Baddog

This story with illustrations is from Lisa D'Cruz, 8, India.

Nick saw a puppy on his way to school. 

Every day after that Nick started giving him his tiffin to eat and instructed his mother to put more food in the tiffin. In this way Nick and the puppy became friends. 

When his mother came to know she said,

“Why have you become friends with a street dog? They are very bad dogs.”

From that day Nick named the puppy 'Baddog’. But actually Baddog was a very good and smart dog. 

Soon Baddog was no longer a puppy. He followed Nick to school every day.

One rainy morning when Nick was walking to school, he looked behind and found that Baddog was missing. He thought Baddog must be hiding somewhere to avoid the rain.

After school, the rain had stopped. Nick waited for Baddog but he never came. So Nick was worried and started searching for him.

Just then he saw a dog van. Some people in uniform were carrying dogs in nets and putting them in the van. 

Nick peeped through the window of the van and screamed,

 “Baddog, where are you?"

Baddog stood up and looked here and there. To his surprise Nick had found him. Nick talked to the people who were catching the dogs and Baddog hopped out. 

The people told Nick to put a collar around his dog’s neck.

 Nick took Baddog home and made a collar with his old bag belt. He also wrote his name 'Baddog' on the belt. And Nick’s mother allowed him to keep Baddog!

Nick made a doghouse with an old wooden box in their garden. He painted it with his favourite violet colour . Baddog chased away the cats and the rats every day and guarded Nick on his way to school.

One day his mother said,

“He is not a bad dog after all. We have to change his name”. 

Nick said to himself,

“A name is just a name”.