Sofia’s Puppy Love
Friendly Advice
When she gets to the shelter, Sofia immediately rushes to see the dogs. Penny is in the grooming area with an adult volunteer, but the puppies are playing separately, tumbling over each other and yipping the moment they spot Sofia. Mrs. Wallace hands Sofia a pair of gloves. Trying to ignore her tears, she gently lifts Piper out of the pen and settles him onto the scale, watching the needle climb higher. She marks it on the chart and realizes he’s gained some weight since Saturday. Sofia knows she should be happy about that, but she can’t shake her sadness.
Still, Sofia knows she has a job to do. She weighs and measures a bottle of warm formula for Piper, then settles herself into a chair to feed him. She can feel how much heavier he’s gotten in her arms, and his eyes are bright and alert. He licks her face eagerly and tries to climb onto her shoulder. Normally this would make Sofia so happy, but today, it just makes her sad. Tears slide down her face as Piper gulps down his bottle noisily.
Mrs. Wallace sits down next to Sofia and gently asks her what’s wrong. Sofia has trouble finding the words. But finally, she spits out that Mom and Dad won’t let her adopt Piper. Mrs. Wallace pulls Sofia into a warm hug. She knows it’s very disappointing, but there are still lots of animals at the shelter that need her each Saturday. Sofia knows Mrs. Wallace is right. But it just isn’t the same.
The next Saturday, Sofia takes a break from volunteering at the shelter. Down the hall, her parents are busy moving everything out of the spare room so they can paint. Meanwhile, Sofia is sprawled across her bed, trying to read. But she’s finding it hard to concentrate on the same page when the video chat on her computer chimes.
Sofia opens her laptop, and Jasmine’s face fills the screen. Sofia can tell right away that she’s calling from Mrs. Wallace’s office. Madison squeezes into the frame next and asks Sofia where she is. Then Keiko’s face pops in, too. Sofia smiles sadly at her friends. She still can’t believe she won’t be able to take Piper home. Sofia just can’t bear to see him today.
Jasmine nods understandingly. The puppies all missed Sofia today. Jasmine then states that Penny and Pickle have been adopted. Sofia opens the puppy webcam in a new window, and a live video flickers onto the screen. Five puppies are there, but Penny and Pickle are gone. Keiko explains that Penny and Pickle are hanging out in the adoption playroom with their future family, though they won’t be leaving for a few more weeks.
Sofia cries sadly, wiping at her eyes. This is terrible! She didn’t realize the adoptions would start happening so soon. Pretty soon, all the puppies will be adopted, and Sofia will never see Piper again! She blew it with her parents, and now it feels too late to fix. They’ll never think she’ll be a good dog owner now.
Madison encouragingly disagrees with Sofia. She would be a great dog owner! She just needs to find a way to show that she’s responsible enough for a dog, and then maybe her parents will change their minds. Sofia wipes away a tear. It’s worth a try, she decides. Keiko adds that if anyone can do it, it’s Sofia.