Hot Dog!
There was a puppy that lived in a campground. He had no name, no home, and no family.
All day long, he played with the other pups that came and went. They told him stories about their families.
At night, he padded past
tents where boys and girls cuddled with their dogs. That was when he felt his loneliest.
One day a family arrived.
He
spotted their hot dogs on the grill. His stomach rumbled at the smell. He loved
hot dogs!
The puppy ran, snatched one,
and made for the trees.
The boy gave a shout and chased him.
The puppy raced to his hiding
spot deep in the bushes and gobbled it down.
He heard a whistle. He peeked out.
A warm hand patted him on the head.
He crept forward. The boy
rubbed his back. ‘Ooh! That felt good!’
He rolled over. ‘Ooh! That felt even
better!’
“It’s okay, fella. You can
keep the hot dog” said the boy and he walked away.
The puppy whimpered, ‘Come back. Be my friend.’
He waited outside the boy’s
tent all night.
In the morning the boy found
him there, laughed and called to him.
They played tug-of-war.
They fished.
They hiked, and they became fast friends.
“Please can we keep him, Dad?”
the boy asked. “Please, Mom, please?”
They looked doubtful. “We’ll
see.”
The pup wagged his tail and
smiled his biggest, most winning smile.
“He is a likable little fella”
said Dad.
“But he might belong to
someone else” said Mom.
The pup trotted behind the
boy as they visited all the campers. “Did anyone lose a dog?”
They asked the Park Rangers.
That night the boy fed him
hot dogs as they watched the crackling campfire. “I know what I’ll call you” said
the boy “Hot Dog!”
They cuddled while Dad read
bedtime stories. Hot Dog had never been happier.
At the end of the week, the
family packed the van to go.
Hot Dog whimpered to Dad ‘Don’t leave me.’ He crept to Mom ‘What about me?’
He ran to the boy and begged, ‘Please take me with you. Let me be your dog forever.’ But they
were all too busy to give him an answer.
Then he had an idea!
Later, when Dad opened the
door, there was Hot Dog, ready to drive them home. And that’s just what he did.
