Your dog is your best friend, and friends share. But, some of the things you eat are not good for dogs. For example, chocolate can make a dog very sick.
So, be a real best friend. Don’t feed your dog human treats and watch what he eats outside.
Below is a word scramble of things, that if your dog eats them, will make him sick.
Bobby lives in an apartment building where you can’t have a dog as a pet. Bobby has a cat, but she has her own way of doing things and doesn’t always want to play when Bobby wants to play.Some of the “Can Do” kids are getting puppies. Each time Bobby comes home from a friend’s who just got a new puppy, his mom can’t help noticing he looks kind of sad.
At dinner one evening, Bobby’s mom and dad began talking about another pet that Bobby could have in the apartment. It didn’t take Bobby long to say,”I really like turtles. They don’t take up much space and I promise to take good care of them and the tank where they will live.”
Bobby’s dad answered,”You said turtles, are you thinking about more than one pet turtle?”
I really think I need two turtles,” answered Bobby. “If I only have one, he might get lonely.”
Bobby’s dad smiled at him saying, “Well, we wouldn’t want a lonely turtle. You can get two small turtles and keep them in your bedroom.”
When he got them home, he set up the tank on the desk in his room, filled it with water and put the turtles in their new home. He spent the rest of the night trying to think of names for them. The next morning, he still hadn’t named them.
A week went by and the turtles were doing just fine. Bobby loved to watch them slip into the water and swim around. Then it happened; he was late getting out to the school bus and left the house without closing the door to his room.
When he got back from school, he went to check on the turtles. Oh no, they were gone! He looked all around his room, but he didn’t see either of the turtles. He called his mom to help him. No luck until they looked for the cat. Sure enough, Lisa had one of the turtles and was scooting him around on the floor!
The turtle looked dry and tired! Bobby grabbed him up and put him back in his tank. He remembered to close the door as he went to look for the other turtle.
When Bobby’s dad got home, he suggested looking for the other turtle in a dark place. Bobby remembered that his closet door was open. He ran into his room, closed the door and began looking all around the floor of his closet. Just as he was about to give up, he saw something peeking out of his slipper; it was the turtle!
HE put the other turtle back in the tank. Bobby thought the turtles looked happy to see one another.
At dinner, Bobby was very quiet. As he was finishing desert he said,”I named the turtles. I named them both Irvie. His dad smiled and asked who was who. “That’s easy” answered Bobby,”Slow Irvie is the one who Lisa caught, and Fast Irvie is the one that hid in the closet.”
Bobby’s dad agreed that he was making a good choice.
After breakfast, Bobby and his dad took the two pet turtles to a pond just beyond “Can Do” Street, where they knew there were other turtles. Bobby said goodby to each pet turtle and set them free in the pond. He turned away, so they wouldn’t see him crying, and called out, “Bye Fast Irvie, Bye Slow Irvie , see you soon.”
When Bobby rang the bell, Arthur J’s mom answered saying,”Sorry Bobby, said Arthur J’s mom, “Arthur J just got that kitten he wanted and now he needs to stay in and spend today learning how to care for the kitten.”Bobby wanted to know if it was a big job to take care of a kitten, since he wanted a kitten, but his mom wasn’t sure he was old enough to take care of a pet. “Why don’t you come in and see for yourself,” said Arthur J’s mom.
Arthur J was setting up the litter box in the basement when Bobby walked in and asked, “What’s the kitten’s 
name?” Arthur J held up the kitten and said,”Meet Bubbles.”
“Boy, do I ever want a kitten,” said Bobby. “Well, before you go getting one you need to know a few things that might change your mind,” said Arthur. “All pets are work and my mom said if I want a pet, I have to take care of it.”
Bobby thought a moment and said, “Well at least with a cat you don’t have to walk it, no matter what the weather.” Arthur J said, “Look what I’m doing. I’m filling a litter box with kitty litter so my kitten can go to the bathroom. I have to empty this litter regularly and throw it away and make sure my kitten has fresh kitty litter.”
Coach answered, “Well guys, some of you have heard me talk about my dog, Sergeant Buckshot, from time to time. Some of you have even seen me walking him around the neighborhood. Well, Buck was, as you all know, pretty old. Getting around was getting hard for him, and he was waking up feeling tired. Then one day, well, he had to move on.
Now, that really hurt a lot, to see him go, he was a great friend for twelve years, but – it was his time.”
Hector asked,”Will you get another dog Coach?”
“Well now, Hector, I already did,” said Coach. “I got a puppy. He is a little bit younger than Buckshot was when I got him.”
“A PUPPY!” shouted Willie. “How old, can we see him?”
“Delmar, that’s his name, is just over 4 months old now. He is still very young, excitable, and interested in just about everything. Lots of energy! When he gets a bit older, and has some more of his vaccines, I will bring him by to meet all of you,” answered Coach.
“YAY!” said Bobby. “How did you find him? What kind of dog is he?”
Coach answered,”He is a lab-shepherd mix, and how I got him, well now, that’s a good story.
You see, it was almost Labor Day weekend, and I was going to be up-State at a lake-house for the long weekend. Now – and this is important – I had only ever been there with Buckshot, so to be there all alone, without a dog, I just couldn’t do that. So, I started looking for rescue shelters near where I would be staying for the weekend.”
Willie interrupted, saying, “What’s a rescue shelter?”
So, after doing some research in the Internet, I found Delmar – only then, he was being called Ricki. Well, as soon as I read Ricki’s story, of how he was left – along with his brothers and sisters – in a cardboard box, and he was the only one left, not yet adopted, and still waiting for his forever home … well, I just knew he was the one.
You see, my first dog as a boy, when I was in the 6th grade, was in a cardboard box outside of a grocery store when I first met him. Schultz was my first dog, my dog as a boy growing up.
Then, a long time after that, when I was all grown up, I met Buckshot. He was only five months old then, with the same spots on his body that Schultz had. He was the last in his litter, waiting to be rescued. Then, he walked on over to me, sat down and put his head on my lap. I knew right then, he was with me from now on.
So, you see, Delmar was like Schultz, found in a cardboard box. He was also like Buckshot, the last one waiting, after all of his brothers and sisters had been adopted. There was so much in common with the dogs I knew and cared for, that I called up the rescue shelter right away. A few hours later, I was talking to Ricki’s foster mom, and making plans to meet him the next day.
The next day was September 1st, and I have started my day, every day since, with Delmar.”
Hector wanted to know, “How early do you have to get up with him? How many walks a day does he need? Can I walk him?” “Yeah, me too, can I?” said Willie.
“Well, remember, said, coach, “He is still a bit too young to come by for a visit. Now, the truth is, having a puppy is a ton work, and a long day. They need to go outside every 3-4 hours at his age. That is a lot of walks!
The first walk of the day is at 5:30 in the morning. How many of you are up that early? (no hands raised) Huh, not that many I see.
Since I am at school during the day, I have a dog walker come by to take Delmar out for nice, long walks at 9 AM, 1 PM, and again at 4 PM. I get home at around 6 PM, and the first thing I do is take Delmar out for a walk. There are two more after that, the last one being at 10 PM.”
The boys looked thoughtful, then Bobby said, “Wow, that is a lot of walks.”
“Yup, sure is,” said Coach.
Does he have a lot of toys? Yeah, can we bring him a bone? the boys wanted to know.
Coach laughed saying, “Oh boy, you bet he’s got toys. Puppies love to play, and need lots of different toys to keep them busy.
His favorite is a big, knotted rope toy. That, and a stuffed hedgehog. Bones, though, not the best thing for a young puppy’s tummy. See, puppies don’t know when to stop eating, so you have to be careful with what you give them, and how much. Bones from the dinner table are really not good for a puppy, and chicken bones are a “no-no” for all dogs, of all ages. ”
“Wow, OK Coach. So, you don’t miss Buckshot anymore?” Willie stopped talking waiting for Coach’s answer.
“Oh Willie, I will always remember Buckshot. I can never forget him. After losing him, I was very sad and lonely, and I did not want to only remember Buckshot, and feel sad. Plus, he was a rescue dog who lived a good life, and I am sure he would want me to give another good life to the next dog that came along needing to be rescued. In fact, I am sure Buckshot is resting in peace, now that he knows I am no longer sad and lonely. Delmar is making me laugh, and staying close.”
“So, I know we can’t meet Delmar yet, but can we see some pictures?” Willie had asked the question that all three boys wanted to know.
Story by: Ned M. Campbell (Coach Campbell)
"Can Do" Street's blogs run on ThirdCathode enhanced WordPress.
Subscribe to entries (RSS).
"Can Do" Street is the intellectual property of Jean Campbell, registered with the US Copyright Office TXU000476431 and the WGA West, Inc, under Campbell Development Group LLC, 1294415. "Can Do Street" and The "Can Do" Company © 2010. All rights reserved.
