Easy English Novels - A Dogs Life

A Dog’s Life
by Claire Daniel
illustrated by Maurie J. Manning

Copyright © by Harcourt, Inc.

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ISBN 10: 0-15-350994-5
ISBN 13: 978-0-15-350994-0

Ordering Options
ISBN 10: 0-15-350602-4 (Grade 5 On-Level Collection)
ISBN 13: 978-0-15-350602-4 (Grade 5 On-Level Collection)
ISBN 10: 0-15-357947-1 (package of 5)
ISBN 13: 978-0-15-357947-9 (package of 5)

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RXENL08ARD5O03_OLR.indd 1 10/16/06 3:16:45 PM

No amount of begging would change my father’s mind
about getting a pet. No matter how desperately I pleaded
my case, his answer was “No!”
Dad indignantly said “NO!” to a cat, a frog, a gerbil,
and even a ﬁsh. Pets were not allowed, and that was that.
Eventually, I accepted that he was not going to change
his mind. I did the only thing that I could. I spent as much
time as possible around other people’s pets.

3

RXENL08ARD5O03_OLR.indd 3 9/6/06 8:47:08 AM

I often spent time at a place called Best Friends. Best
Friends is an animal shelter near my house. Animals ended
up there when people could no longer care for them.
Whenever I visited the shelter, I dreamed about taking one
of the dogs home with me.

4


One day after school, I stopped off at Best Friends like
I usually did. Behind the front desk was a new receptionist.
I cleared my throat and said, “Excuse me.”
The woman looked up, barely acknowledging me, then
glanced away. “Yes?” she sneered.

5


“My name is Rose, and I was wondering if...I mean...
do you think it would be possible for me to see the animals
today?” I asked.
“Sorry, kid,” she said. “The rules have changed. Now
we only allow children to visit the animals when they are
accompanied by an adult.”
Before I could say anything, a young woman pushed
through the swinging doors and urgently said, “We could
use your help back here!”

6


Before joining the worker, the woman at the desk said
to me, “Come back with your parents.”
Not much chance of that, I thought.
I’m not sure why, but I decided to go back to Best
Friends every day that week. I always asked to see the
animals, and the receptionist, Renee, always said that
I needed to have an adult with me. Each day, she said the
same thing. Then on Friday, she changed her mind.
“Okay, just this once, I’ll take you back,” she said
grudgingly. “Just this once.”
She opened the swinging doors, and I followed her. We
passed the small cages with cats, rabbits, one ferret, one
iguana, and other small animals.

7


“Here are the dogs,” she said.
There were dogs of all different breeds, ages, and
colors. I wanted them all. A large, shaggy, yellow dog
stood in the corner, and when he saw me, he wagged his
tail and began whining.
“That’s Fenway,” she said. “He whines incessantly. His
owners brought him here when they moved overseas.”

8


“He must be lonely,” I suggested.
“Your parents won’t let you have a dog?” Renee asked.
I didn’t answer, but my look must have said everything,
because then she said, “That’s too bad. These dogs need
good homes and good people to take care of them.”
On my way home, I had an idea. I went home and
wrote a story as if Fenway were writing it. I told all about
his family and why he had no home.
The next day, I took my camera to the shelter, and
Renee let me take Fenway’s picture. I went home, typed
Fenway’s story on the computer, and illustrated it with
his photograph.

9


I took Fenway’s story to the shelter and showed it to
Renee. The next thing I knew, the director of the shelter
was reading Fenway’s story. After she ﬁnished, she looked
at me and said, “How would you like a job?”
My heart jumped out of my chest. “You bet!” I said.
She said, “We have too many dogs that aren’t being
adopted, and I think that this is the perfect way to draw
people into the shelter. If we publish their stories in the
newspaper, then people might be motivated to come in
and see the dogs.”

10


Hi! My name is Fenway, and I want to go home
with you. I used to have the perfect family until
Jason’s dad got a new job overseas. Soon everyone
else joined him, except for me. Now I need your help.
I like to run around and play fetch. I can hang out
in the park all day long, even if it’ cold outside. I can
s
sit and stay. I’m housebroken and don ’ t often bark . I
do whine often as I miss my old family. However ,
I am ready to ﬁnd a new one, and I think when I do,
the whining will stop.
I’m ready if you ready, so why
’re
don ’ t you give me a chance?

11


“How about the Internet?” I asked. “If you have a
website, we could post the stories there, too.”
The director thought my idea was brilliant. She
encouraged me to write about the animals. Best of all,
I got to spend time at the shelter learning the personalities
of the pets.

My name is Sandy. I’m a friendly, sweet cat who is looking
for a good home. One thing you might not know about me
is that I am the proud mama of six kittens. I quickly found
a home for each of them. Now if only I could ﬁnd one for
myself! I’m gentle and caring. I like to relax and sleep.
Now that my kittens are gone, I am
full of love. Can I share it with you?

12


The next weekend, the shelter was ﬂooded with
families who wanted pets. Some had seen the story in the
newspaper, and others had found it on the Internet.
I stood with Fenway as people admired him. Fenway’s
tail wagged so fast that I was afraid it might fall off.
Suddenly, the most amazing thing happened. My parents
walked into the shelter towards Fenway.
“Is this the dog?” Dad asked. “He is a handsome dog.”
“He is,” I said proudly.
My father said quietly, “I had a dog when I was
your age.”
I was shocked but didn’t say anything, so he continued.
“I loved that dog more than anything. I cried for weeks
on end when he died.”
“I’m sorry, Dad,” I said.
Mom put her arm on my
Dad’s shoulder, and he said,
“Your mother and I have
been thinking a lot about
your love for dogs.”

13


At that moment, a girl walked up to Fenway and said
loudly, “Look here, I bet this is the dog from the story in
the newspaper. I really hope he ﬁnds a home.”
Her mother walked up beside us and smiled down
at Fenway. She reached down to pet the dog. My father
turned to the girl and said, “Don’t you worry about
Fenway. He will be well taken care of.”
I was confused. I looked to my father for some kind of
explanation. Then he said, “Whenever you’re ready, Rose,
we can take Fenway home with us.”
It took a second for this to sink in. Then my dad
nodded, and I knew it was true. I had never felt so jubilant
in my life. I think I held my breath for the entire thirty
minutes it took for us to sign the papers and get Fenway
out of there. As we walked out of Best Friends, no one
could have pried Fenway’s leash from my hand.
I did not ask Dad why he changed his
mind, because that was not as important
as the dog that now slept by my bed
each night. Mine and Fenway’s
stories had happy endings, and
I liked to think that my dad’s
did, too. Hopefully, my stories
about the animals at Best Friends
will lead to more happy endings
like mine.

14


Think Critically
1. Why didn’t Rose’s parents want to get a pet?
2. Why do you think that Rose’s father changed his
mind about letting her have a pet?

3. Why did all the people come to see the pets over
the weekend?

4. What advice might Rose give to a child who really
wanted a pet?

5. Do you think that Rose will be a good owner for
Fenway? Why or why not?

Music
Write a Pet Song Think about a pet you know. Write a song
about the pet’s life as if the pet were writing it. Then illustrate
your song.

School-Home Connection Work with a family
member to make a list of different pets and the things
they need to be happy and healthy in a home. Then discuss
what kind of pet, if any, would be best for your family.

Word Count: 1,157


Easy English Novels - A Dogs Life

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Easy English Novels - A Dogs Life