Max the Bulldog

Tyler Moothart
AP Lang
Seabreeze High School
Max the Bulldog
He was white with a black spot over his eye, he was soft and fluffy like freshly made cotton candy. When I looked at him I saw this look in his eyes and instantly I knew he wanted me to own him. He began to trot my way, tail wagging with his ears flapping back in the wind. As he reached me he began to slow down, he was curious about me but wanted to get closer. When he reached in to sniff me his cold nose touched my hand and gave me the chills. I had never met something so cute and small like him.
His name was Max and he was an eight week old English Bulldog from a breeder in Western Kentucky. As he ran down the oak floors he slipped and slid, occasionally hitting the wall or a pair of shoes leaning up against the wall. He was the most adorable thing that I had ever seen, however he was not mine nor could he be mine, he was Sam’s. I was a very jealous kid growing up, if I saw something that I liked I made sure that I would get it, one way or another.
I had just arrived at my friend Sam’s house for a playdate. Sam was my best friend since we were born; Sam was just barley taller than me. He has shaggy blonde hair, which he constantly flipped to keep from getting in his eyes. When Sam showed me his new puppy, he was so proud of his puppy and knew that I would be jealous of him, so he made sure to rub it in. He made sure to tell me that Max was his dog and would never be mine, however I had a different idea. After playing with Sam’s new puppy for a couple of minutes Mrs. Taylor suggest that we let the puppy rest because he was still very tired from his nineteen hour car drive home the day before.
As Sam and I walked into the family room to play with his Legos I kept a close eye on the puppy. The whole hour that we played I was watching Max trying to think of a way to take him home without getting caught. Knowing that my mom would be returning in just five minutes time I had to think overtime. Just as my mom rang the doorbell I realized my backpack was in the same room as where Max was taking his nap. As Mrs. Taylor went to let my mom in she called for me to retrieve my backpack and any toys that I had brought over.
Running down the hallway and sliding into the mudroom I quickly grabbed my bag off the hooks above. I quietly sat on the bench and began to put my shoes on when suddenly my mom walked in. When I saw her I knew that there would be no way to sneak Max into my bag with my mom watching my every move. Suddenly Mrs. Taylor yelled “Beth, Beth do you want to try a piece of my homemade apple pie?” Luckily for me my mom was a sucker for a piece of Mrs. Taylor’s legendary piece of pie.
Knowing that my mom was in the kitchen with Mrs. Taylor and Sam was in the family room I knew that if I was going to walk out of the house with a new puppy to call my own, then I would need to act fast. I swiftly picked the sleepy puppy off of his bed and stuffed him into my blue and red Spiderman backpack.
Exiting the mud room with a smirk on my face I walked into the kitchen where my mom was sitting at the table with Mrs. Taylor and Sam talking about a upcoming camping trip. I yelled, “Mom!, Mom! We need to go now or else I will be late!” Confused about what I would be late for my mother slowly got out of her chair and thanked Mrs. Taylor for a slice of pie.
Once in my mom’s car I was able to breathe a sigh of relief, but knew the puppy napping wasn’t over yet because we were still sitting in the Taylor’s drive way. As my mom turned the key to her Toyota Highlander the engine did not start. As my mom turned the key once more I saw Sam come running outside. On the second try the SUV started and we began to pull away, leaving Sam standing in his driveway in tears.
Now back at my home I jumped out of the car before my mom had a chance to park, I sprinted toward my bedroom with my backpack and new puppy in hand. Once entering my room I unzipped the backpack to find that little Max was still asleep. As I carefully took Max out of the backpack he yawned and began to wake up. Excited that I had just gotten a new puppy I began to run circles around my room in joy and excitement, although that did not last long.
Just moments after entering my room I heard a noise like no other; it was the sound of my mom walking down the hallway engulfed in anger. She opened the door to the sight of me, lying on my bed with my new puppy Max, who wasn’t really my puppy at all. My mom explained to me that she had just gotten off the phone with Mrs. Taylor who called because they couldn’t find Max anywhere. My mom informed me that Sam was in tears at home because his new puppy had gone missing. My mom walked to my bed, picked Max up in my arms and told me that I would go back to Sam’s house and give him Max back. I instantly began sobbing uncontrollably explain how Sam displayed Max to me and made me jealous. My mom explained to me that just because I wanted something doesn’t mean that I can just take it.
Upon driving back to Sam’s house to return the puppy I found Sam sitting in his room in tears, however I didn’t care I still wanted to keep the puppy. Evidently Sam and I did not talk after that day and we were no longer friends but I honestly did not care, I was more upset that I didn’t get to keep the eight week old English Bulldog Max.