#5 Comet at the Doglympics

Comet was a very small dog, and he lived in a very small town. Comet was the smallest puppy out of all his brothers and sisters. Even though he was the smallest, he has always dreamed of traveling and going to the Doglympics.

All the other dogs made fun of him for being little. “You’re so small; you’ll never make it to the Doglympics!” teased all the bigger dogs. “Just stay at home!”

“Don’t listen to them, Comet,” said Mars, Comet’s brother. “I know you can do it!”
Comet practiced every day and trained just as hard as everybody else. He ran laps around his neighborhood. He hiked and climbed the mountains nearby. He swam in the ocean.

One day, he finally did it! He trained hard enough to qualify for the Doglympics! All the other dogs who made fun of Comet were now watching him smile and wave on the television.

This year, the Doglympics were in Paris, France. Comet had never seen the Eiffel Tower before. It was the biggest, and tallest thing he had ever seen!

During the opening ceremony, Comet saw dogs from all over the world. Comet was suddenly very nervous. How would Comet ever win against these dogs?

The Australian dog comforted Comet. “Is this your first Doglympics?” she asked. Comet nodded his head. He was too nervous to even speak! “Don’t worry, mate! I remember my first Doglympics. I was just as scared as you, but I didn’t let that stop me! I got first place in fetch and had the best time.”

Comet felt a little bit better knowing that someone else was just as nervous as him. He puffed up his chest and exclaimed, “You’re right! I can do this!”
The first sport was fetch. The Spanish dog missed three frisbees. The Chinese dog missed two. The Australian dog did not miss a single frisbee!

“Wow!” Comet thought. “She is very good at this.”

When it was Comet’s turn, he missed two frisbees and got in second place.
The second sport was jumping. The athletes had to run and jump into a long swimming pool of water. Comet had so much fun jumping into the water that he forgot all about being nervous!

“See!” said the Australian dog when she saw how much fun he was having. “I told you there was nothing to worry about!”

The last sport was a race. Comet was excited! He was good at running, and wasn’t nervous about not doing well. He ran as fast as he could, as fast as his legs would take him, but he couldn’t get at the front of the race.

The results of the Doglympics were announced the next day. Comet finished in third, the Spanish dog in second, and his friend, the Australian dog, in first! Even though Comet did not get in first place, he was not sad. Comet had made new friends, be on the TV, and got to travel! Comet was happy that he was able to experience the Doglympics like he had always dreamed.