Who Rescued Who?: Sashi’s Story

By Juliana Morgan

Eight-year-old Jillian Miller has just moved with her family to a new house in a new town. Jillian doesn’t really like change that much, but she knows she’s going to have to make it work.

As she settles in and meets the new neighbors—including their dog—she hopes that one day she’ll have a dog of her own. Then, one morning on a local TV show, Jillian sees a dog available for adoption and just knows that this is the right dog for her. She and her family go to meet the dog and then adopt her, calling her Sashi—and that’s when their lives begin to change. The Millers have their work cut out for them in helping Sashi adjust to a new life, but they know it will be worth it. After all, Sashi is a very special dog!

Based on a true story, this book for young readers shows that things don’t always turn out as planned and that love knows no boundaries in either human or animal world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services
• Release date: May 5, 2015
• ISBN: 9781483428604

Book preview

WhoRescuedWhoDecal001.jpg

Sashi’s Story

Based on a true story

JULIANA MORGAN

Copyright © 2015 Juliana Moore.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of both publisher and author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

ISBN: 978-1-4834-2861-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4834-2860-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015904753

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Lulu Publishing Services rev. date: 4/21/2015

Contents

Chapter 1:    The Volunteer Banquet

Chapter 2:    Meet The Millers: Future Pet Owners

Chapter 3:    Jillian’s Challenge Revealed

Chapter 4:    A New Day Dawns For Jillian

Chapter 5:    The Neighborhood Party

Chapter 6:    A Surprise For Jillian

Chapter 7:    Meeting Sake

Chapter 8:    Oliver, Scout, And Jillian

Chapter 9:    Sake’s Homecoming

Chapter 10:    Sashi Comes To Her Forever Home

Chapter 11:    Hurdle Number One: The Scary Kitchen

Chapter 12:    Sashi Reveals More Of Her Special Gifts

Chapter 13:    Sashi’s Crisis

Chapter 14:    Sashi’s New Adventure

In loving memory of

Zach, Scout, Buffy, Izzie, Harvey, Katie, Sophie, Cuddles, Blue, and Jasmine, all of whom are in heaven waiting for their masters to join them one day, and Don Gordinier, who loved every rescue Ellen brought home to foster.

In special honor of our grandson

Elijah William Morgan

Born on Sashi’s birthday, and during the same year the book was written, 2014.

A portion of each sale of Who Rescued Who? Sashi’s Story will be donated to raising awareness about the dangers of puppy mills. We want to encourage all who are looking to add a pet to the home to instead visit their local humane society or animal shelter.

CHAPTER 1

The Volunteer Banquet

I n a couple of weeks, Jillian Miller would graduate from fifth grade. Tonight, she and her parents were going to a volunteer banquet because Kate, Jillian’s mom, had volunteered all year at Jillian’s school with their family dog, Sashi. The two of them went to the school every Wednesday, come rain or shine. Kate and Sashi had become certified as a therapy team after passing the obedience classes and the Canine Good Citizenship test. This qualified Sashi to visit hospitals and nursing homes, once the administrative staff at these facilities approved the visits. Jillian was proud of both of them. Kate and Jillian had attended all the training classes together to learn how to communicate with their new family member, which was fun and meaningful for all three of them. Sashi’s tail wagged during each session, showing just how much she enjoyed her classes.

Ms. Tammy Green, the school’s secretary, had instructed Kate to bring Sashi to the banquet tonight. The dog buggy that the Millers had for their pet would be the best option for taking their little guest in to the banquet. This way, Sashi would not be underfoot of the crowd, and she would have a place to lie down if she got tired. At first glance, the dog buggy looked much like a baby stroller except that netting covered the front of it and the pet sat on a flat platform. Sashi enjoyed going places with the family in it.

As the Millers and Sashi entered the building along with other volunteers, two of Jillian’s favorite teachers, Mrs. Bayless and Mrs. Braswell, were helping with the guest lists and greeted them with hugs and smiles. The Millers then got their name tags and went into the grand dining hall where the ceremony was to take place. Of course, Sashi got a lot of attention, and she took it all in stride as Mrs. Miller pushed her into the room. Jillian beamed with pride at her little fur ball. Sashi had become so dear to her over the past three years.

The room was full of excited volunteers, teachers, and principals from schools all over the county. Each table was labeled with names of the guests’ schools to show where everyone was to sit for the evening. Ms. Green, Jillian’s school’s principal, waved the Millers over to their seat for the ceremony. She greeted them with her usual big, cheerful smile.

Once the Millers sat, they didn’t have to wait long before the event began. However, it just wouldn’t be right to start the story here. There is so much more to the story of how Sashi got to this night, and boy, was it ever a journey for her family! It all started three years before this special evening …

CHAPTER 2

Meet the Millers: Future Pet Owners

T he eight-year-old sat on the long, cushioned seat in front of the bay window in her bedroom, staring out into the backyard. Her chin rested on her knees as she wrapped her arms tightly around her ankles. It was a boring rainy day, just like the past five days since she and her parents had moved into their new house. Jillian blew the long, bouncy curl that flopped in front of her face to see just how high she could make it fly in the air. She liked the strawberry blonde color, even if Millie Pickford said it looked like a weird mess. Jillian didn’t have to put up with her anymore since they had moved. That was a good thing, if she was counting the positive things about this new place. The family had moved because of her father’s new job. It was so far away from their other home, and they didn’t know anyone. At least they had each other.

Now, there was one thing that this precocious (pre-COH-shus, meaning smart) eight-year-old was not good at, and that was change, with a capital C. She liked to have things the same way, predictable (pre-DICT-a-bull, meaning sure or certain), exactly like they were supposed to be, all the time. Jillian had spent seven years in her other house. She knew all her neighbors, who had watched her grow up, and her best friend lived only two houses away. She also knew the exact day and time when the ice cream truck would come by her