My New Pet - Kristin Martin

I asked Mum for a puppy dog.
I thought she said, ‘OK’.
So all last week I dreamed of him
and all the games we’d play.
I dreamed of playing ball with him
and playing fetch with sticks.
I dreamed he’d walk to school with me
and show my friends his tricks.

I’m sure that you can understand
why I was so upset:
instead of my new dog, I got
a turtle for a pet!
She sat in her aquarium
and slowly blinked at me.
She barely swam around at all.
How boring could she be?

I took her out and threw a ball.
She hid inside her shell.
I gently rolled the ball to her:
that frightened her as well.
And when I tried to make her fetch
the stick I found outside,
she wandered off the other way.
I very nearly cried.

I ran inside and got the leash
to walk her down the street.
The collar slipped right down her neck,
then off her shell and feet.
But suddenly she scrambled up
and raced across the ground!
She headed straight for our screen door.
I watched without a sound.

That’s when I knew my pet was great,
’cause this is what I saw.
My turtle, who is not a dog
crawled through the doggy door!