001Chapter 116. Letter mates for life. Metahhead was happy to see me as I was to see him. Friendship is mysterious. I have dog friends who look like me. But the friendship doesn't last. There's no glue holding us together. Then along comes a tiny rodent and a metal dog. As different from me as it's possible to be, and we're litimates for life. Chapter 117. left shoe untie. The next reading buddy day, we were all waiting for Quinn to arrive. When I heard his feet thunder down the stairs, I felt like my heart was going to bust out of my chest. There he was with his crooked glasses, his star shirt and the laces of his left shoe untied. He slid up in front of Metalhead's pin and did a break dance of pure joy. Then he
002got green eggs and ham and danced again. Quinn popped down next to Metal Head. First they read the old way, Metalhead saying the words and Quinn turning the pages. Then they read the new way. Metalhead turning the pages and Quinn saying the words. So it was quiet in the basement. You could hear a kibble drop. Even the flesh and bloods had grown to admire metal head. He was the dog who devised the plan to save Genevine. He was the dog who memorized green eggs and ham. He was the dog who Quinn had chosen. Right then, a lot of animosity we had for Metal Dogs began to melt away. Metal Head was a robot dog, and we liked him. He was different than the other robot dogs, but still respect is a powerful thing, you know.
003Chapter 118. A dog's superpower. One snowy day a few weeks later, animal control bought in 17 dogs. They were all skinny, scuffy, and full of fleas. Apparently, they lived in a trailer park with a human who had become too old and frail to live on his own. He moved in with his daughter who let him bring just one dog. The other 17 went to us. Dog Town has been full even before the dogs arrived. With 17 new dogs, there was simply no room. Management and front desk were walking through the basement trying to figure out where to put the new dogs. What about Chance? We could use her pen tonight. She ran away when we let her out. Management said, "Yeah, but I heard she only got as far as the parking lot." Front desk
004said that wasn't true. Humans are always telling stories about dogs. Toto, the big red dog, the lady and You think those stories really happen? Anyway, front desk continued. It's snowing pretty hard. She won't leave in the middle of a blizzard. What should we do? Management nodded. She's on top of the list. I suppose it doesn't make much difference. Front desk side. The longer I'm here, the more attached I get to these dogs. Management came in my pen, squatted down, and ran a hand over my fur. Dogs have that effect on all of us. You have a bad day, shoot your mouth off. Spend the rent money on lottery tickets. They don't care. They love you no matter what. That's their superpower. Love. Yeah. They have such big hearts. So why do we front desks let
005the sinners trail off management side? We don't have the room. I've got the board raising money for a new addition. 50 more pins. I didn't know that. That's great. Front desk smiled. Management nodded. But that won't help Chance. She tipped her glasses up and buried her face in her hands. Management was a good pter. One of the best actually. And I liked that big bite around. The dog's superpower is love. Even so, the facts were clear. My life at Dog Town was over. Chapter 119. A page from his manual. Right after that, a new recruit was put in my old cage, and I was allowed to walk free in Dog Town again. "This is your chance, chance," Metalhead said. "I don't even mind that Metal Head had used my name that way because what he
006said was true." Mouse nodded. He made a sigh sign for home. I'll take good care of mouse. Make sure he gets fed, metalhead said, tearing a page from his manual and handing handing it to me. It wasn't printed the way the other pages were. It was a page he had written himself. It said, "Your heart is a muscle. It grows stronger the more you use it.