Rotary Eclub- Butterfly StoryBook Participant
Age: 11 years old
Kensington Primary School
Portmore, St. Catherine, Jamaica
THE LONELY OLD DOG AND THE GOOD FAMILY
Jordan Allwood
It was the day before Christmas, and my family was shopping for candy canes and gifts. As soon as we finished our shopping, we got into the car to go home. My father started driving. On the way home, we passed a very large moving box. “Daddy, stop!” I shouted. “I see a moving box.”
When my father stopped, I jumped out of the car as quickly as I could. I opened the box to see what was inside. Two large frightened eyes looked at me. I picked up what was inside. It gave a loud bark. It almost fell from my hands. I brought it into the car. Immediately my mother bellowed, “Get that thing out of my car now!” “Please, Mom, I want to give him a good home,” I said pitifully. “OK, all right, but he is your responsibility.” “I know, Mommy,” I said. When we finally got home, I rushed to the basement to find a good place for it to sleep. I got a warm blanket and a big cozy-looking basket and wrapped my new house guest in. I warmed some milk, buttered some biscuits, and fed the dog. It licked my face and ran around the basement. I watched it doing what it seemed it had not done in a long time. I was very happy for having stopped.
After many weeks, the puppy grew into a big dog. He could no longer stay in the basement. My mother and father said that they would help me build a kennel for him. We worked tirelessly during every spare time. My dog Rusty was overjoyed to be put in his new dwelling. Rusty and my mother became good friends. Every evening, Mother would take Rusty on her walk through the neighbourhood. On weekends, my friends and I would took Rusty for runs along the beach. It was exciting to see how much Rusty had grown.
One evening, late autumn, I came home to silence. I hurried to the kennel, and was surprised to see the door opened. I became very nervous, and started calling for Rusty, but no answer was forthcoming. I searched around the yard, thinking probably he was injured, but Rusty was nowhere in sight. I started to cry, and dashed to the phone to call my mother and father who luckily were on their way home. As soon as my parents came in, they assessed the situation and called other family members who came soon after. We dispatched ourselves in all directions in search of Rusty. I was so worried! I called out his name many times, begging him to respond. My parents kept close to me. They too were calling for Rusty. We were getting tired and hungry, because the search had gone on for hours.
It was almost midnight, and as I wandered away from my parents with my flashlight, I heard a whimpering sound. I cautiously moved towards the sound. As I got closer, the whimpering became louder. I recognized the sound of my dog, Rusty. I screamed for my parents, then rushed towards Rusty. He whimpered and groaned painfully. I tried to lift him, but his feet seemed to have been caught in a trap. My parents and other family members came and removed the shackle from Rusty’s feet. My dad lifted him and wrapped him in the blanket we had taken. Rusty looked at us with gratitude in his eyes; he licked Dad’s face. We were so happy to find Rusty. We took him home. All family members were glad to help to make him as comfortable as possible. Grandma and Grandpa, who stayed behind, had made tea and coffee for us. The children drank hot cocoa, while the adults looked after Rusty. The vet was called, and Rusty was given medication for his injury.
Afterwards, all family members hugged and thanked each other for the support given. Rusty regained his strength a few days after. Mom, Dad and I constantly look after him. After all, he is a member of our family, and families should take care of each other.