Sofia’s Puppy Love
Furry Inspiration
The four girls settle into the cafeteria for their lunch. Jasmine is crunching on some carrots while flipping through their science book, looking for a project idea.
Maybe a volcano? No, Sofia tried that over the summer, and she made quite a mess. Keiko suggests a model of the solar system, but Michael, another kid in their class, is already doing one. Jasmine keeps flipping through, unsatisfied. So many of the ideas involve time, like feeding plants different liquids to see which diet makes them grow the fastest.
Madison points at a chart on the page. It looks almost exactly like the chart Sofia already made for Piper. Sofia gasps, sitting up straighter. Of course! Piper can be the subject of her science fair project!
The next Saturday, Sofia can hardly wait to get to the shelter. She’ll get to see Piper again, and she has a great plan for her project. She plans to show everybody how to care for runts so they get stronger and healthier, just like Piper has. When she shares the idea, Mrs. Wallace thinks it’s a fantastic plan, too.
When Sofia gets to the puppy pen, she sees it’s full of visitors. Madison whispers that the puppy webcam has built up so much buzz that everybody wants to come meet the puppies in person. Sofia watches the puppies tumble and play in their pen. It’s almost as if they know they have an audience and want to put on a show. Peanut and Princess trot around carrying two ends of the same toy. Peaches snuggles next to Penny, and Poppy is sniffing all the new visitors. Pickle is busy eating dry dog food.
Sofia sees ribbons around Penny and Pickle’s necks that say I’ve been adopted!. Peanut and Princess both have the ribbon, too. But that means only three puppies are left. What if someone has already adopted Piper?
Where was Piper anyway? Sofia looks around in a panic, scanning the pen. She can’t see him anywhere. Then, she notices him, snuggled under a blanket, hiding from the crowd. But when he sees Sofia, he wriggles out and bounds over. Dr. Arroyo comes up next to Sofia, and tells her that he’s almost the same weight now as his brothers and sisters, all because of Sofia’s help.
Sofia overhears a dad nearby, talking to his son, telling him he can pick out whichever puppy he wants. Sofia anxiously watches as the boy looks from puppy to puppy, weighing his options. Please don’t pick Piper, Sofia pleads silently to herself. Finally, the boy points at Poppy. Mrs. Wallace ties a ribbon around Poppy’s neck, and Sofia breathes a huge sigh of relief. Still, she knows it’s only a matter of time until someone picks Piper, too.