Shep
Dreams of Home
Jason Matthews
Short story of a puppy dog who needs a home - 1,222 words.
A bedtime story and children's story for all. Shep, an unwanted puppy with a big head and long teeth, is rejected by his owners.
Shep is on his own in a dangerous world. His dream of finding someone who accepts him as the dog he is, lands him in the home of the Lonely Man.
Together the two experience the joys of friendship. As Shep grows into his big head and teeth, he saves the day by using his natural gifts against an intruder.
A feel-good tale, perfect bedtime read for young kids. Subjects include: bedtime stories, short stories for kids, preschool, dogs, children short stories, dog stories for kids, puppy books for kids
This ebook is licensed for your personal use only.
Copyright © 2010 Jason Matthews. All rights reserved.
Table of Contents
Shep’s Story
About Shep and the Author
Other Books
Sample The Little Universe
Shep’s Story
ONCE UPON A TIME there was a dog named Shep. Even when Shep was a puppy, he had a big head with a long nose and big white teeth. Sometimes Shep would accidentally bump his big head and teeth into things like furniture and other dogs and people too.
The people who owned Shep didn’t like it when he bumped his head into them, and it made them very angry when he did. They were angry about many things in life, like their busy jobs and their relationship issues, and having a dog who bumped his head into them made everything worse. They became the Angry People.
They made Shep go outside a lot, even at night when it was cold and blowy. Shep didn’t like sleeping outside in the snow. It made him very sad. He dreamed of having a warm bed and a kind master who let him stay indoors whenever he wanted.
There was another puppy dog who lived down the street, and she was just about the same age as Shep. Her name was Ruby Girl, and she had a loving home with Nice People who took very good care of her, even when she bumped her head into them.
Shep liked Ruby Girl very much, and the Nice People who owned her. He decided he would try his best to get adopted at Ruby’s house. So whenever the Angry People would make Shep go outside for a long time, he would walk down to Ruby’s house and be on his best behavior. He would not bump his head into them and was always very polite. He would even sleep on their front stairs at night and not cry.
One night it was very dark and scary, and the bears and wolves and coyotes were out looking for young animals to eat, including puppy dogs. Shep was sleeping on the stairs of Ruby’s house, and he sensed there was danger nearby. So he tried to jump through a bedroom window, but the renter who was sleeping there pushed Shep back outside, because he didn’t want another dog living there, and he didn’t know about the hungry bears and wolves and coyotes.
The Nice People liked Shep, but they could only have one dog, and that was Ruby Girl. They thought and thought of a way for Shep to find a home, because they knew the Angry People didn’t want Shep anymore, and he needed a real home. So they made a phone call to their friend, the Lonely Man. He was a very kind man, and he liked dogs too, but he was also lonely.
The Lonely Man said, “Sure, Shep can live with me!” And he drove over to the Angry People’s house, and they gave their Shep dog to the Lonely Man and were glad about it.
The Lonely Man let Shep sleep in his nice warm bed. In the middle of the night Shep accidentally bumped his big head and teeth right into the Lonely Man’s face, and it hurt really bad. But the Lonely Man didn’t get very angry, instead he told Shep that it hurts people when he does that, and to please be more careful with his big head and teeth. This made Shep very happy, and he did his best to please the Lonely Man and to be a good dog.
Over time Shep forgot all about living with the Angry People, because he and the Lonely Man would do lots of fun things together, like hiking up mountains, and swimming in lakes, and throwing Frisbees, and even visiting with Ruby Girl.
Shep grew up to be a great big dog, and he weighed over one hundred pounds! And his big head and teeth looked normal sized since his body was so big now. The Lonely Man loved Shep very much, and he realized that he wasn’t lonely anymore. Now he was a Happy Man.
ONE DAY THE HAPPY MAN AND SHEP were invited over to dinner at Ruby’s house. It was a party held by the Nice People, and they invited many guests including the Angry People. Everybody brought a dish of yummy food, and soon the kitchen and dinner table were full of special things to eat. Shep and Ruby Girl lay down next to the table, hoping to get a bite of leftovers. The Happy Man winked at Shep, and Shep knew that meant he’d definitely get some yummy leftovers, but he would have to wait. So he waited very patiently like the good dog he was.
While the dinner party was going on, someone was sneaking into the kitchen of the Nice People’s house. It was a Food-Burglar Man, and he had found the right place because he was very hungry, and there was so much food in there. He looked at the counter and was amazed at all the yummy food. So he began to eat some of it, and then he accidentally dropped his fork on the kitchen floor. Whoops.
Even though the Dinner Party People didn’t hear anything, Shep and Ruby Girl heard a strange noise from the kitchen. They raced in there, and guess what they saw? They saw the Food-Burglar Man eating up the yummy leftovers, their yummy leftovers! “Well, this will not do,” Shep thought to himself. He ran right up to the Food-Burglar Man and bumped him with his big head and teeth. And the Food-Burglar Man fell to the ground. Then Ruby Girl and Shep stood over him growling as the Dinner Party People came running into the kitchen.
When the Nice People got there, they saw the Food-Burglar Man lying on the ground. And he was crying, “Help me, help me! Those big dogs are too scary!”
The Nice People said, “What are you doing here in our kitchen?”
The Food-Burglar Man said, “I was just so hungry, I didn’t know what else to do.”
While Shep and Ruby Girl kept the Food-Burglar Man in place, the Dinner Party People talked with each other about what to do. They thought and thought of all the possible things they might do to make the situation better. Then they came up with an idea.
The Nice People opened the kitchen door and told the Food-Burglar Man, “You can come in and have some food with us.”
The Food-Burglar Man was so surprised, but he did as they told him and entered the dining room to have a seat at the table. And they all got to eat some yummy food together.
And then Shep and Ruby Girl got to eat all the yummy leftovers.
Before everybody left that night, they thanked Shep and Ruby Girl for being so brave and so strong. Even the Angry People said thanks to Shep, for now they could see what a wonderful big dog he grew up to be, and they were sorry they weren’t nicer to him when he was a puppy.
The Happy Man took Shep home and made him a very special dessert. And the next day they went hiking up mountains, and swimming in lakes, and throwing Frisbees, and even visiting with Ruby Girl.
Shep was always a good boy, and now he had a good life that he deserved, just like everybody does.
The End
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About Shep and the Author