Greedy dog

Once upon a time in a quiet village nestled between two forested hills, there lived a dog named Bruno. Bruno was not an ordinary dog. He was strong, clever, and quite popular among the other animals in the village. But unfortunately, he had one major flaw—he was terribly greedy.

Bruno lived near the butcher's shop, where he would often beg for scraps. The butcher, a kind old man, would throw him bones or pieces of leftover meat. Bruno, however, was never satisfied. No matter how much he got, he always wanted more. His eyes sparkled at the sight of food, and his mind immediately thought, "I must have it!"

One sunny morning, Bruno woke up with his stomach growling louder than usual. He hadn't eaten much the day before because the butcher had been busy with village guests. Determined to find something delicious, Bruno wandered around the village with his nose to the ground. After sniffing around for a while, he stumbled upon a small bakery at the edge of the village.

The bakery’s back door was open, and the sweet smell of bread and meat pies filled the air. Bruno sneaked in and found a table with several fresh meat pies cooling. Before anyone could see him, he snatched the biggest pie and ran off, his heart pounding with excitement.

Bruno ran and ran until he reached a quiet stream on the outskirts of the village. There, under the shade of an old oak tree, he decided to enjoy his prize. But just as he was about to take his first bite, something caught his eye.

The stream was calm and clear, and as Bruno looked down, he saw his own reflection in the water. But being a simple dog, he didn’t recognize it as his reflection. He thought it was another dog—another dog with a meat pie in its mouth!

Bruno’s eyes widened with greed. “That dog’s pie looks bigger than mine!” he thought. “If I bark and scare him, he might drop his pie, and then I’ll have two!”

Without a second thought, Bruno barked loudly and opened his mouth wide to frighten the other dog. But as he did, his own meat pie fell from his mouth, splashed into the water, and disappeared with the current.

Bruno watched in horror. The “other dog” vanished too, as did the pie. He realized his mistake, but it was too late. The delicious pie was gone, and he was left hungry and disappointed.

Feeling foolish and ashamed, Bruno lay under the tree with his stomach rumbling and his pride wounded. But that was not the end of his troubles.

A few moments later, a little bird landed on a nearby branch. It was Chiki, a cheerful sparrow who often shared news from around the village.

“What’s wrong, Bruno?” she chirped. “You look upset.”

Bruno sighed and told her everything—the bakery, the pie, the stream, and the reflection.

Chiki chuckled softly. “That reflection wasn’t another dog—it was you! Greed can be very tricky, my friend. It makes us think we need more when what we have is already enough.”

Bruno nodded slowly. He had never thought about it like that.

But the lesson wasn’t over yet.

As Bruno started to walk back to the village, he noticed something strange. The villagers had gathered near the bakery, and the baker was shouting angrily.

“Someone stole a meat pie from my table this morning!” he cried. “It must have been that stray dog I saw running away!”

Bruno’s ears drooped. He felt guilty. The pie hadn’t been his, and now he had lost it and been blamed for stealing.

He decided to make things right.

The next morning, Bruno went to the butcher and stayed beside the shop without begging. He helped chase away crows and guarded the entrance. The butcher noticed and gave him a small bone as a reward.

Each day, Bruno continued to behave well, trying to earn food honestly. The villagers began to notice his change and started treating him kindly again.

One day, the baker himself saw Bruno helping a little boy who had dropped a basket of bread. The dog had gently nudged the fallen loaves back into the basket and wagged his tail happily.

The baker smiled. “Perhaps I was too quick to judge,” he said and tossed Bruno a warm meat pie. “You’ve changed, Bruno.”

This time, Bruno didn’t run away with the pie. He walked calmly to his favorite spot by the stream, sat down, and took a moment to appreciate what he had. When he looked into the water, he saw his reflection—but this time, he smiled.

He had learned a valuable lesson: greed can make you lose everything, but honesty and contentment bring lasting rewards.

From that day on, Bruno became a different dog—wiser, kinder, and no longer greedy. And the villagers often told his story to their children, so they, too, would learn the lesson of the greedy dog who became wise.


Moral of the Story: Greed can lead to loss, but honesty and contentment lead to peace and respect.