A boy named Tom is a special child. Ever since he was little, dogs have been his greatest passion. It became apparent when he was just 2 years old. He could pretend to be a dog for days. He often growled and barked and sometimes moved around the house on all fours.
When he was outside, every dog he came across caught his attention and he wanted to play with each one. It quickly became clear that a puppy was bound to appear in their home. And that’s what finally happened: his parents brought in a female dog named Lynn. Tom was on cloud nine.
This little boy was sitting quietly down on the curb out in the street when suddenly a giant dog walked across him. He was a little surprised and started screaming as loud as he could! What could have been the reason for his screaming and surprise?! Unfortunately – their friendship ended quickly. On video surveillance the family saw their dog circling the house several times and then off to the woods. All because Lynn suddenly got lost somewhere. What could have happened to their beloved pet? Little Tom’s heart was broken and the boy was desperate.
The parents accidentally left the kitchen window open and Lynn probably jumped on the table and then ran through it. The window was high enough that the puppy couldn’t get back inside. Looking for Lynn would have been like looking for a needle in a haystack but they decided to try anyway. Tom’s parents tried to see what the chances were of Lynn coming home on her own. It certainly couldn’t be through the window as it was one and a half feet off the ground. That’s too high for a dog that young so they decided to leave the back door open all day and all night. But five days later there was still no sign of Lynn.
The boy didn’t just have tears streaming down his cheeks – his parents were saddened too. The woods behind their home stretched for over 50 miles! But when they heard Tom’s answer tears welled up in their eyes. Together with their neighbors they searched for over a month.
But Lynn was gone. Slowly they all began to accept that they would probably never see her again. The resigned parents had to give their son the sad news: “Darling Mom and Dad looked everywhere but we weren’t able to find Lynn we are so sorry and hope you will forgive us and if you want you can choose a new puppy for yourself from the pet shop or the shelter.”
The parents knew their son would be inconsolable, but they didn’t expect something like this. Tom didn’t want to hear about a new puppy. He said he never wanted a dog again because no dog can replace Lynn for him. He probably would have missed another puppy if it went missing also he said. Tom’s lament lasted over 10 minutes. There was only one thing they could do. Tom was not the same boy. He locked himself in his room and completely cut himself off from the outside world. He seemed to have lost his love for dogs.
His parents hoped it was just a phase that would pass quickly but it was far from reality. It got worse as time went on. The effects began to show at school. Tom didn’t want to go to class. He was often rude to his teachers and made life a little difficult for his classmates. Tom changed from a happy smiling boy to a frustrated and irritating bully. When he was kicked out of class for the fourth time this week and his parents had to go back to the principal it was too much.
Tom was a bully, so he had to be home-schooled. Tom stayed home and has been studying at home ever since. He was too disruptive in class and the teachers were worried that he was not only bothering others but affecting his future. “A child without friends can have problems as an adult,” his teacher said. “It’s better for Tom to be in a safe home environment. Hopefully familiar surroundings will change his behavior and he can return to school quickly.”
But staying home hasn’t helped much. The boy’s mother was on the verge of a breakdown. One rainy afternoon she saw him staring out the window. Then someone he never expected came to see him. “I miss Lynn so much,” I wonder if everything is okay with her?” It’s been 2 years since his beloved dog ran away but Tom’s despair was as great as the day it happened. His parents had hoped that time would heal their wounds but now it was clear that it hadn’t.
The boy’s mother tried to make it a sweet and optimistic story to comfort him but even that didn’t make much sense. Tom walked out the front door with his head down and sat on the curb. She had one more surprise for him! A huge brown dog crossed the street and stood in front of the crying boy. The animal barked twice and watched Tom, tongue rolling out. It was only after a few minutes that he looked at it more closely. The four-legged giant’s glassy eyes reminded him of cuddling by the fireplace and running between the sprinklers in the backyard. He knew the dog very well.
It was Lynn!!!! Tom ran to his friend and wrapped his arms tightly around her neck. Lynn licked his cheeks and then walked to the edge of the woods. And then another small miracle happened. Tom ran after Lynn and entered the woods. He lost sight of her for a moment but luckily soon heard his friend barking and he finally saw it. Lynn grew up to be an adult dog and became a mother! In the ditch between their yard and the woods were three fluffy sweet little puppies.
Tom took Lynn and her offspring home and called his parents. They too were very happy to find Lynn and of course decided to adopt the little dogs. Dog and man have always been best friends and Tom and Lynn were too! Tom has made a full recovery.
He and his friend Lynn became best friends again and all negative feelings were gone. He became a smiling boy just like before. After a few weeks he was allowed to return to school. Now she’s doing great there. He gets good grades and has a small group of close friends. They visit him almost every day. Of course they want to see Tom but at the same time they all want to play with Lynn and her puppies.
