The Selfish Dog

The Selfish Dog

Once upon a time, in a peaceful village surrounded by green hills, there lived a dog named Bruno. Bruno was a strong and healthy dog with shiny brown fur, but he had one terrible flaw—he was incredibly selfish. He never shared anything with the other animals and always kept the best food and toys for himself.

Bruno’s owner, an old man named Mr. Sharma, loved him dearly and always gave him delicious treats. But no matter how much Bruno received, he never thought of giving anything to others. The other village dogs often asked him for scraps, but Bruno would growl and say, "This is mine! Go find your own!"

One day, Mr. Sharma brought home a big, juicy bone from the market and gave it to Bruno. The bone was so large that Bruno couldn’t finish it in one meal. Excited, he decided to bury it in the backyard to save for later.

As he dug a hole near a tree, a hungry street dog named Tommy watched from a distance. Tommy was thin and weak, and he hadn’t eaten in days. He approached Bruno and said politely, "Brother Bruno, I haven’t eaten anything today. Could you please spare a small piece of your bone?"

Bruno scowled. "No! This is my bone! Go away!" he barked.

Tommy sighed and walked away sadly. Bruno buried the bone deep in the ground and marked the spot with a leaf. Satisfied, he went to take a nap under the tree.

The Trickster Crow

A clever crow named Kavi had seen everything. He knew Bruno was selfish and decided to teach him a lesson. While Bruno slept, Kavi flew down, dug up the bone, and carried it away to a high branch of the tree.

When Bruno woke up, he rushed to check on his bone—only to find it gone! He panicked and sniffed around. Then he looked up and saw Kavi holding his bone.

"Hey! That’s mine!" Bruno barked angrily.

Kavi cawed and said, "Why should I give it back? You never share with anyone. Now you know how it feels to lose something important."

Bruno begged, "Please, Kavi! I need that bone!"

But Kavi only laughed. "If you had shared even a little with Tommy, maybe I would have helped you. But you were greedy, so now you get nothing."

Bruno felt ashamed. He realized how cruel he had been.

A Change of Heart

The next day, Mr. Sharma gave Bruno another piece of meat. This time, instead of keeping it all for himself, Bruno searched for Tommy. He found the thin dog resting under a cart and dropped the meat in front of him.

Tommy looked up in surprise. "For me?" he asked.

Bruno nodded. "Yes. I’m sorry for being selfish before."

Tommy wagged his tail gratefully and shared the meat with Bruno. As they ate together, Bruno realized how good it felt to share.

Kavi, watching from above, cawed happily. "Now you understand, Bruno! Kindness brings happiness."

From that day on, Bruno changed. He shared his food with the other dogs, played with them, and even helped them find shelter during the rains. The village animals soon loved him, and Bruno was much happier than he had ever been before.

The Moral of the Story

Selfishness leads to loneliness, while kindness brings joy and friendship.

Bruno learned that sharing not only helps others but also fills our own hearts with happiness. And so, the once-selfish dog became the most beloved animal in the village—all because he chose to be kind.

The End.