A shop owner placed a
sign above his door that said: “Puppies For Sale.”
Signs like this always have a way of
attracting young children, and to no surprise, a boy saw the sign and
approached the owner;
“How much are you going to sell the puppies for?” he asked.The store owner
replied, “Anywhere from $30 to $50.”The little boy pulled out some change from
his pocket. “I have $2.37,” he said. “Can I please look at them?”
The shop owner smiled and whistled. Out of the kennel came Lady, who ran
down the aisle of his shop followed by five teeny, tiny balls of fur.
One puppy was lagging considerably behind. Immediately the little boy
singled out the lagging, limping puppy and said, “What’s wrong with that little
dog?”
The shop owner explained that the veterinarian had examined the little
puppy and had discovered it didn’t have a hip socket. It would always limp. It
would always be lame.
The
little boy became excited. “That is the puppy that I want to buy.”
The shop owner said, “No, you don’t want to buy that little dog. If you
really want him, I’ll just give him to you.”
The little boy got quite upset. He looked straight into the store
owner’s eyes, pointing his finger, and said;
“I don’t want you to give him to me. That little
dog is worth every bit as much as all the other dogs and I’ll pay full price.
In fact, I’ll give you $2.37 now, and 50 cents a month until I have him paid
for.”
The shop owner countered, “You really don’t want to buy this
little dog. He is never going to be able to run and jump and play with you like
the other puppies.”
To his surprise, the little boy reached down and rolled up his pant leg
to reveal a badly twisted, crippled left leg supported by a big metal brace. He
looked up at the shop owner and softly replied, “Well, I don’t run so well
myself, and the little puppy will need someone who understands!”
