Do U remember when our President answered reporters about the puppy he was giving to his daughters that he hoped it would be “a mutt like me”? This is inspired partly by his comment, his daughter’s and my daughter Katie’s English bulldog Lola.
“A Mutt Like Me”
by Donna Loren
In a land where all dreams come true lives a puppy named Lola.
Lola is all alone because her sisters and brothers have left to live with loving families.
“What will happen to me?” worries Lola.
Then, everything changed when Lola began dreaming. Her nose twitched with delight.
In her dream there was a big white house with lots and lots of grass to run and play.
There she met two little girls… and they were sisters.
What Lola didn’t know is that at exactly the same time she was having her dream, someone else was dreaming too.
The next morning Sasha woke up very excited to tell her sister, Malia, about a dream she had.
She jumped up out of bed and in a very high voice exclaimed, “Malia, wake up. I know what our puppy looks like. I saw her in my dream”.
Malia yawns and stretches as Sasha climbs in bed with her. “I know she’s the one. I’ll tell you all about it. I even know her name.”
Her sister asks, “Well, what is it?” “Lola”, Sasha says with a big smile on her face.
“She has a smooched-in nose that twitches when she’s excited. Her fur is mostly brown with some white on her face. “
Meanwhile, as Lola wakes up from her happy dream, she’s disturbed by the sound of barking dogs echoing off the walls of the animal shelter.
Covering her ears with her paws she whines, but no one hears her. She’s all alone in a glass-walled puppy cage.
Malia and Sasha bolt out of their room to tell their mom and dad about the dream.
Their mother is cooking their favorite pancakes in the kitchen.
Their dad looks up from his Saturday paper and says, “What’s all the excitement about? “.
“Daddy, Sasha had a very special dream”, exclaims Malia. He put down his paper. “Tell me about it Sasha.”
“I know who our puppy is. I really do,” replies his youngest daughter.
With a wink of trust their father says, “looks like today is the day to find your puppy.”
“I hope it’s a mutt like me” their father says quietly to himself. The girls hear him and giggle. Then he continues, “let’s get ready to meet your new puppy”. The family eagerly drives away.
“We’re here”, says their mother. The girls look out the window of their car. What they see is a large brick building that has the words “Animal Shelter” written on it.
Their father spoke, “girls, if you are wondering why we are at the “Animal Shelter”, it’s because there are so many animals here who need a good home.”
The family enters the building to the sound of barking dogs and meowing cats. They walk past endless cages of animals that live in the shelter.
Big dogs with bushy tails and short ones with patches of missing hair.
“I’m scared”, Sasha says to Malia. “Me too” as they squeeze each other’s hands tightly.
Suddenly, Sasha shouts “There she is. That’s the puppy in my dream. She’s even twitching her nose!”
They all look into a cage where a very excited puppy is licking the glass walls as if to say, “yes, it’s me!”
The officer from the shelter who is guiding the family opens the cage and lifts the wiggly puppy into Sasha’s arms. Instantly, the puppy starts licking her face all over.
Their mother asks the officer what they need to do to take the puppy home.
The officer replies, “just sign some papers and she’s all yours.”
And, that’s exactly what they did.
Lola, the happiest puppy on the planet is now in the family’s car escorted by the Secret Service as they enter the gates of the Whitehouse!!!
What a neat story, “A Mutt Like Me”, not to mention, “bulldogs” are about the sweetest dogs on the planet. Your daughter is fortunate to have been chosen by Lola to be a special traveler..Wish you well, stay forever young but wiser and thanks for the memories had and memories to be made.