After my dog, Rosie, died 1 was sad for a long time. She had been a really good friend to me and it was lonely without her. I didn’t want to get a new dog right away, but then I saw a program on television about Doggie Rescue. This is an organisation that saves dogs from the street and looks after them until a new home can be found. I telephoned the organisation as soon as the program finished. They asked me lots of questions to make sure l was a suitable person to look after a dog．Luckily, they liked my answers and said I could join their organisation．

Three days later, a woman from Doggie Rescue phoned me to ask me if 1 would like to look after a small Shih Tzu dog（狮子狗）. 1 was so excited I could hardly wait to meet him. When he arrived, he was very thin and his coat was dirty and tangled. He had a bad cough and his little nose was running. I immediately gave him something to eat and gave him lots of hugs. Then I put him in a warm basket to have a good sleep. I decided to call him Louie. The next day I gave Louie a bath and tried to comb out his fur, but it was impossible．It was too badly tangled. Over the next few days I gave him lots of small meals and plenty of love. I put a baby's T-shirt on him to keep him warm and took him out to run in the garden. He soon began to get fatter and he coughed less and less each day. Every evening he sat on my knee and went to sleep. I loved having him in my life and I grew to love him.

As soon as his cold was better, I took Louie to have all his fur cut very short. With short fur, he looked even smaller than before, but he also looked very cute. After I had had Louie for about three weeks, 1 wrote a description of him and put it on a special website which lists dogs for adoption. It didn’t take long for someone to see Louie's description and photo and fall in love with him. Just four weeks after Louie came into my life I had to say goodbye to him. 1t was sad to see him go, but I knew he was going to a loving home. His new family had two children and another little dog for Louie to play with．

I am very pleased that I had the chance to care for Louie and to find him a new home. Although 1 will miss him, 1 will soon have another dog to look after. When I find a home for that dog too, I’ll have another one to love and care for. One day I’ll have my very own dog again, but for the present I am happy to give lost and homeless dogs a new start in life．

Comprehension

1.       What is Doggie Rescue?

2.       Why do you think Louie was dirty and thin when the author first took him home?

3.       Do you think the author will continue looking after lost dogs for a long time? What changes in her life might make her decide to stop?

Suggested answers

1.       It is an organization that saves dogs from the street and looks after them until a new home can be found.

2.       Sample answer: Because he had been homeless and probably no one had taken care of him for along time.

3.       The author might not continue looking after lost dogs for along time. When she has her very own dog again, she might make her decide to stop.