All her life, Rachel wanted a sister. She had a brother who was just fine, but he preferred playing video games to playing princesses or school. She knew lots of little girls she liked to play with, but most of them lived too far away to play with every day. Sometimes she pretended that her dolls were her little sisters, but it could get tiring having to be all the characters all of the time.

Then one day, Rachel's mom and dad announced that the family was going to get a puppy. At first, Rachel became ecstatic. A dog of her very own (to share with her brother of course)! She imagined herself teaching the dog tricks, taking her for walks, and stroking her soft fur.

All of the sudden, an unpleasant picture popped into Rachel's head. She imagined a massive canine with enormous, sharp teeth who growled a deep, snarling bark.

What if her parents brought home such a creature to be their pet? Don't be silly, she thought, I'm a big girl and big girls aren't afraid of dogs.

As the family prepared for the arrival of its newest member, everyone got to work. Rachel's mom began to do research on different dog breeds and decided that a Labradoodle would be a good fit for the family. She told Rachel that a Labradoodle was a mix between a Labrador Retriever and a Poodle. Her mom especially liked this breed of dog because it wouldn't shed its fur all over the house.

Rachel's dad searched on the internet and found a dog breeder who had a Labradoodle that was just about to have puppies. He showed Rachel pictures of dogs on the breeder's website. Some of them were large with wiry fur, but others looked soft and almost seemed as though they were smiling at her. Rachel hoped the puppy her family brought home would be one of the friendly looking ones.

At the school library, Rachel checked out a book all about dogs. She read it cover to cover and then started it over. She learned about several different types of dogs and how to take care of them. Rachel discovered that her family would need a lot of special supplies before they brought their new puppy home.

Soon after, Rachel took a trip with her dad and brother to the pet store. They bought a kennel, a dog bed, a leash, and a bone. Rachel had the most fun picking out toys for the puppy. Her brother picked out a tennis ball and a frisbee and Rachel imagined him playing fetch with the dog in their backyard. Rachel selected a soft purple chew toy that looked like a penguin. She liked it because purple was her favorite color and penguins were her favorite animal. She hoped the puppy would like it too.

Finally, the breeder's Labradoodle puppies were born and were ready to go to their new homes, so Rachel's parents took her and her brother to go get their dog. The car ride felt like a very long time they could not contain their excitement. They were finally going to have a dog of their very own! But that meant they would have a big furry animal living with them in their house. Rachel reminded herself that big girls weren't afraid of dogs.