A store owner was tacking
a sign above his door that read "Puppies For Sale."
Signs like that have a
way of attracting small children, and sure enough, a
little boy appeared under the storeowner's sign. "How
much are you going to sell
the puppies for?" he
asked. The storeowner replied, "Anywhere from $30
to $50."
The
little boy reached in his pocket and pulled out some change. "I
have $2.37," he
said. "Can I please look at them?" The store owner smiled
and whistled and out of the kennel came a lady, who ran
down the aisle of his store followed by five teeny, tiny balls of fur. One
puppy was lagging considerably behind. Immediately the little boy singled
out the lagging, limping puppy and said, "What's wrong with that little
dog?" The store owner explained
that the veterinarian had examined the little puppy
and had discovered it didn't have a hip socket. It would always limp. It
would always be lame. The
little boy became excited. "That is the puppy that I want to
buy."
The
storeowner said, "No, you don't want to buy that little dog. If
you really want him, I'll just
give him to you." The
little boy got quite upset. He looked straight into the storeowner's eyes,
pointing his finger, and said, "I don't want you to give him to me. That
little dog is worth every bit as much as all the other dogs and I'll pay full
price. In fact, I'll give you $2.37 now, and 50 cents a month until
I have him paid for."
The store owner countered, "You
really don't want to buy this little dog. He
is never going to be able to run and jump and play with you like the other
puppies." To his surprise, the little
boy reached down and rolled up his pant leg to
reveal a badly twisted, crippled left leg supported by a big metal brace. He
looked up at the store owner and softly replied, "Well, I don't run
so
well myself, and the little puppy will need someone who understands!"
