Joy, the tailless dog
Thabo Emmanuel Nkonyane
Ntabiseng Matlala

Competition: an event or activity that pits two or more individuals, teams, or groups against each other with the goal of determining which is best, fastest, strongest, most skilled, or most creative.

Park: a public space, often in a residential area, that is designed for children and families to come together for outdoor play, exercise, and recreation.

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A long time ago. In a peaceful village of Fernie, there was a dog named Joy. Joy was kind and adored by everyone, including his owner, Tony.

2

Tony liked to go to the park to play with her dog Joy every chance she got. Joy was born without a tail, which set him apart from other dogs.

3

One day, on their way to the park, they met Mr. Sibeko, who said, "Would you like to be part of the dog race that will be held here in the park next week?" When Joy heard that, he jumped up happily, playing with his ears. He said, "I would like to enter the race, but I am different from other dogs, so they will laugh at me because I have no tail.

4

Other dogs looked down on him for not having a tail whenever he went to the park to train for the coming race. "You are the smartest dog, even without a tail. Mr. Sibeko thought you deserved to be part of the race. I guess you are also special," said Tony.

5

The day of the race arrives. Dogs from different neighborhoods started coming to the pack as the racing approached. Joy could not wait to start the race. His playing ears could tell all that.

6

At the first sound of the alarm, Joy was leading, the owners of the other dogs were surprised to see the tailless dog leading the race.

7

"Go Joy, Go Joy" was the chant from Joy's owner, Tony and her friend. Tony was busy jumping up and down with happiness when she saw Joy leading the race.

8

At the end of the race, Joy won against all the other dogs who had ridiculed him for not having a tail.

9

Tony and her friends were cheering for Joy with happiness.

10

To Joy, Mr. Sibeko said, "Congratulations on winning the race," and gave him a crown. He then announced Joy as a leader of a newly formed dog community exercise club, where all the dogs of the community will gather to always keep their bodies healthy

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You are free to download, copy, translate or adapt this story and use the illustrations as long as you attribute in the following way:
Joy, the tailless dog
Author - Thabo Emmanuel Nkonyane
Illustration - Ntabiseng Matlala
Language - English
Level - Longer paragraphs