Lori Jones, who was six-years-old, had long, straight, black hair. She wanted a puppy to play with since she was an only child. Lori's parents took her to the Humane Society to buy her a puppy. Miss Randall, who was dressed in blue jeans and a red and white striped blouse, greeted them. "May I help you?"

"Yes, we're looking for a puppy for our daughter, Lori. We want to have a small breed because he'll stay inside most of the time," Mrs. Jones replied.

“Follow me, and I'll show you the dogs we have here," Miss Randall said, as she opened the door that led to the cages. As they entered the room, they heard a lot of barking. They looked around and saw several different kinds of dogs. They saw small dogs like chihuahuas, medium dogs like poodles, and large dogs like collies. They also saw mixed breeds such as a cocker spaniel-terrier. There were different colors such as black, white, brown, gray, and dogs with a mixture of colors. After they looked around, Lori turned to her mother and said, "I can't find a puppy I like."

“Maybe you'll find one in here,” Miss Randall said, as she turned and looked at Lori.

They entered another room and looked around, and Lori suddenly spotted a small brown and black Terrier-Chihuahua.

"How old is this puppy?" Mr. Jones asked.

"Three months," Miss Randall replied.

"That's a good age. Is he healthy?"

"I think he is, but you should take him to a veterinarian to make sure he's okay.”

"Can we see him out of the cage?" Mr. Jones asked.

"Sure."

Miss Randall opened the cage, and the puppy ran out and ran around the room. Finally, he ran up to Lori. Lori picked him up, and he licked her. Lori started laughing, as she hugged him.

“Daddy, I like this puppy. Can I have him?”

"Are you sure this is the puppy you want?" her father asked.

"Yes, Daddy."

"Okay. We'll take him."

"Can you recommend a good veterinarian?" Lori's father asked, as he signed the adoption papers.

"Yes, Steve Nelson is good."

"Thank you."

"Mommy, Daddy, I want to name him Toby."

"That's a good name, Lori," her mother replied.

After they left, they went to buy some dog food and other things Toby would need. Lori and her father walked into the store while her mother stayed in the car with Toby. They looked down the aisle of the dog supplies. "Daddy, look at all of the different kinds of canned and dry dog food. Which kind are we going to buy? There are so many," Lori asked.

"I don't know."

"Maybe we can buy some canned and dry dog food," Lori suggested.

"That’s a good idea."

"Daddy, Toby needs some treats," Lori said, as she looked at the different kinds of treats.

"You could train him and give him a treat after each new trick."

"Oh boy. I can't wait to teach him tricks."

Lori looked at all of the different kinds of dog food. Maybe we should ask somebody. I know! We can ask the doctor, she thought. "Daddy, there are so many different kinds of dog food. Maybe we should ask Toby's doctor what to buy."

"That's a good idea. We can go ahead and buy a dog bed and pillow, a collar, a leash, and the dog bowls for the food and water."

They found a red collar and a red leash for Toby. They also bought two small plastic bowls for food and water. Then, they found a dog bed with a pillow.

"We didn't buy the dog food because we decided to ask the veterinarian what kind of food is best to buy. However, we bought the other things we need for Toby." Lori’s father told her mother, as he climbed into the car.

"That's a good idea," Lori's mother replied.

After they arrived, the receptionist greeted them, and then Steve, who was a middle-aged, slender man, with short, brown hair entered the room. Steve took them into the examination room and examined Toby.

"Toby is a healthy puppy,” Steve said, as he finished his examination. “However, he does need some shots for protection against diseases. He needs a distemper shot and a Parvo shot. When

he's six-months-old, he’ll need a rabies shot."

“Okay. Can you do the shots now?” Lori’s father asked.

“Sure,” Steve replied, as he prepared the shots.

His assistant held Toby while Steve administered the shots.

Toby stood there patiently until Steve finished.

After Steve gave Toby the shots, Lori’s father talked to him about dog food and treats. "When we went to the store, we saw different kinds of dog food, and wondered what kind you recommend."

"I sell puppy food here that I highly recommend. Toby can also have rawhide chew bones to help keep his teeth clean. You also need to brush them every other day. I have the food, and toothbrush and toothpaste here. If you want to get some, I also have some dog treats,

which would help keep his teeth clean."

"Sure, we'll take the things you feel we need."

As Steve put everything on the counter, Lori's dad paid for them. "Lori, you had a good idea when you suggested we ask the veterinarian."

"Thanks, Daddy."

When they arrived at home, Lori put some food and water in the bowls. Then, she put Toby’s bed beside her bed. That was the beginning of her new adventures with Toby.

Questions for Reading Comprehension

1. Who was the main character in the story?

2. Who were the other characters?

3. What was the setting?

4. What was the theme?

5. What conflict did the main character experience?

6. How did the main character handle his/her problem?

7. What lesson did the main character learn?

8. Did the character's personality change in the story?

9. What did you learn from the story?

10. Write a summary of the story.

Janet Blaylock