Report Cards for Dogs: Exact Words at a Boarding Kennel

Report Cards for Dogs

1Every summer, Rosalind helps at her uncle's boarding kennel. Families leave their dogs there while they travel. Some dogs stay for one night, and others stay for two whole weeks. At the end of each day, Uncle Bao writes a short report card for every dog. Owners read the cards when they pick up their pets.

2This year, Uncle Bao asked Rosalind to write the cards. Her first card said, "Pepper was good today. She ate food and played. She went outside a lot." Uncle Bao read it and tapped the paper. "This is a start," he said, "but Pepper's family can't picture her day. What did she eat? How did she play? Where did she go?"

3Rosalind thought back to the afternoon. Pepper had gobbled her bowl of salmon kibble in less than a minute. She had chased a squeaky rubber ball across the yard until her tongue hung out. Twice, she had splashed through the kiddie pool by the fence. Rosalind crossed out her first sentences and started again.

4Her new card said, "Pepper gobbled her salmon kibble, chased her squeaky ball across the yard, and splashed through the pool twice." Rosalind could almost hear the ball squeaking. Uncle Bao grinned. "Now her family can see it," he said.

5By the end of the week, Rosalind had written cards for fourteen dogs. She learned to trade words like good, nice and stuff for words that showed exactly what happened. A shy beagle didn't just sit around. He curled up on a blue blanket and watched the other dogs. A gray husky didn't just make noise. She howled whenever the mail truck rumbled past the gate.