A puppy named Rusty was the runt of the litter at the doggy daycare. The other dogs had a white spot by their eye, a brown spot on their tail, and they were mostly blonde and bigger. But Rusty was a tiny, tiny golden retriever with a periwinkle collar that was only as big as a shoe with big, black eyes which made him extra cute. Well, he was cute to me. He was named Rusty for his reddish brown and blonde fur. His ears and tail were white with gold spots which made him very unique.  

Rusty was always getting into accidents like spilling the water or throwing a ball into someone’s face. A lot of the people and other dogs didn’t like him because he was so small and messy. He was also shy. He really hated when people weren’t loving him but he didn’t know how to ask. Even the adults at the doggie daycare didn’t pay enough attention to him. He dreamed of dog biscuits, human food like steak, sleeping on clouds, and not being the runt of the litter anymore but having a family to adopt him. He hoped it was a brother and sister because he could get the play from the brothers and hugs and kisses from the sister. He liked the doggy daycare because he always got the same towel bed and it felt like his own. But, he knew it could be better and he could have a pillow. He was really sad because he had no friends other than a goldfish cracker. He wanted to eat the cracker but he was so lonely he decided to let it just be his friend. But, it wouldn’t do anything so it was boring. He decided to keep it until he found a new friend. Still, nobody in the whole doggy daycare liked him. There was another runt there that was even treated a bit better!

One day, Rusty had noticed a couple was there looking at dogs. They looked at Rusty and shook their head and said, “No, definitely not.” They turned to another dog and said, “Oh, such a cute Shih Tzu! Maybe that one.” Then they walked over to an Australian Shepard puppy and thought, “Ooh, maybe that one. Definitely that one!” The dogs didn’t even notice the people because they knew they’d get adopted someday. They just showed off and had fun. But, Rusty knew he wasn’t going to get adopted. He just sat to the side, sadly.

There was a time where they let the dogs run around. During that time, they had to share toys like a squeaker, a rope, and a plastic tube. Rusty tried to get a bone or a squeaky toy but the other dogs were rude. They tried to pull away the bone. He then tried for the squeaky toy but they did the same thing. In the end, he couldn’t get any toys, and he laid his head on his paws.

On Rusty’s birthday, they only really celebrated by giving him a bone. But, finally, it was his own bone. He wrote his name on it so the other dogs couldn’t just take it and say it was theirs. On that same day, a family came to pick out a dog and a little girl named Mia saw Rusty.

Mia said, “You’re the cutest thing ever!”

She took Rusty in her arms and he wiggled, showering her face with kisses.

“Mommy, Daddy, can we get him?” she asked.

“I don’t know. You ask your mom,” said her dad.

“Can we get this dog named Rusty?” Mia asked her mom with pleading eyes that rivalled Rusty’s eyes.

“If that’s what you really want then sure,” her mom said and smiled.

Rusty heard these words and his ears perked up then his tail wagged.

Mia said, “Look, he’s so happy!”

Mia picked Rusty and held him close to her chest. She twirled around. The other dogs saw this and made crying, angry sounds.

In the car, he was very still because he loved how Mia hugged him. After, they went to the pet store and bought Rusty all the things he needed: dog food, good treats, a water and food bowl, and almost every single toy in the store. And, he didn’t get just a pillow, but a whole doggie bed. He tried out every single one before jumping and deciding on the fuzzy, warm bed that was last. Mia then knew that was the perfect dog bed for him. Rusty got two new collars, a red one with metal dots and an orange one that faded to red. Rusty was so happy after they bought everything. He sat in the back of the car on his new doggy bed playing with all his toys. When Rusty and Mia got home, Mia set the dog bed by her own bed. But, Rusty slept with her that night.

When they woke up, Rusty went on a walk with Mia. They saw another dog that was a German Shepherd. Both of the dogs were enthusiastic and started to play and play and play. Then, another came. It was a humongous dog, a Great Dane! Mia and Rusty were scared and then it turned out the Great Dane wasn’t even friendly. It had mean team that snapped at them. They decided to run home. Mia chased after Rusty because he was running so super fast.

When Rusty and Mia got home, they ran inside. Rusty went straight to his dog bed and whimpered. Mia pet Rusty and gave him a treat. That cheered him up a little bit. He was still afraid of the Great Dane. Luckily, the Great Dane didn’t come to the neighborhood ever again. Mia cuddled Rusty with every hug she had and they fell asleep on her bed. Rusty laid there, warm against Mia, and he realized he hadn’t made a mess since Mia adopted him. He was so happy to feel love.