Posted by Carl D (208.4.16.160) on February 04, 2000 at 00:43:59:
A young boy went into an animal shelter looking for a puppy. His father had finally agreed to let the child have one, and the boy was excited. He went in and asked the man at the counter for help. He explained to the man that this would be his first pet and wanted a puppy really bad.The man glanced down at the boy, who appeared to be eight or nine with a bright smile.
"We have all kinds of pups here little man" the guy at the counter exclaimed. "We've got beagle pups, labradors, spaniels, and we even have these cute little shepard-mix pups." The boy looked around for a moment and happened to notice a small golden retriever pup with slightly mangled hair and sore looking eyes. The pup also walked with a bit of a limp; apparently the result of a bad hind leg. The young boy stared at the little retriever and asked the man at the counter, "What about THAT one?" The man looked at the boy puzzled. He replied "Why, that poor thing? We're gonna have him put to sleep in a few days, he has a bad leg and nobody wants the little fellow."
The boy looked at the other dogs running around, and came back to the retriever, "I want that one." The boy said. The man insisted, "Now son, you don't want that poor little thing. You want a dog that is healthy." With this, the boy's heart begain to sink. Finally, in a demanding voice he shouted "I want that dog mister! That's the puppy I want, please!"
The man looked at the boy, knelt down, and in a soft-tone of voice explained, "Listen, you want a dog that will be able to keep up with you son. This poor thing won't be able to chase sticks or frisbees like the rest of the dogs. He will be slow, and will tire out easily. You want a healthy dog that can run and play right along side of you. A dog you can teach to do tricks."
Tears began to well up in the young boys eyes. He spoke in a soft, shaky voice. "You don't understand sir. I want that one. That puppy is special to me." The boy began to lift his pantleg. When he did, the man saw the child was wearing a leg brace. "You see mister, That dog is perfect for me. He is just like me. I can't run either. I walk kinda funny too. Does that mean that I'm not a good enough boy?"
The man, taken aback at his comments, looked at the young boy and almost began to weep, but held it back with his breath. He walked over to the cage and pulled the little golden pup out, walked over and handed it to the boy. He said, "Here. It will take a special little boy to take care of such a special little dog."
If I can ever get a dog, I hope I can find one that is special too.
Carl D