"Oh, look! Spanky doesn't like his
surprise."
Spanky's friends laughed and laughed. He stopped
running and turned around. Why were they making that awful noise? It always puzzled Spanky
when his human friends laughed.
Spanky sat on his hind legs and tipped his head to
the side. He watched his humans.
| The human, who called herself Sassy, sat down on
the floor next to the tiny furball. She petted its fur and gently picked it up. |
 |
"Spanky, come here. This is a puppy. She's
very young and tiny, but she's just like you. She won't hurt you." |
Spanky slowly walked closer. He sniffed the air.
Yes, it smelled like a dog. He crouched low, and barked. "Yip. Yip."
The puppy hid her head in Sassy's hands.
"Spanky, don't bark. You're scaring the
puppy."
Spanky laid down on his tummy and put his head on
his front paws. He watched the puppy.
Sassy put the puppy down on the floor in front of
Spanky. The puppy stood up on shaky legs and stretched its fat neck as far as it could.
She sniffed the air between herself and Spanky.
"Spanky. The puppy's name is Winnie."
Spanky looked at Sassy, then looked at Winnie.
Winnie looked at Spanky. She took one tiny step
closer to Spanky. Spanky slid back on his tummy, away from Winnie.
Winnie took another step closer. Spanky slid
further away.
Suddenly, Winnie jumped at Spanky.
That was enough! Spanky sprang backwards and barked
loud. He barked and barked. Then, he crouched and growled.
Sassy scooped Winnie up in her hands and stood up.
"Okay, Spanky. That's enough for now. Winnie
is going to live with us. So, you have to get to like her."
Spanky watched Sassy walk away with the tiny dog,
talking to her the way she used to talk to him.
He sat in the living room. His male human,
called 'Hank', sat on the floor beside him.
"It's okay, Spanky. We still love you.
Someday, you'll enjoy having a friend to play with." Hank rubbed Spanky's ears and
Spanky moaned with pleasure. He laid down on his back and rolled around, happily.