The Problem of Pickles

​“I’m sorry, Sweetie,” said her mother sadly. “I want a dog,

too, but we’ll probably only be in this house for a year before my

next promotion. By the time you start junior high, we should be in

one place for good. Then I promise we’ll get a wonderful dog.”

The next day, Shakira was sitting in the school cafeteria with

Zoe. The two girls were in the same boat. Zoe’s father was in the

military, so she had to move a lot, too

​Instead of laughing and talking a mile a minute as usual, both

girls sat staring glumly at the mac and cheese on their plates.

“What’s wrong?” asked Zoe.

“Same old problem,” sighed Shakira. “I want a puppy, but my

parents say we can’t get one till we stop moving. That won’t be for a couple more years. What about you?”

“Even worse,” sighed Zoe. “I have the greatest dog in the

world, but the military is sending my Mom overseas for six months. I have to move in with my grandmother. Grandma lives in a town house that doesn’t allow pets. We might have to give Pickles up for adoption—forever!” Zoe cried and dabbed at her tears with a napkin.

​bulb went off in her head. “But wait, what if my family and

I take care of Pickles while your Mom is away? We’ll be here till at least June. That’s way more than six months. We have a fenced yard, and I would take such good care of her!”

Zoe stopped crying, but her expression was still sad.

“Knowing that I wouldn’t have to say good-bye to Pickles forever

would be huge,” she said. “But I’ll still have to go months and

months without seeing her because my grandmother lives really far away. It will be just terrible to be missing my Mom and my dog at the same time!

​A light shone in Shakira’s eyes. “Maybe you can still see

Pickles!” she laughed. “We have a camera on our computer that we

use when we call my grandparents. I could call every day after

school, and you could see Pickles online!”

“Wow!” said Zoe. “That sounds perfect.”

That night at dinner, Shakira took a deep breath before

presenting her plan. She explained that she wanted to adopt a dog

temporarily for a friend whose mother was a soldier. The dog was

house-trained and well behaved. It would need a home for just

six months.

“That way I get to enjoy a dog while we’re here in Iowa. And

Zoe doesn’t have to lose her best friend in the whole world!”

​She held her breath. Her parents looked at each other.

Then her mom smiled. “That is a wonderful plan, Shakira.

Your friend’s mother is sacrificing a lot for our country, and we

would be proud to help her. But are you sure you will be okay giving

up this dog when the time comes?”

Shakira nodded. “It may be hard, but I’ll be happy knowing

that Pickles is back with Zoe. Besides, I can always visit with

her online!”

​

Read each sentence. Write the correct past-tense form of the verb in parentheses

on the line provided.