Introduction

2010 Scout Law Essay Contest winer - Alex of Troop 765

Being trustworthy is doing the right thing, even when it's hard.

There she was just wondering up the street with her tongue hanging out. I saw that see she had no collar. She was dirty and she walked like she had been walking for a long, long time. Her back legs and hips moved slowly and stiffly. Her eyes said she was scared and very, very tired. I called and walked slowly over to her. She stopped at the greenbelt. I offered my palm for her to sniff. She didn't resist when I pet her. She didn't resist when I picked her up and carried her home. I wanted her to be my dog.

There is a side yard at my house where our 3 dogs used to be. Sydney died of a heart tumor. It burst one night. Pierre died in the car on the way home after the veterinarian gave him a shot, when he was sick. Andre was the last and I think he died of loneliness. He didn't like to go outside after Sydney and Pierre weren't there to follow anymore.

I opened the side yard gate and put my found, collarless, nameless, dog down. She looked thirsty, so I gave her a bowl of water. Then I told my Mom about the dog I found. I wanted to keep her. My Mom said someone was probably missing her, but we could keep her until we found the owner. There was no collar, no name, no phone number to call. I didn't want to find the owner. I just wanted to keep her. Mom said we would take her to the pet store to buy dog food and check to see if she had microchip identification. We put Sydney's old collar and leash on her and headed out to the store.

Someone at the pet store said she was a Snickerdoodle. They checked her. There was no microchip. Yes. We bought the dog food and went home. She didn't eat much food. I gave her a bath in the back yard. Then she slept the rest of the day and that night on the couch. I watched her a lot.

The next day I saw them. The signs. They were taped to the stop signs and the light poles.

Lost dog. Name- Buttons. Snickerdoodle. My stomach didn't feel good. I took one of the signs home. I knew I had to do the right thing and give her back. I didn't want to. Sometimes it's hard to do the right thing. She wasn't going to be my dog.

My Mom called Hanna, Button's owner. Hanna said the gardener left the gate unlocked. Buttons got out. Hanna was so happy I found Buttons. She said her husband died a few years ago and Buttons was their dog. It did hurt to know Buttons wasn't going to be mine. In a way it felt a little good too. I saw Hanna belonged to Buttons and Buttons belonged to Hanna. Hanna gave me a reward and a hero picture.

It has been many months now, since Buttons went home. I feel better when I look at my hero picture. I think of how I spent the whole day taking care of Buttons. It was hard. I think of Buttons and Hanna. Now it feels good. It does feel good to be trustworthy. Eventually it does feel good.