Dad walked into the kitchen, followed by the scent of a cool autumn afternoon. He placed bags of groceries on the counter, which Mom started to unload. “Yum,” she said, “this will be great for dinner.”

Sister checked the bags, hoping for a special treat. But Brother stood still as stone, gazing at his father. “Um, Dad…why’s your jacket moving like that?”


With a smile, Dad unzipped his coat. Nestled in the pocket of his shirt lay a little, black creature. Speechless at first, everyone stared.


“You didn’t,” Mom finally said.


“A puppy?” guessed Brother.


Dad lifted the wiggly mass of fur from his pocket and set it on the dark kitchen rug.


“Oooh!” yelled Sister in delight. At the sound of her loud voice, the tiny animal froze.


“I think you’ve scared him,” said Mom, reaching to pick up the small dog. As she did, a patch of wet rug was revealed from underneath him.


“Oops,” Dad said. “He had a boo-boo on the floor. Looks like we’ve got some potty training to do. I couldn’t resist. Someone was selling puppies from the back of their pickup outside the store. It was either that or off to the shelter. When I walked over, this little guy practically jumped into my arms.”

“What’s his name?” Brother asked.


“That’s for you and your sister to figure out.”


The afternoon passed in a whirl of fun. Mom set up a feeding and watering area in the kitchen. Dad placed a comfortable, new pet bed in a corner of the living room. They all took turns guiding the puppy outside to avoid more potty accidents.


“Chester might be a good name,” suggested Mom, while they watched the puppy nap.


“Blackie would fit him because of his color,” Brother said.


“When I was a kid, we had a dog named Roamer,” said Dad. “Maybe that could be his name.”


“Not sure,” said Sister. The puppy yipped. “I’ll take him outside this time, while I’m thinking about a good name.”


***


“Time for bed,” Mom later announced. The sky had turned dark, and the children were yawning.


“What about the puppy?” Brother asked. “Can he sleep with me?”


“No, meee!” pleaded Sister.


“I didn’t get him a crate for sleeping yet,” Dad said. “But I don’t think this guy should be on the loose during the night. Too many chances for accidents.”


“That’s for sure,” agreed Mom. “There’s a big, empty box in the garage. It would be open on the top for air, but he wouldn’t be free to wander around the house. The living room is the warmest, so we can set it up right here.”


Disappointed, the children agreed and wandered off to get ready for bed.


***


Mom and Dad awoke in the morning, surprised they had slept all night through, without interruption. Creeping down the stairs followed by Brother, they discovered how that had happened. Sister lay on the living room carpet with her head on the pet bed next to the puppy. Both stirred when the others came into the room.


“I heard him crying,” explained Sister with a sleepy smile. “So I took him from the box for a snuggle. And I just had a dream about his name,” she added.


“You dreamed a name for him?” asked Brother.


“Well, I was dreaming about yesterday. In my dream, I heard Dad saying the puppy had a ‘boo-boo’ on the floor. Don’t you see? That’s his name!” she declared, looking back and forth at their faces. “He’s Boo-Boo!”


The dog let out a happy, little yip. And “Boo-Boo” he was, from that day forward!

By: Author Tanja Mcilroy