"How
much are you going to sell the puppies for?" he
asked.
The store owner replied, "Anywhere from $30 to $50."
The
little boy reached in his pocket and pulled out
some
change. "I have $2.37," he said. "Can I please
look
at them?"
The
store owner smiled and whistled and out of the
kennel
came Lady, who ran out in the aisle of his store
followed
by five teeny, tiny balls of fur. One puppy was
lagging
considerably behind.
Immediately
the little boy singled out the lagging, limping
puppy
and said, "What's wrong with that little dog?"
The
store owner explained that the veterinarian had
examined
the little puppy and had discovered it didn't
have
a hip socket. It would always be lame.
The
little boy became excited. "That is the puppy that I
want
to buy."
The
store owner said, "No, you don't want to buy that
little
dog. If you really want him, I'll just give him to you."
The
little boy got quite upset. He looked straight into
the
store owner's eyes, pointing his finger, and said, "I
don't
want you to give him to me. That little dog is
worth
every bit as much as all the other dogs and
I'll
pay full price. In fact, I'll give you $2.37 now, and
50
cents a month until I have him paid for."
The
store owner countered, "You really don't want to
buy
this little dog. He is never going to be able to run
and
jump and play with you like the other puppies."
To
his surprise, the little boy reached down and rolled
up
his pant leg to reveal a badly twisted, crippled left
leg
supported by a big metal brace. He looked up at
the
store owner and softly replied, "Well, I don't run
so
well myself, and the little puppy will need someone
who
understands."
