A New Home for Truman Read Online Free Page A

hadn’t seen the photo at all. The dog looked miserable. He had floppy ears and big, brown eyes. Other than that, he was so dirty and dusty that Janey couldn’t even guess what kind of dog he was.
    Lolli’s eyes filled with tears. “Who would treat a dog like that?” she cried. “We have to do something!”
    â€œWhat can we do?” Janey rubbed Roscoe’s head.

    â€œLet’s go ask Mom and Dad.” Lolli grabbed the tablet and hurried into the house.
    The inside of the farmhouse smelled like scented candles, coffee, and Roscoe. Lolli’s parents were sitting at the big wooden kitchen table drinking coffee and reading the Sunday newspaper.
    When Lolli showed them the picture,her mother looked concerned. “Oh, the poor thing,” she said.
    Lolli’s father ran a hand through his curly hair. “Where did this photo come from, girls?” he asked.
    â€œI’m not sure.” Janey shrugged. “Whoever sent it didn’t put her name on it.”
    â€œWhat can we do to help that dog?” Lolli asked her parents.
    Mr. and Mrs. Simpson glanced at each other. “That’s our girl,” Mr. Simpson said. “ ‘The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.’ ”
    â€œHuh?” Janey blinked. Was Lolli’s dad going crazy, or did he think she and Lolli were men?
    â€œIt’s a famous quotation,” Mrs. Simpson explained with a smile. “It means we’re very proud of you two for wanting to get involved.”
    Lolli’s father nodded. “Why don’t you forward that photo to the animal shelter?” he suggested. “The people there will know how to get the authorities on the case.”
    â€œGood idea.” Janey found the shelter’s website. She forwarded the photo of the skinny dog to the e-mail address on the contact page.
    â€œI hope they can help that dog,” Lolli said softly, staring at the photo.
    Janey glanced at it one more time, then shuddered and clicked it off. She didn’t wantto look at the poor little dog’s sad face any longer.
    â€œLet’s look at some nicer pictures now,” she said.
    But it didn’t work. Janey couldn’t stop thinking about the sad gray dog for the rest of the day.

    â€œI can’t stand it any longer,” Janey told Lolli the next day at recess. “I’m going to ask Ms. Tanaka if I can call the shelter.”
    â€œGood idea,” Lolli agreed.
    Their homeroom teacher, Ms. Tanaka, was the playground monitor that day. Janey was glad it was her and not grumpy old Mr. Wells. Ms. Tanaka was young and wore cool clothes and laughed a lot.
    â€œOh, wow,” Ms. Tanaka said when she heard about the neglected dog. “Go ahead and check in with the shelter. Here—you can use my phone.”
    â€œThanks.” Janey took the phone the teacher handed her.
    â€œThird Street Animal Shelter, may I help you?” a familiar-sounding voice answered when Janey called the shelter’s number.
    â€œKitty? Is that you?” Janey said. She told the shelter worker who she was and why she was calling.
    â€œOh, I’m so glad you checked in, Janey,” Kitty replied. “Do you know anything else about the dog in that photo?”
    â€œNo.” Janey clutched the phone tighter. “That’s why I sent it to you guys. That dogneeds help!”
    â€œOh, yes, we agree.” Kitty sounded apologetic. “We forwarded the photo to the town’s animal control officer. But she can’t take action since nobody knows where the dog is located. If you can find out more, please call us back, okay?”
    â€œUm, okay.” Janey wasn’t sure how Kitty expected her to find out more. She was just a kid!
    She hung up the phone and gave it back to Ms. Tanaka. The teacher was listening to a third grader complain about a boy teasing her, so she just nodded and smiled.
    Then