Madison’s New Buddy

A Lucky Day

The yellow school bus pulls into the shelter parking lot, brakes hissing as it rolls to a stop. Jasmine presses her hands against the window, tapping excitedly on the glass because they’re finally there. Suddenly, Madison’s plan doesn’t seem so great after all. The books in her backpack are so babyish, their covers worn soft from years of use. They’re nowhere near as hard to read as Jasmine’s Because of Winn-Dixie. What if her friends see the books and tease her for choosing such easy ones?

Ms. Chu ushers everyone off the bus, and Madison grabs her backpack before following her friends inside. Mrs. Wallace greets them all with a big, warm smile. She winks at the four girls. She introduces another volunteer, June, who is going to match each kid up with a dog.

Madison feels more comfortable knowing that the dogs at the shelter know her scent and the sound of her voice. They’re always happy to see her, tails wagging the moment she walks in. She may be the new kid at school, but she’s an expert at the shelter.

In about ten minutes, each student has been matched with a dog. Keiko is paired with an itty-bitty Chihuahua named George. Sofia gets a fluffy white poodle with red eyes and a pink nose. Jasmine is assigned to an older German shepherd who doesn’t seem happy to be there at all, his tail tucked low. But Madison still doesn’t have a match.

Mrs. Wallace tells Madison that her dog is waiting in a special room. He’s so nervous that they don’t even want him around other dogs. Madison can hardly believe her luck. She won’t have to read aloud or recite from memory in front of her friends after all.

Mrs. Wallace finishes giving out instructions to the other children. She advises them to spend a few minutes getting to know their dog, since they’ll be working with the dogs for the next few weeks. Mrs. Wallace then turns to Madison and asks her to demonstrate how to say hello to a dog.

Madison explains that the children can let the dogs sniff their hand from the outside of their cage. She feels giddy and helpful, proud to know something the other kids don’t. Another student, Jimmy, asks how he knows that the dog won’t eat his fingers. He glances nervously down at the pit bull puppy he’s been assigned. Madison steps toward the cage, and holds her hand out, palm up, just close enough to the bars to let the dog sniff, but not bite.

Mrs. Wallace grabs Madison and takes her into an exam room to meet her puppy. She gestures toward a young golden retriever puppy and explains that Madison will be working with Buddy. It’s the same dog they met during the grand opening of the shelter.

Madison says her hellos to the puppy, and he turns his big, brown eyes toward her and whines softly. After a few minutes, Mrs. Wallace comes back into the room with Ms. Chu. They ask Madison how it’s going.

Madison explains that he doesn’t seem very happy to be there. Mrs. Wallace, nodding her head slowly, agrees that he’s a very anxious dog. If they can’t get him used to people, nobody will want to adopt him.

Madison gasps. Poor Buddy! If he can’t get over his fears, he may never find his forever home.

Ms. Chu encourages Madison to try reading to him. Madison opens up her backpack and pulls out the Dr. Seuss books, their covers soft and familiar in her hands. Even though only Ms. Chu is present, she still feels nervous. She flips the books back and forth, unable to decide which to start with. Finally, she chooses The Cat in the Hat. She begins to slowly read it aloud, but she’s read the book so many times that soon she’s saying all the words from memory instead of actually reading them. Then, she moves on to Green Eggs and Ham and finishes that book, too.

Ms. Chu listens silently the whole time. Buddy is still whining nervously, pacing in small circles. At the end, Madison looks up at her teacher tentatively. Ms. Chu smiles, but Madison can tell that she hadn’t been fooled.

Ms. Chu suggests that maybe next time, Madison can choose a book that’s a little more of a challenge. It’d be good for her reading, and perhaps Buddy would like a more interesting story, too.

Madison nods, and looks down at the poor pup, still whining softly beside her. Will she ever be able to help him?