Reading Task 1

A Dog for Jenny “You’re such a cutie!” said Jenny, a third grader, to her German Shepherd puppy, Madison. She snuggled with her little pal, who seemed very excited from all the love she was getting from her new owner. “Let’s go play catch outside!” Jenny told Madison. Madison, who clearly didn’t understand what Jenny said, went along and followed her anyway. Madison’s tail was wagging so hard, it nearly bumped into everything she passed! The dog trotted alongside Jenny, and the two looked like they’d never been happier. Jenny continued to pet her as they walked. She’s such a good girl, she thought. The two went into the backyard to throw Madison’s new toy. They managed to play for an entire two hours! In fact, when Jenny’s mom called her inside for dinner, Jenny didn’t realize
	how much time had passed. She kept Madison on the deck while she went to eat her favorite meal: her mother’s baked ziti. Jenny’s family just recently adopted Madison from a shelter in New York City. They were looking to share their home with an adorable puppy. They wanted to choose a dog that needed a home, so they made sure they went to a place where dogs were searching for loving homes. As they walked past the charming dogs of every different size, breed, color, and age, they came across a shy, little thing they just couldn’t resist. They took her home and she instantly became a member of Jenny’s family. Jenny couldn’t believe her luck. For her entire life, she’d been so eager to have a dog, and here she was, playing catch with this new little acquaintance.
At one point during dinner, Jenny’s mom had asked about the new puppy. Jenny went on and on explaining how much she was enjoying her new pup, how much she loved her new companion, and how terrific Madison was at playing fetch. “Mom! You’ll never believe it! I threw the tennis ball so far, and Madison was still able to catch it!” exclaimed Jenny. “That’s nice, dear. I’m glad you’re having fun with her!” said her mom. “Oh, and one time, I threw the ball so high, and there was Madison, up in the air, trying to catch it!” yelled Jenny excitedly. Jenny continued to gush about the little dog. She realized that there was just too much to say! At one point, while eating her broccoli, Jenny took a peek to check on Madison. She looked over to where she left her puppy, and realized that the gate was down on the deck and couldn’t see Madison! She ran out immediately to search for her puppy. “Madison! Madison!” Jenny called as loud as she could as she raced down her street. Several of her neighbors peeked out of the windows to ask what the problem was. Jenny told them what was going on as quickly as she could. Her next-door neighbors, Jane and Peter, joined her in her search for her new dog.
The neighbors, along with Jenny and her parents, went up and down the streets, in and out of backyards, and finally into the woods nearby. They had no luck. Madison was nowhere to be found! Jenny couldn’t even think about being without her new friend. The two of them were just perfect together, and as she ran down the street, she got so upset thinking about life without Madison. She couldn’t let it happen. She walked into the nearby pizza place and asked the man at the counter, “Is there any way you saw a dog trotting by?” Unfortunately, he said no. She continued asking people in the restaurant if they’d come across her beloved pup. No one saw a thing.
She ran past a park with some boys playing basketball outside. She called out, “Anyone see a dog walking by itself?” “No, sorry!” They called. They walked around the neighborhood for what felt like hours until they were ready to give up. Jenny was on the verge of tears, but tried to hold back until she knew for sure that they couldn’t find Madison. She started walking back to her house feeling terrible when she noticed a tiny head sticking out of the bushes. No, it couldn’t be, she thought. But she figured she would peek in just in case.
All of a sudden, there was a sad-looking puppy, looking at her in such a frightened way. "Oh, my poor little girl! You must’ve been so scared!" cried Jenny. She was showered with kisses by Madison! Her parents followed to where they heard their daughter’s voice. They rushed over and started petting the cute, tiny animal. “Oh, thank goodness we found her!” Jenny’s father said softly. He understood how his daughter felt. When he was younger, he went two days before he found his dog that went loose from his family’s home. When they finally found his dog, he had already given up on the possibility that he would find his dog, Muffin. How lucky he felt! Jenny scooped up her little friend and carried her “bundle of joy” back to their home. Madison looked up at her with love in her eyes. As soon as she reached her house, Jenny made a promise never to let Madison out of her sight. But at the same time, she knew that she’d have a lot of work to do in helping to train this little puppy to listen and stay!

What is the theme of this passage?