Loe raamatut: «National Geographic Kids Chapters: Courageous Canine: And More True Stories of Amazing Animal Heroes»

Chapter 1
LOVE at First Sight

For Lilly, it started as an ordinary day. The five-year-old dog paced across her cage at the Animal Rescue League (sounds like LEEG) in Boston, Massachusetts. She ate her breakfast kibble. She curled up on her blanket to take short naps. Once in a while, she even barked with the other dogs. But she mostly seemed sad and lonely. Like the rest of the animals at the shelter, she needed a home.

That March morning in 2009 started out as a regular day for David Lanteigne (sounds like LAN-tane), too. But he was excited. He was going to do something new later that day. Something awesome. He was going to volunteer at the Animal Rescue League (ARL).

David is a police officer in Boston. He works five days a week helping people. On his day off, he wanted to help homeless dogs. At the shelter, David filled out the forms to become a volunteer. Then he asked if he could meet the canines (sounds like KAY-nines). He meant the dogs. Dogs belong to the group of animals called canines.

“Sure,” the ARL workers said. “Come this way.”

Slowly, David strolled past the cages. He felt good about the job he had signed up to do. All of the dogs needed loving care, and he was just the guy to deliver it. Then, six cages in, his heart skipped a beat. He was face-to-face with Lilly.

“Hello, sweet girl,” he said. Lilly’s golden eyes met his. “You have the most beautiful eyes in the world,” David told her.

Lilly calmly walked to the edge of her cage where David waited. He gazed into her gentle eyes. Then he noticed deep scars on the dog’s left side. There were scars on the top of her head, too. Lilly has been mistreated, David thought. What kind of person could hurt such a warm-hearted dog?

Lilly pressed her soft brown body against her cage to get closer to David. He felt like she was telling him, I have been hurt, but I still know how to be good.

David sat down beside the cage to talk to Lilly. “You are a good girl,” he whispered. He stroked her fur through the cage. She liked it when he scratched her under her chin and behind her floppy ears. Her personality sparkled like a diamond.

“Can I walk one of the dogs?” David asked an ARL worker. “I think Lilly would like to go outside.”

Lilly loved walking with David. They galloped through the grass and down the streets. She gave David dozens of sloppy licks. For man and dog, it was love at first sight. David realized he didn’t just want to walk Lilly. He wanted to take her home.

To adopt Lilly, David needed to know if another dog and another person would love her, too. He had to introduce her to his dog, Penny. She’s a golden retriever (sounds like ree-TREE-ver). David also wanted Lilly to meet his mom, Christine. David hoped Christine would share Lilly with him. He knew his mom got sad and lonely at times. He hoped taking care of Lilly would make her feel happier.

David drove to his mother’s house. She lived about an hour away, in Shirley, Massachusetts. David told her about Lilly. “Just meet her,” he said. “Then you can decide if you like her as much as I do.” Christine agreed to go meet Lilly.

Like David, Christine thought Lilly was beautiful. She was a little scared about walking her, though. Lilly is an American pit bull terrier (sounds like TER-ee-er), or pit bull for short. She weighs 70 pounds (32 kg). When she tugged at the leash, Christine could feel how strong she was. But Lilly seemed to understand Christine’s fear. She quickly settled down.

Before they took Lilly back inside the shelter, David went to his car. Penny’s dog biscuits were in the trunk. He wanted to share them with Lilly. When he popped the trunk open, Lilly jumped inside. She was ready to go home!

What are pit bulls?

(photo credits 1.1)

The first pit bulls were probably a cross between two kinds of dogs: the English bulldog and the Old English terrier. People in England created the breed about 200 years ago. The dogs were strong, smart, and loyal. They made excellent hunting and watch dogs. In America, farmers used pit bulls to help protect cattle and sheep from wild animals. In the early 1900s, some pit bulls even looked after children. This earned them a special nickname. They were called “nanny dogs.”

A few days later, David took Penny to the shelter to meet Lilly. The two dogs got along very well. “That was it,” David says. “No matter what, I knew we were adopting Lilly.”

David and his mom shared Lilly, but the dog spent most of her time at Christine’s house in Shirley. Some people told Christine she should be afraid of keeping a pit bull in her home. They thought all pit bulls were dangerous. They thought the dogs liked to attack people. Christine didn’t listen to them. She trusted her son.

David knew the dogs weren’t born bad. But some cruel owners force their pit bulls to fight other dogs. These fights are against the law. Sometimes the dogs are badly hurt. Sometimes it’s even worse. All of this made David sad.

Being forced to fight can make an animal mean, but kindness can sometimes make it better. Christine believed David when he said Lilly was a loving dog, and he was right. Lilly kept her company when she got lonely. In return, Christine cooked Lilly yummy meals. They went on lots of walks together. Lilly made many new friends as she and Christine walked through town.

Thanks to David and Christine, Lilly had a safe place to live. She had plenty of good food to eat. Best of all, she got lots and lots of love. David and his mom had given her a second chance at life. One day Lilly would return the favor.

(photo credits 1.2)

Lilly (top) and Penny (bottom) both like to hang out at the park. They’ve been friends ever since they met. (photo credits 1.3)