can be quite a handful at times. Austin, do you think you could train this little girl the right way?” Mr. Andy said.

“I know I can. Pleeeaaassee Mom?” pleaded Austin.

Mr. Andy asked Austin’s mom and dad if they had securely fenced yard. They sure did!

Mr. Andy explained that all breeds of dogs are different and require different things. The problem with most of the dogs in the shelter is that they come from families that didn’t do their homework and often choose a breed of dog that isn’t right for them. Some of them get too big for their home or they shed too much. Some of them run away because they aren’t trained or they don’t have a fenced in yard. Most of them are brought here just because the family doesn’t have enough time for them and they require too much exercise. All of theses things are very important when choosing the right dog for your family.