My Christmas Puppy by Brittany Burns

                 “Mommy, I want a dog!” I begged my mom as I sat at the kitchen table eating a leftover turkey sandwich from the previous nights Thanksgiving dinner. As the last slice of cold turkey was eaten, I knew that it was officially Christmas time. Like I felt every year, I thought that this was going to be the best Christmas I had ever had. For Christmas I didn’t want a Christmas Barbie, a bicycle, new clothes, or Lego’s. All that I wanted for Christmas was a soft and cuddly puppy.

                I was seven years old and I believed that I was the only kid in the entire world without a pet dog. My cousin Katie had a terrier to take on walks, my best friend Meghan got o play fetch with her pet poodle, and all that I had was a pesky little brother! Every time that I asked my parents for a dog, they would give me the same answer, “I’m sorry Britt’s but you are too young to take care of a dog.” This year I was seven, two years older than five, which is when I first began asking my parents for a puppy. I was positively older and ready to take care of a dog.

                I spent every day leading up to Christmas thinking about what kind of puppy I wanted. One day I thought that I wanted a brown dog with spots and long floppy ears, and the next day I thought that I wanted a big black dog with large paws and a loud bark. My mind changed everyday and then I realized that I didn’t care what kind of dog I might own; I just wanted one to call my own. As I was counting down the days until Santa Claus would arrive, my mom approached me and asked, “Brittany, if you were to get a dog, what would you name it?” Usually my Mom would try anything to change the “puppy” subject, but today she actually wanted to talk about it! I had to catch my breath I was so excited! I hesitated then questioned my mom “Why? Am I getting one for Christmas?” My mom answered me with a sly like smile, “What would give you that idea?” Her question gave me just enough hope that once Christmas Eve approached, I had at least ten different dog names made up in my head!

                It was finally Christmas morning as I opened my eyes to my sister quietly peeking her head around the doorway and into the living room. As pictures of cute little puppies flowed through my mind, I threw back my covers and hopped off my bed in one quick motion. My sister and I softly began to creep out of our room. As we caught our first glimpse of shiny wrapping paper and bows under the tree, my Mom yelled, “Girls, close your eyes!” My heart stopped because I knew exactly what my Mom was surprising us with. “One, two, three, open!” Mom yelled as she slowly set a tiny brown puppy at our feet.

                Finally, I had my very own puppy! He was a tiny, brown, curly eared puppy to take on walks and play fetch with. I had tons of names picked out and once I saw him, I knew exactly what his name would be. “Rusty” I said, “Come here”, as I gently began to  pet his rust colored fur on the top of his head. I ran over to my mom and gave her a great big hug. That Christmas morning, I thought that I was the luckiest girl alive!