cheetah.
It was hard to tell just how fast Prince really was until he ran with other dogs. Prince was always so much faster than them. It took him a few strides to get his long legs going and then his instincts would kick in. Prince would race past the other dogs, running in big circles, curving around the park, the way he would have on a racetrack.
Prince rolled on the grass and stretched his long legs up in the air. Christina and her parents sat beside him, enjoying the shade and watching Prince. The park was fenced in, so it was safe for Prince to be off his leash.
Christina got to her feet slowly. Prince was so occupied with the smell and feel of the grass, he didnât notice her moving away. Halfway across the park she turned and yelled, âPrince, come, Prince!â Then she turned and ran.
The dog spun around, his ears perked up. When he saw her running across the grass, he jumped to his feet and started chasing her! Dog and girl raced across the field. Christina ran as fast as she could, but it was as if she wasnât moving at all. Princeâs gigantic strides ate up the distance between them until he shot past her. He was moving so fast he couldnât stop easily. He spun his long tail around to try and slow himself down. Christina skidded to a stop, turned and ran back the other way. Prince chased after her again.
Back and forth they ran, with Christina changing
directions and Prince running circles around her
until they both were too tired to run anymore.
Christina bent over. She was out of breath. Prince
pressed against her and pushed his nose under her
arm until she scratched his ears.
Together they walked back to where Christinaâs
parents waited. Prince was more than a dog. He was
a much-loved family member.
Chapter Eight
âAnd our next speech will be from Christina,â Mrs. Martin said.
Christina got up from her desk. Usually she was scared to speak in front of the class. She didnât like all those eyes on her. But today she hoped they wouldnât be looking at just her.
âCome on, Prince,â she said.
Prince followed her to the front of the room. As he passed the other students, they reached out and gave him a pat. Everybody knew Prince and liked the gentle giant. Even kids who were nervous around dogs werenât nervous around him.
When Christina wanted to bring Prince to school for her speech, her parents wondered if Mrs. Martin would allow it. But Mrs. Martin agreed right away. She said, âWhat better thing could Christina bring in to talk about greyhounds than her own greyhound?â
âYou can start whenever youâre ready,â Mrs. Martin said.
Christina nodded. She suddenly felt very nervous. All of the other students had read their speeches, but Christina had memorized hers. She hoped she could remember it all now.
Prince nudged her hand with his head. He didnât seem nervous at all. That made her feel better.
âGood afternoon, boys and girls,â she said. âMy speech is about the oldest breed of dogs, greyhounds. Pictures of greyhounds were painted and carved on the walls of pyramids that are five thousand years old. They are the only dogs mentioned in the Bible. The famous Greek writer, Homer, has a greyhound named Argus in his story Odysseus , and Shakespeare has a greyhound in one of his plays. In 1016, an English king liked them so much he made a law that said if you killed a greyhound, you got the same punishment as if you had killed a person.â
Christina took a deep breath. âGreyhounds have bigger hearts, more blood and more red blood cells than other dogs. They also have long legs and a very flexible spine. This is why greyhounds are the fastest dogs in the world.â
As she talked, Christina pointed at Princeâs legs and ran her hand down his back. Prince pressed into her and rubbed his head against Christinaâs shoulder.
âPeople love to watch greyhounds race. There are racetracks
It was hard to tell just how fast Prince really was until he ran with other dogs. Prince was always so much faster than them. It took him a few strides to get his long legs going and then his instincts would kick in. Prince would race past the other dogs, running in big circles, curving around the park, the way he would have on a racetrack.
Prince rolled on the grass and stretched his long legs up in the air. Christina and her parents sat beside him, enjoying the shade and watching Prince. The park was fenced in, so it was safe for Prince to be off his leash.
Christina got to her feet slowly. Prince was so occupied with the smell and feel of the grass, he didnât notice her moving away. Halfway across the park she turned and yelled, âPrince, come, Prince!â Then she turned and ran.
The dog spun around, his ears perked up. When he saw her running across the grass, he jumped to his feet and started chasing her! Dog and girl raced across the field. Christina ran as fast as she could, but it was as if she wasnât moving at all. Princeâs gigantic strides ate up the distance between them until he shot past her. He was moving so fast he couldnât stop easily. He spun his long tail around to try and slow himself down. Christina skidded to a stop, turned and ran back the other way. Prince chased after her again.
Back and forth they ran, with Christina changing
directions and Prince running circles around her
until they both were too tired to run anymore.
Christina bent over. She was out of breath. Prince
pressed against her and pushed his nose under her
arm until she scratched his ears.
Together they walked back to where Christinaâs
parents waited. Prince was more than a dog. He was
a much-loved family member.
Chapter Eight
âAnd our next speech will be from Christina,â Mrs. Martin said.
Christina got up from her desk. Usually she was scared to speak in front of the class. She didnât like all those eyes on her. But today she hoped they wouldnât be looking at just her.
âCome on, Prince,â she said.
Prince followed her to the front of the room. As he passed the other students, they reached out and gave him a pat. Everybody knew Prince and liked the gentle giant. Even kids who were nervous around dogs werenât nervous around him.
When Christina wanted to bring Prince to school for her speech, her parents wondered if Mrs. Martin would allow it. But Mrs. Martin agreed right away. She said, âWhat better thing could Christina bring in to talk about greyhounds than her own greyhound?â
âYou can start whenever youâre ready,â Mrs. Martin said.
Christina nodded. She suddenly felt very nervous. All of the other students had read their speeches, but Christina had memorized hers. She hoped she could remember it all now.
Prince nudged her hand with his head. He didnât seem nervous at all. That made her feel better.
âGood afternoon, boys and girls,â she said. âMy speech is about the oldest breed of dogs, greyhounds. Pictures of greyhounds were painted and carved on the walls of pyramids that are five thousand years old. They are the only dogs mentioned in the Bible. The famous Greek writer, Homer, has a greyhound named Argus in his story Odysseus , and Shakespeare has a greyhound in one of his plays. In 1016, an English king liked them so much he made a law that said if you killed a greyhound, you got the same punishment as if you had killed a person.â
Christina took a deep breath. âGreyhounds have bigger hearts, more blood and more red blood cells than other dogs. They also have long legs and a very flexible spine. This is why greyhounds are the fastest dogs in the world.â
As she talked, Christina pointed at Princeâs legs and ran her hand down his back. Prince pressed into her and rubbed his head against Christinaâs shoulder.
âPeople love to watch greyhounds race. There are racetracks
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