I’m not the most popular kid in the neighborhood, actually the kids around here usually beat me up for fun, and my fun of my name turning it into some ugly. My name is Matthew Hunt, but the “H” is exchanged for a “C” Anyway, I had always begged my parents for a dog, but I was always told the same thing.

“When you show that you can handle the responsibility, then and only then will you get a puppy.” My dad said, staring at me over the rim of his silver wire rim glasses as he read the evening newspaper.

What I didn’t know then was that fate was conspiring to solve this problem for me. I would have to say that about 5 miles from my house a truck headed for the local animal shelter would crash, the good thing is that there were no fatalities. However, all of the animals escaped.

Monday morning started just like any other. I was on my way to school, and after a while I would have to start running because my neighbor Brandon Tennyson would chase me. It was only on rare occasions that he would catch me because I had gotten so good at running, ha. Well, today was different. Brandon had help in the form of his best friend Jason Holden.

I took off the minute I heard Brandon’s front door open knowing that I would take the turn at the end of the block which would take me through the alley and a straight shot to our school. The only problem with this is that when I took that corner I ran smack dab into Jason.

“Whoa, where do you think you’re goin?” Jason asked, towering over me with a devilish glime in his eyes.

“I’m just on my way to school.” I explained, backing up and looking for an escape route.

I decided to just go back the way I came only to find that in the time it took me to run into Jason, and explain where I was going Brandon came up behind me.

I looked up at him and tried to turn and run only to be grabbed by my book bag that I carried on my back.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Matt Hunt.” Brandon said, exaggerating my last name with a smirk.

It was then I heard the first bark, and the sound of feet pounding on pavement.

I looked around but saw nothing, and then I saw the look of what I guess was either confusion and fear on Brandon and Jason’s face. Then out of nowhere a charcoal colored dog with a wide white stripe that goes down half of his face seemed to fly out of nowhere knocking Brandon down.

I was in shock and strangely amused to see the look on Brandon’s face. Jason ran away, but I stayed there with Brandon, then made the conscious decision to help him out. I took my bag off then after rummaging inside found my lunch. I had made myself a plain bologna sandwich with a bag of chips. I handed the sandwich to the dog that jumped off Brandon, and followed me around while Brandon got up and ran off.