There once was a dog, a Yorkshire Terrier, born to humble beginnings. He was the runt of his litter, and the least loved by his mother. While all his brothers and sisters quickly found loving homes, he was left alone in a pen, barking at whomever would listen. His wicked trainer only gave him food and water once day, so he was way too thin. This made his eyes and ears look even bigger. For this reason, his trainer thought it would be funny to name him Porkie Yorkie.

“Porkie Yorkie you skinny ugly shorty,” she called him daily, but despite all this abuse Porkie just wanted to be loved. He therefore remained good-natured, and hoped everyday that his trainer would come by to rub his tummy.

One day, his trainer started to be feed him more than usual. She took him out of his cage, and brushed his hair, and Porkie thought, “this must be love.” He was also given a shiny new collar before being escorted into the back of a black car.

“You’re going to have a special day,” his trainer said. Porkie stared out the window. He had never seen the rest of the world before, and he wondered if it always moved so fast. Trees and people zipped by. He wasn’t sure he liked it, so he did what he does best, he barked at it.

“Bad dog! Bad dog!” his trainer said, grabbing him by the snout. “I knew taking you was a mistake.  You’re going to embarrass me in front of the President. There’s no way the First Daughter will pick you for a pet.” Porkie had no idea what his trainer was saying. He just looked back out the window in time to see a large lawn crowded with dogs and their owners. “How do I get there,” he thought. And just then, the car pulled up to a metal gate which parted to let them through.

As soon as the car door was opened, Porkie ran to where the other dogs were playing. He was not discouraged by being the smallest dog  on the lawn, in fact, he didn’r even think about it. He just wanted to play and make friends. Sadly, Porkie soon noticed that not all of the dogs wanted to be friends. For example, two large dogs started fighting only a few feet away from him, but instead of being discouraged, Porkie attempted to solve the the dogs’s problems

“Why are you fighting?” asked Porkie.

“This dog thinks that he is bigger and tougher than me,” said the sandy-colored dog.

“I am the biggest and toughest of anyone here,” said the brown-colored dog.

“Who cares?” said Porkie.

“Excuse me?” said both the big dogs at once.

“Why is being the biggest and the toughest so important?” said Porkie.

“What if there were only one treat left in the whole world,” said the brown-colored dog, “We have to know who would get it.” Porkie looked at a table a feet away. It was piled high with treats.

“There are plenty of treats to go around,” said Porkie, “Why prepare for extreme “What-if” scenarios, when you could spend your time eating and playing.”

“You have a point,” said the sandy-colored dog, and the brown-colored dog nodded in agreement. Then the two dogs went back to tackling each other, but playfully this time. By the time secret service showed up on the scene, the situation was under control, and Porkie had moved on to another group of dogs.

Porkie was busy sniffing and being sniffed, when he was a approached by a little girl. She patted his back, and then presented her hand for Porkie to sniff. She checked his collar.

“Porkie?” she said, “You don’t look very porky to me. You’re too skinny for such a name.” Porkie just stared up at her with his big watery eyes. His tail was wagging, and he appeared to have a smile on his face. Next, she handed Porkie a treat. He ate a bit of it, and then offered it to one of his new friends.

“Good boy,” the little girl said, and she gave Porkie another treat.  Porkie shared this treat as well. The girl was so impressed by this that she picked Porkie up, and walked him over to her father, the President.

“Daddy, this is the dog I want.”

“But he’s so tiny said her father, and he looks sick.”

“Porkie’s a good boy. He’s very friendly and he shows promising leadership skills. ”

“How about we see,” said the president, “set him down for now, and take a look at the other dogs. I think we can find a dog that’s a little healthier.”

“Ok, but he’s still my first choice right now.” So, the President’s daughter set Porkie down on the ground, but he didn’t want to leave her side, so she picked up a stick and threw it.

“Fetch!” she yelled, and Porkie went after the stick. Unfortunately, it landed in the bushes, and Porkie couldn’t get to it. So, the First Daughter crept into the bush to get it, but got stuck in the process.

“Help!” she cried, but her voice was too weak, and Porkie quickly realized it was his responsibility to save her. Without hesitation, he started to bark. Everyone in the yard, man and beast, turned to hear him. They could sense the fear and urgency in his every note.  Secret Service agents rushed over, and fished the First Daughter out of the bush. As they carried her off, Porkie walked alongside them, not letting the girl out of his sight.

“You see, Dad. You see. He is not very strong, but he is brave, and he saved me,” the First Daughter said, and the President had to admit that this was true. He scooped up, Porkie and carried him into the white house. From then on, Porkie had all the food, love, and tummy rubs any dog could ever wish for, and he never saw his wicked trainer again.

This story was written by Alex Schattner (7/26/12)