Pet Day

by Marcia Faber

Noah was very excited about going to school today. It was Pet Day in his kindergarten class, and he was bringing his dog, George. George was an Irish terrier—red, furry, and full of energy.

Noah’s mom, however, was not as excited. George sometimes got into mischief and still had little accidents. She worried he might make a puddle in the classroom. George loved people but didn’t really like other animals. He would bark, jump, or growl at them. Noah’s mom tried to talk him out of bringing George, but Noah insisted. He promised George would behave and that he would hold the leash tightly.

She finally agreed but told Noah she would stay outside the classroom just in case something happened.

Sure enough, as soon as George entered the classroom, he got overly excited and made a puddle on the floor. Noah looked at his mom. She was already cleaning the mess and apologizing to Mrs. Landers, his teacher.

The other children were busy with their own pets and hardly noticed. Two kittens, a parrot, and many goldfish had joined the class that day. George was the only dog, which Noah thought was good—although George did growl a little at the kittens.

Each child took a turn introducing their pet. Finally, it was Noah’s turn. He stood up, but at that exact moment, George spotted something shiny in the hallway. Before Noah could react, George bolted out of his hands and raced into the hall, darting right past Noah’s mom.

She ran after him, and so did Noah.

George was fast. He sprinted into the school cafeteria and through the kitchen, scaring the lunch ladies and knocking over bags of flour and boxes. Soon he was covered in white flour but still kept running!

He dashed into the gym, zooming around in circles until Noah finally caught him. Noah’s mom was not happy. She took the leash from Noah and said she was taking George home.

Noah never got to introduce George to the class, but the whole school would soon hear what happened. Later, Mrs. Landers asked the children to draw a picture of their favorite pet of the day.

Everyone drew a picture of George.

And that made Noah very happy.

The End!