Sofia’s Puppy Love
A Dream Come True
It’s two weeks later, and Sofia is joining her friends at the animal shelter. As they had for the past two weeks, they head straight for the puppies, eager to see how much they’ve grown. Now the puppies are starting to look like their mother, an adorable mix of beagle and hound, with floppy ears and clumsy paws that send them tumbling over each other.
Jasmine declares that Poppy is her favorite, because she’s so curious about everything around her. Madison says Pickle is always doing his favorite thing: eating, and then eating some more. Jasmine explains that puppies spend most of their time eating and sleeping during these first few weeks of life. Keiko laughs and jokes as she watches Princess and Peanut play together.
Sofia loves all the puppies, but her favorite is Piper. During every visit to the shelter, she carefully charts his weight and temperature. She feeds him from a bottle as he lays curled in her arms, his small body warm against hers. And he has a cute patch of white fur on his snout that’s shaped like a heart. Sofia explains he’s a little behind in weight gain. Piper should be doubling his weight in the first week, and then gain 5-10% more each week after that. Although he does eat, he never finishes a bottle.
Jasmine points out that he always falls asleep during mealtime. Sofia glances down to see Piper’s eyes closed, even though his mouth is still latched onto the bottle. Sofia gently bumps him up and down to wake him up, but to no avail: he’s out cold, his belly round and full. Sofia sets the bottle down and writes down how much he ate.
Madison peers over Sofia’s shoulder, and is surprised to see such detailed notes about the weights and temperatures of all of the puppies. Jasmine agrees Sofia has been very busy! But all Sofia really cares about is the snoozing puppy in her arms.
When Sofia’s parents come to pick her up, Sofia eagerly brings them over to look at the puppies. Piper is fast asleep under a heat lamp, his tiny paws twitching as he dreams. Mom agrees that he’s pretty adorable. Mrs. Wallace says Sofia is doing a wonderful job with him. Especially as she gets the puppy webcam set up, she’ll need all the help she can get. They’re hoping the puppy webcam will get people interested in adopting all of the pups.
Sofia feels her heart sink. Although she hopes the puppies all find forever homes, she is sad at the thought of them leaving the shelter, especially Piper. Sofia turns to her parents. They can adopt Piper and take him home right away! Sofia knows exactly what Piper needs and how to take care of him.
Mom turns to face her. Puppies are a lot of hard work. And they’re all preoccupied at home. They’re busy renovating the spare bedroom, Sofia plays soccer, and has school. And the adults are busy at work all day. They wouldn’t have anybody home to walk, feed, and play with a puppy. It’s just not a good time to bring home a puppy.
Sofia has a lump in her throat. Her dreams of adopting Piper are slipping through her fingers. She begs, stating firmly that she can take care of him herself! She’s the puppy expert! Jasmine, who has been watching quietly across the hallway with Keiko and Madison, agrees.
Mom begins to soften. She understands that Sofia has been wanting a puppy for a long time, and she has been working hard…
Mrs. Wallace interrupts. None of the puppies are ready to go to their forever home yet. They all need to stay with their mother for at least eight weeks.
Sofia’s parents look at each other, speaking in silent parent speak. Finally, Dad turns to Sofia. He tells her she needs to show them she can continue to help out with Piper while keeping up with soccer and schoolwork. Once Piper’s old enough, they can take him home.
Sofia gasps, hardly able to believe it. She’s so ecstatic she could burst. She’s finally getting a puppy of her own.