“Spot survived and so did our friend ship.” This is how I start my story off to my kids. They are telling me that they think they are responsible enough to take care of a dog, so I decide to tell them about me and my experience with Spot.

A dog. Me watching after a dog? Some days I can barely remember to wear shoes. How in the world am I suppose to take care of a pet? My parents won’t even trust me with a pet rock. I would find someway to screw that up!!. This is all going through my head as my friend Sara is trying to convince me that I can take care of her dog, and that it would be no big deal. YEAH RIGHT it is kind of a big deal. I mean what would happen if I lost the dog. What if I forget to feed it? Come on now. I wouldn’t even be living if it weren’t for my parents. I can’t even take care of myself!!!!!! …. Now she’s expecting me to take care of mans best friend… She has to be outta her mind!
“O come on Claire. It’s a piece of cake. All you have to do is feed her, walk her, bath her, and take her out to go to the bathroom. Its waayyyy easier than taking care of a baby. You’ve babysat before right?” asked Sarah.
Well sure I’ve babysat before… except I was with my friend. And yeah I did a exceptional job. Every time the baby cried I told Sally and she took care of it. Man that was probably the most tiring, pointless day of my life! But she said that watching a dog was easier… how hard could it be?
“O’ve course I’ve babysat before. And if it’s easier than that I will be happy to watch spot.” How hard can it be?

WRONG! With a capital W! I had thought baby sitting was hard… this is like my worst night mare! The dog has peed all over the house, my parents refuse to come home from their vacation to help me, and I have a whole other week of this!! I don’t understand why anyone would want a dog! Or a pet of any sort, they aren’t admirable for anything. All spot has managed to do is eat, sleep, make huge messes that I have to clean up all by myself, and it wants to go for a walk like all the time. I don’t have time to take this dog for a walk. When I finally penciled the dog into my schedule and took him for a walk I hear my pretty pink stilettos grinding into the pavement eating up the trends.
While I’m walking the dog, he insists on sniffing everything, and it wants to run. I yell at the dog,
“Yeah right like I’m actually going to run in these shoes. You must be dreaming.” Well the dog didn’t care about me or my shoes! Like what a selfish dog! I decide that I would go out a buy a pair of “running shoes” to accommodate this dogs needs. When we got home from our walk, I left the dog outside because I didn’t want it making anymore messes that I would have to clean up. I went upstairs to change my clothes and I was off to a shopping trip at the mall. I get into my car and start backing out. “BRINGG, BRINNG” I answer my phone and it’s Sarah. While I’m on the phone with Sarah I hear a thump! It sounds like something is on my tires.
“OH MY GOSH!!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!” I screamed. “What just happened??” came the little voice from the phone. I answered
“Sarah I got to go this doesn’t look good” I quickly hang up the phone thinking that this could be her precious dog on the tire of my car right now. The thing looks just like my pet rock… Life less.

I drive to a car wash and I hear a nice little reassuring thump the whole way there. What am I going to do now? I have especially screwed this one up. Sarah my never talk to me again! And she’s like my best friend. Oh I know!! I’ll call my parents and ask them for money to buy a new dog for Sarah!!! Omg I’m just so brilliant! That’s exactly what ill do… well that’s the first thing ill do as soon as I get this dog off of my tire! Thump thump thump.

“Mom… Dad… it’s an emergency. I need money to buy a dog! I’m just so lonely here with no one to keep me safe.” I tell my parents.
“Now sweaty we just don’t think you can handle a dog. I’m sorry however; we are not giving you any money if you want a dog that badly you will just have to find a way to come up with that money.” My parents reply.
“I HATE YOU!” I shout as I slam the phone down. I’m just not amazingly brilliant anymore. Plan B… I guess I have to find a job so I can keep my best friend. Time to look in the newspapers!

“Need money Quick?? Do we have to solution for you! You can earn up to a thousand dollars in just ONE WEEK! Just call the number below and we will get you started!” I read this in the newspaper. As I scan the paper for the number, something else seems to have caught my eye. It’s a lost dog sign that looks creepily similar to spot. If spot had a twin that dog would so be it. I thought to myself. Instead of worrying about the picture, I called the number and I started my first day of work.

Sarah’s coming home tomorrow and I’m going to get the new dog today. It’s been a week and I finally earned enough money to buy a dog. When Sarah comes home she will never know the difference. Well at least I wouldn’t have known the difference between the two dogs, but I probably wouldn’t know the difference between a rock and a fish, so what good am I? These dogs are practically the same. They are both stupid! And now I have twice the mess to clean up. “Fabulous” I mumbled

Knock knock knock.
“Come in!” I shouted, knowing it was Sarah.
Hi Claire!” said Sarah. “Did spot behave ok for you?”
“Your dog was the best; she was barely any trouble at all.” I told her.
“Is there anything you need to tell me about what happened?” She questioned me like she knew something was up.
“No nothing I can think of” I replied kind of stuttering and my face turning red.
“Claire you’re lying to me, I can tell” Sarah said.
“Fine I replied I ran over your dog.” I told her.
“Hahaha that’s so funny.” She replied.
“What are you talking about? I ran over your dog. I hit her backing out of the driveway.” I explained.
“That’s so funny. Jenny came by with my dog and said that she found him wondering the streets right around your house. I just wanted to see if you would confess to almost losing him.” She told me.
“O” I replied back. “Wait if I didn’t hit spot then whose dog did I hit?” I asked Sarah replied
“Well the Jenkins did put an ad in the newspaper for a lost dog. It looks just like spot however it looked a little smaller.”
“Now that you mention it the dog I ran over was smaller than spot” I said. It just hit me right then and there. Everything was starting to make sense… the ad in the paper is going to be there for an exceedingly long time.