When they arrived, they knocked at the door. They heard barking. “That must be Pixie,” said Mom. “She’s a good watch dog!”Pixie's New Home
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| lonely company adopted arrived |
leash strangers scratched chew |
“Let’s get another dog,” said Tara. “I think Bobby is lonely. He needs a friend.”
“I agree,” said Mom. “Bobby is getting older. He sleeps a lot. Maybe having another dog will be good for him. The two dogs can play together and keep each other company when we are busy.”
“I know a dog that needs a home,” said Tara. “Her name is Pixie. Sally and Alex are taking care of her for awhile. Every weekend she goes to a place where people come to choose dogs. Some dogs get adopted. Pixie has not found a new home yet. She is very cute and sweet, but she barks at strangers. So nobody has adopted her.”
Mom and Tara asked the rest of the family about the idea of getting a second dog. They all thought it was a good idea. So they called Sally to see if they could come meet Pixie.
When they arrived, they knocked at the door. They heard barking. “That must be Pixie,” said Mom. “She’s a good watch dog!”
Sally opened the door. A little brown dog came racing out. “This is Pixie,” said Sally. Pixie wagged her tail. She barked with excitement. She jumped up on Mom to say hello.
Mom took Pixie’s paws firmly and put them back on the ground. She said, “No, Pixie. No jumping! Down!”
Sally said, “Pixie is still a puppy. She is about a year old. She has a lot to learn. She has lived with us for about a month. Before that, she was lost in the city. We don’t know where she came from. But we know she is a very loving dog.”
“Let’s take her for a walk,” said Dad. “We can get to know her a little.” Pixie wagged her tail when she saw the leash. But she barked and growled at Dad when he tried to put it on her.
“Don’t worry,” said Sally. “She doesn’t bite. But she’s a little shy of men until she gets to know them. Maybe it’s because they are big and have deep voices. Also, she barks at strangers. When she knows you, she will stop barking.”
Abby put the leash on Pixie and they set out on their walk. Pixie pulled hard on the leash. She wanted to run! Abby ran with her. Pixie’s tail wagged happily. Her ears perked up with joy. When Pixie stopped to smell something, Tara took a turn holding the leash. Pixie found lots of good smells and she stopped often.
After the walk, Dad took the leash off Pixie and scratched her behind the ears. Pixie licked Dad’s hand. “I think we are friends now,” said Dad.
“Let’s take her home to meet Bobby,” said Mom. “If that goes well, she can stay and live with us.”
“Take her chew toy with you,” said Sally. “Because she is still a puppy, she likes to chew. If she has her chew toy, she won’t chew any of your shoes!”
The family got into the car. Pixie sat by the window. Her long pink tongue hung out as she looked around. Her ears perked up. She was happy to be in the car. She tilted her head to one side as if to say, “Where are we going?”
When they got home, Bobby was waiting at the garden gate. He sniffed Pixie. She sniffed him. He pushed her a little. She lay down on her back to show Bobby he was the boss. Bobby barked. Pixie jumped up and wagged her tail. She barked too. Suddenly both dogs began racing around the yard. They played tag, running here and running there. They were having fun!
“It looks like we have two dogs now,” said Mom. “Pixie and Bobby are friends!” And that is how Pixie got her new home.
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