The Greedy Dog

In a peaceful little village surrounded by green hills and colorful meadows, there lived a dog named Bruno. He was not like the other dogs in the village—Bruno had a big heart, fast legs, and a strong bark—but what he had even more than that was an enormous appetite.

Bruno wasn’t satisfied with one meal a day. He wasn’t even satisfied with two or three. He always wanted more—more biscuits, more meat, more bones. The villagers often said, “That Bruno is a good dog, but goodness, is he greedy!”

Everyone began calling him Greedy, and soon he answered to that name more than his own.

One bright afternoon, Greedy was trotting through the village square. The sun was warm on his back, the air was filled with the scent of bread from the bakery and smoked meat from the butcher’s stall. Greedy’s stomach growled.

He sniffed the air and followed his nose.

Near the butcher’s stand, just outside a wooden crate, lay a huge, juicy bone—left behind or dropped accidentally by someone too busy to notice. Greedy’s eyes widened.

“Oh, what a lucky day!” he barked to himself. “This bone looks delicious! And it’s all mine!”

Without a second thought, he snatched the bone into his mouth and darted off, tail wagging with excitement.

Greedy wanted a quiet place to enjoy his treasure. He ran past the bakery, past the blacksmith’s shed, through the orchard full of apple trees, and finally reached the old wooden bridge that crossed a small, clear stream. It was a place few people went, peaceful and quiet—the perfect spot for a dog and his bone.

But as Greedy reached the center of the bridge, he slowed down and happened to glance over the edge.

There, in the water below, he saw another dog—a big one—staring up at him.

Greedy froze.

In the mouth of that dog was another bone. And to Greedy’s shock, it looked bigger than the one he had.

His eyes narrowed. “Who does he think he is, standing in my spot with a better bone?”

He growled low and deep.

Of course, what Greedy didn’t realize was that the dog in the water was not a rival. It was just his own reflection—but Greedy had never seen his reflection in the stream before. He thought it was real.

Fueled by jealousy and desire, Greedy made a terrible decision.

“I must have that bone too!” he thought.

So, without thinking for even a moment, he opened his mouth to bark.

“Woof!”

And in that very moment, his own bone slipped from his mouth, tumbled off the bridge, and fell—plop!—into the stream below.

Greedy gasped and leaned over the edge, eyes wide with horror.

His beautiful, juicy, perfect bone floated for just a few seconds before the current carried it away down the stream, beyond reach.

Gone.

The “other dog” in the water vanished too, replaced by ripples.

Only then did Greedy realize the terrible truth.

There had never been another dog. Just his own reflection. His own foolishness. His own greed.

He sat on the bridge and stared into the water for a long, long time.

The stream gurgled gently below, mocking his mistake. The wind rustled through the reeds. The sun was beginning to set, and the golden light danced on the surface of the water. But none of it brought comfort to Greedy’s heart.

He was hungry again. But more than that, he felt ashamed.

“I had everything I wanted,” he whispered, “and I lost it because I wanted even more.”

His ears drooped. His tail, once wagging proudly, now lay still.

As Greedy made his slow walk back to the village, he passed by the same places—orchard, bakery, blacksmith, butcher—but they didn’t seem as bright as they had earlier. Even the smells of roasted meat and fresh pies couldn’t lift his spirits.

Some children saw him and waved. “Hello, Greedy!”

But this time, the name didn’t feel like a joke. It felt like a lesson.

That night, Greedy lay under the tree where he usually slept, his stomach rumbling and his mind heavy.

He thought about how quickly he had gone from being lucky to being foolish. How easily one moment of jealousy had taken away something valuable. And how being greedy had made him not only lose a bone, but also feel worse than he ever had.

“I don’t want to be greedy anymore,” he whispered to the stars. “I want to be grateful.”

The next morning, something changed.

Greedy—now feeling more humble than ever—helped a little puppy find its way home. He didn’t chase after the baker for extra crumbs. He didn’t snatch leftovers from the alley. Instead, he sat quietly near the children in the park and wagged his tail when they shared bits of their sandwiches.

Word spread quickly.

“Greedy is different,” the villagers said. “He’s not greedy anymore!”

“He’s kind!”

“He’s learning!”

Soon, people stopped calling him Greedy.

They started calling him Bruno again.

Bruno the Good Dog.

From that day on, Bruno never forgot the lesson of the bridge. Every time he saw his reflection in the water, he remembered the bone he had lost and the wisdom he had gained.

He still loved bones, of course. But now, whenever he got one, he would wag his tail and think, “This is enough. I don’t need more.”

And the village of green hills and apple trees had not just a good dog—but a wise one.

Moral of the story:

Don’t let greed blind you to what you already have. Sometimes, wanting more makes you lose everything.