Itsy Bitsy

8220;Go away, Itsy Bitsy, you are too small for us,8221; said Leo the Alsatian.

8220;You can stand far away and watch,8221; barked Ginger the Golden Retriever.

8220;Perhaps if you keep watching, you might even grow up,8221; teased Blacky. He was a large Doberman with a shiny black coat.

8220;Who wants to play with a toy dog?8221; said Rufus another Doberman.

Poor little Itsy Bitsy! Everyone laughed at him because he was so tiny. His mother said he was small because he was a Dachshund.

8220;But Roger and Sultan are much bigger than I am and they are Dachshunds too,8221; protested Itsy Bitsy. Roger and Sultan were his brothers.

8220;I think God made you small for a purpose,8221; said his mother wisely.

But Itsy Bitsy never gave up. He would try running very fast. But once he tripped over another dog and got a slap from the other8217;s tail, for his troubles. He tried eating a little more and ended up with a bad stomach. He even tried stretching himself from a branch. The branch broke and for a week he limped around.

The big dogs teased him mercilessly. 8220;Our toy dog is injured. Watch him walk,8221; called out Bruno, another dog of the group. 8220;Should we call the nursery doctor?8221; asked Ginger naughtily. Itsy Bitsy decided to never try anything so foolish again.

On a lovely sunny morning, Bruno and his gang were playing with a bright red ball. Itsy Bitsy, as usual, was watching them as he stood nearby. Suddenly, the ball rolled away towards a ditch, before Bruno could stop it.

8220;Oh no8221; wailed Bruno. 8220;Now I8217;ll never find it.8221;

8220;You should have caught it, Bruno!8221; shouted Ginger angrily. 8220;That8217;s my second ball that8217;s lost.8221;

8220;It8217;s not my fault!8221; shouted Bruno. 8220;Blacky should have been more careful!8221;

8220;Come on,8221; urged Banko, the black Labrador. 8220;Let8217;s all search. We8217;re sure to find it.8221;

They looked everywhere. Under stones, inside bushes and even among some pipes. But they did not find the ball.

8220;Can I help you?8221; asked Itsy Bitsy timidly.

8220;Ha! Ha!8221; laughed Rover and Gypsy, both Alsatians. 8220;What can a toy dog do?8221;

8220;I8217;ve found the ball!8217; barked Blacky. But I can8217;t get it out of this pipe.8221;

Everyone crowded around the pipe. The ball lay in the centre of it. One by one they all tried to enter the pipe but they were too large to fit.

8220;I think we should forget about it!8221; said Leo at last.

8220;Let me try!8221; cried Itsy Bitsy suddenly.

8220;No!8221; said Bruno and Blacky at once. 8220;What if you get stuck?8221;

8220;I won8217;t,8221; said Itsy Bitsy.

8220;We can8217;t let you try,8221; said Banko. 8220;The pipe is too small for you.8221;

But Itsy Bitsy pleaded and begged. Finally they agreed. He entered the pipe and slowly crawled towards the ball. The tiny dog was soon tired. The ball seemed far away and he was worried he would never reach it.

8220;I think we are very mean to Itsy Bitsy8221; said Rufus, in a quiet voice.

8220;Yes we are,8221; agreed Leo. 8220;We never let him play with us and yet he is helping us.8221;

8220;He is very brave too,8221; said Gypsy. 8220;I would have been very scared to enter that pipe. Why don8217;t we encourage him by calling out to him?8221; said Blacky. 8220;An excellent idea!8221; they all cried out.

8220;Come on Itsy Bitsy you can do it!8221; barked Banko from one end of the pipe. 8220;You8217;re nearly there, Itsy Bitsy!8221; called out Ginger and Bruno from the other end.

Hearing them Itsy Bitsy felt much better. At last he reached the ball. With his small black nose he pushed it. It rolled a little and then stopped. He kept pushing it till it reached the end of the pipe and fell out. The dogs shouted with joy.

Ginger ran off to dig out a bone from his favourite hiding place. He laid it at Itsy Bitsy8217;s feet.

8220;Thanks for finding my ball,8221; he said.

8220;We are sorry we treated you so badly,8221; said Rufus.

8220;Will you come an play with us everyday?8221; asked Blacky.

8220;But I8217;m too small you you,8221; said Itsy Bitsy.

8220;We were wrong to tease you,8221; said Banko. 8220;You could get reach the ball because you are small. Each one of us has a purpose in life.8221; 8220;Will you forgive us, Itsy Bitsy?8217; they asked.

What a happy day it was for Itsy Bitsy! Now the big dogs never play without their little friend. And Itsy Bitsy never feels sorry for himself!