A Fur-Ever Friend

Chloe and I just finished our first week at our new community service project. We're volunteering at the local animal shelter. It's the best community service job ever—we get to play with puppies and kittens! (We also have to clean up after them, which isn't as much fun. But it's not nearly as bad as I thought it would be!)

You guys already know I love my pet mice, Sam and Cody. They're really sweet, and I spend a lot of time feeding them and petting them. But now that I'm working at the shelter, I really want a dog. And not just any dog. There's this one really beautiful puppy that the folks at the shelter have named Pumpkin. I'm not sure what breed she is exactly. She kind of looks like a beagle but I think there's some cocker spaniel in her too. Anyway, she's only six months old, and she's the sweetest dog I've never met. Today she fell asleep all curled up in my lap.

I've tried before to get my parents to let me have a pet, and they said okay to two white mice. But a puppy is going to be a whole different story. I have to bring this up very carefully if they're going to say yes to Pumpkin. Do you guys have any sure fire advice for me? I've never wanted anything more than I've wanted this puppy, so I've got to make sure I do it right!

Thanks for the help.

xoxo

Jenny