The James Gang

Once there was a little puppy named James. He was a very sweet puppy but…he was different. He tried so hard to be like everyone else but it was harder for him to learn things like all the puppies his age. He even looked different. His fur was always messy, one leg was a bit shorter than the others and he wore big glasses on his small nose. He couldn’t see much at all without his glasses so they were thick dark glasses that often slid down to the end of his nose. His glasses made his eyes look extra big so the other puppies would tease him and say things like “What are you looking at with those big eyes?” or they would run away and scream at the top of their lungs, “Help!! It’s a weird alien with big eyes. Run away!!!” …and away they would run.
It was even difficult for James to bark like the other puppies. It usually sounded like a squeak or a burp and the harder he tried the worse it got. He became so nervous about barking that he rarely even tried anymore. His short leg made him kind of clumsy so when he tried to run he looked a little funny which made the other puppies roll in laughter. Some of them thought it was so funny to see him run that they would act like his friend and tell him to run with them but then they would trip him and watch him fall, usually in a mud puddle, and then laugh at him as they ran away and called him names like “Pokey”, “Weirdo” and even “Gimp”.

James was always so excited and hopeful when the other puppies asked him to play but it always seemed to end the same way. It was always just a joke. James was the joke. He tried again and again to play with the other puppies until finally he realized that no one really wanted to be his friend…because he was different. He didn’t really understand but James did understand the pain in his heart and knew that it made the tears flow down his face every time someone pushed him, teased him or called him a mean name. He eventually stopped trying to play with the other puppies and would linger at his food bowl pretending to eat so he didn’t have to go out to the park with the other puppies. He stopped trying to run or bark or even play. He would cower under a bush and hope the other puppies wouldn’t find him and start teasing him again.

Then one sunny day something happened…something James didn’t expect. He was sitting in his usual spot by himself pushing his food around his bowl when suddenly five puppies appeared in front of him. He was scared. He was sure they were going to push his face in his food bowl…but they didn’t. Instead a golden puppy picked up James’ food bowl and then slowly began pushing it with his nose across the ground until it was next to their five food bowls that were lined up together. They asked him to join them while they ate their lunch. He was sure it was just another trick…but it was not. The five puppies were really being nice to James! They told him they wanted to have his back and were not going to let the other puppies tease or bully him anymore! James had never had even one real friend before and now he had FIVE…Gus, Tyler, Landon, Jake and Jack. They became The James Gang!

At first The James Gang just wanted to protect James because they thought it was mean to pick on someone just because they were different. Then something happened that Gus, Tyler, Landon, Jake and Jack did not even expect. They stopped feeling sorry for James and they really began truly liking him as a friend…a real friend. Everything was special about James. His big eyes, his short leg, his burping bark but most especially his big heart! He loved his new friends and they loved him! They never let anyone tease him, trip him or call him names. They always helped him if his collar came undone or he couldn’t open his treat. They even taught him how to play fetch and often let him win the races across the park. They learned a lot about James. He really was special…he was a rare Columbian Spaniel that had traveled from far away before he came to the park. They were also surprised how smart he really was. He shared with them that he had a collection of very special balls in all different colors and he knew by heart the story behind every single one of them! Gus, Tyler, Landon, Jake and Jack were so impressed and so excited when James let them play with his awesome ball collection. They all laughed, rolled around and chased the balls all over the park. With the biggest, goofiest grin ever, James said, “All these guys are the best friends anybody could ask for.” The James Gang responded and screamed at the top of their lungs “James is the best!” and then to everyone’s surprise, James screamed at the top of his lungs with the most awesome bark ever and shouted “The James Gang is the best!!!”