Part of the Family
We were all so excited to learn that Mom was going to let us adopt and add a new member to our family! My brother, my two sisters, and I had worked for weeks to convince Mom that we were responsible enough to have a new puppy. Many days after school I had visited the library and researched puppy training, the proper feeding of a puppy, how to socialize a new puppy, and even the meanings of names one might choose for a puppy. All of us had selected certain jobs that would need to be performed if we were lucky enough to convince Mom to get a puppy. In order to prove to Mom that she would not be the only person taking care of our new family member, we had divided the jobs among us and created a chart for the first month. Finally, after several weeks of cajoling and wheedling, all our hard work and extra effort had been successful. Mom gave in to our pleas and agreed to let us adopt a puppy!
Now the real work would begin. We decided to visit the Humane Society in order to select just the right puppy to join our family. Of course, once we saw all the puppies and dogs available, none of us could decide on only one. Each little face had its own special charm. Who could resist those big brown eyes? All the puppies were so thrilled we were visiting them, but each was unaware that just one would be leaving with us. They jumped, they yipped, they wagged their tails as if each had a motor attached. They joyfully licked every bare inch of skin we had. How would we ever decide?
As we strolled through the aisles of kennels, I noticed one little bundle of fur. He sat off to the side of the temporary home he shared with three other rambunctious puppies. He quietly watched as his unruly housemates tried to be the most outgoing, the cutest, and the perfect pet for us by showing their enthusiasm. As I walked closer to his corner, he peered at me and smiled a crooked puppy grin. His tail wagged his entire body. He tentatively jumped up to greet me with a playful lap of his tongue and I noticed his lopsided ears. One ear stood up just a little straighter than the other, giving the impression he was listening quite closely to the words I was saying.
“Hi there, little buddy. What do you think?” I kind of cooed to him. He seemed to know it didn’t matter that he was the smallest and the most reserved of the boisterous group of puppies occupying the kennel. I motioned for my siblings to join me at the corner and introduced them to “Buddy.”
“This is him, this is Buddy! He needs us, I can tell,” I explained to my brother and sisters.
“I don’t know, he is so tiny and kind of funny looking,” my youngest sister observed.
7 “He has character,” I explained, feeling rather defensive of Buddy. He was not funny looking, he was unique! “Look in his eyes. He knows what you are saying and his feelings are hurt!”
My sister looked at the little bundle of fur with the big eyes and the uneven ears. She reached out her hand, and Buddy gave her a lick. “I’m sorry, Buddy, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings,” she said.
She looked as if she might cry. “You’re right! Buddy has character.”
Mom joined our little group and introduced herself to our new friend. “Okay, Buddy, I guess you’re it! Do you want to come home with us?”
As I watched the little dog’s reaction to her words, I could tell he understood. He again cocked his head to one side and flashed us his crooked puppy smile as if to say he knew he was part of the family.
What is the perspective of the mom in the story?
What evidence shows the children are prepared for a puppy?
The author uses the word reserved in the passage. Which phrase best completes the analogy,
“Reserved is to active as __________”?
In paragraph 7, the author is described as feeling defensive of Buddy. What is the meaning of the
word defensive?
What is the little dog’s reaction to Mom’s words, “Okay, Buddy, I guess you’re it”?
What is the main idea of the story?
From what point of view is the story told?
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