The New Puppy Next Door

A New Family Moves In

On a quiet street with green lawns lived a little brown dog named Daisy. She had floppy ears and a wagging tail. She loved to play fetch with her squeaky ball.

One morning, a big truck rumbled up to the empty house next door. Beep, beep! People carried in boxes and chairs and lamps.

"Someone new is moving in!" Daisy barked happily. She pressed her nose to the fence to see.

And there, in the next-door yard, was a small puppy with white spots. He was hiding behind a flower pot.

The Shy Puppy

The new puppy peeked out from behind the pot. Then he ducked back. Then he peeked out again.

His name was Scout, and everything was new. New house. New yard. New smells. He did not know anyone at all. He felt very shy, and a little bit lonely.

When he saw Daisy looking at him, he tucked his tail and hid behind the flower pot again.

"Oh," said Daisy softly. "He looks scared. I remember feeling shy once too. I bet a friendly hello would help."

A Friendly Hello

Daisy went to a little gap in the fence. She wagged her tail nice and slow, so she wouldn't scare him.

"Hello!" she called gently. "My name is Daisy. I live right next door. Welcome to our street!"

Scout peeked out. "H-hello," he whispered. "I'm Scout. I just moved here. I don't know anybody."

"Well, now you know me!" said Daisy with a friendly woof. "Would you like to play?"

Scout's little ears perked up just a tiny bit. But he still felt shy. "I… I don't have any toys unpacked yet," he said.

Sharing the Ball

Daisy had an idea. She trotted off and came back with her favorite squeaky ball. She nudged it through the gap in the fence.

"Here," she said. "We can share my ball. Let's play fetch!"

Scout looked at the ball. He looked at Daisy's kind, wagging tail. Slowly, slowly, he stepped out from behind the flower pot.

He gave the ball a little push with his nose. Squeak!

Daisy chased it and pushed it back. Squeak!

Scout's tail gave one small wag. Then a bigger wag. Soon both puppies were giggling and squeaking the ball back and forth through the fence.

A Brand New Friend

They played and played until the sun grew warm and they flopped down, panting and happy.

"That was so fun," said Scout. He wasn't hiding anymore. He wasn't shy anymore. "Thank you for saying hello, Daisy. I felt all alone, and now I have a friend."

"That's what neighbors are for," said Daisy. "I'm so glad you moved next door."

Best of Friends

From that day on, Daisy and Scout played together every single day. They shared the squeaky ball. They dug in the dirt. They napped in the same sunny spot, one on each side of the fence.

And whenever a new pet moved onto the street, Daisy and Scout remembered how good a friendly hello can feel. So they were always the first to wag their tails and say:

"Hello! Welcome! Would you like to play?"

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The gentle lesson: A friendly hello can help someone who feels shy or lonely. When we are kind first, making a new friend is easy.

More stories to read: meet a kind giant in The Friendly Dragon or be brave with The Brave Little Robot.