When the Martinez family went to the animal shelter, they were not planning to get a dog. Mom just wanted to drop off some old blankets. But then they walked past the kennels, and everything changed.
In the last kennel sat a scruffy brown dog with one floppy ear and one straight ear. He was not barking like the other dogs. He just sat quietly, watching them with big amber eyes.
He has been here the longest, said the shelter worker. His name is Biscuit. He is very gentle, but people always pick the puppies instead. Nobody seems to want an older dog.
Can we pet him? asked Carlos. The worker opened the kennel, and Biscuit walked slowly over to Carlos and rested his chin on the boy's knee. Carlos looked up at his parents with the biggest eyes they had ever seen.
Mom and Dad looked at each other. They had a long, silent conversation with just their eyes — the kind that parents are experts at. Then Dad smiled and said, I think Biscuit just picked us.
The first week was hard. Biscuit hid under the bed and would not eat much. He flinched at loud sounds and did not know how to play with toys. Carlos sat beside him every evening and read books aloud.
Slowly, day by day, Biscuit came out of his shell. He started wagging his mismatched ears when Carlos came home from school. He learned to fetch. He even learned to shake hands with his right paw.
By the end of the month, Biscuit slept on Carlos's bed every night and followed him everywhere like a shadow. People always choose puppies, Carlos told his mom. But I think the best ones are the ones that need you the most.