Floppy Goes Camping

Floppy and his family just moved to Seattle from across the country. Floppy is a six-month old Golden Retriever. He is a good boy, although he can be a bit naughty sometimes. Seattle is beautiful, with many tall evergreen trees and lakes and creeks. “This looks like a great place for a dog!” Floppy looked forward to his new life here.

However, because the family is new to town, they don’t know many people here. Floppy felt lonely. Even though he had gone to dog parks multiple times, and others seemed nice, he hadn’t made any new friend yet. This summer is especially rainy. Floppy missed his friends back home where he played with them often.

It all changed on a cloudy Saturday afternoon, when Floppy heard his family discussing something. Mom said: “Good news! We just signed up for a group camping trip! It will be in a beautiful state park by the sea.” “A camping trip!” Floppy got excited. “I can chase rabbits and go fishing! I can make new friends!” Floppy was hopeful again. He even helped the family packing for the trip. He couldn’t wait!

The day finally arrived. Floppy was so happy even the squishy two-hour car ride didn’t bother him. When his family arrived at the camp site, there were already some other families there. Even though Floppy’s family didn’t know them, because this group camping was organized by a local charity, they knew they have similar interests and passion. The other families even helped Floppy’s family to set up tent and prepare for dinner.

The next three days and two nights were full of fun activities. They went for a hike and walked on the beach. Floppy was able to find many mini-crabs and other marine life. At night, Floppy watched kids roasted marshmallows. He licked the ones that fell on the ground. They were delicious! Every morning, Floppy woke up by the pleasant birds chirping sounds. The other families also loved Floppy. They came to pet him, walked him, and kids played with him. Floppy learnt that the better he behaved, the more play time he got. This helped Floppy be an even better dog.
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Good times flew by. When the camping trip came to an end, Floppy no longer felt lonely and homesick: “The Seattle freeze is not true. You just need to know how to find where you belong. Your community will help you be a better self!”

​Enchi Kuo is a 3rd Grader at Cherry Crest Elementary School.