HOW THE DOG GOT A WET NOSE

When a man named Noah started building a boat in the middle of the desert,

everybody laughed. They thought he was a daft. But Noah wasn't listening

to them, he was listening to the God of the Hebrews, who said build a boat.

So Noah built a boat. Noah called his boat an 'ark'. When he finished it,

he rounded up all the animals two by two, to travel on his ark. People

laughed at Noah's opossums and panthers and penguins. They laughed at his

cheetahs and chinchillas, giraffes and gazelles, and rhinoceroses and

hippopotamuses(ii?). Into the ark went all the animals two by two.

Pretty soon, it started to rain. It rained, and it poured, and it rained

some more. People stopped laughing and the ark started floating. Noah and

his family and all the animals, two by two, rode safely on the waters.

They sailed for 40 days and 40 nights.

When the rains stopped, out of the ark came Noah and his family and all of

the animals, two by two. All except one. No one could find the little

dog. Noah searched everywhere. he looked on the first deck. He looked on

the second deck, then the third deck. Finally, in the farthest corner in

the lowest deck, he found the little dog. The dog was shivering and

standing with his nose pressed hard against the side of the boat.

"Come here, little dog!" called Noah. "It's time to come out! Here pup,

pup!"

The little dog wouldn't move. Noah gently pulled him away.

"What's this?" said Noah. "A hole in my ark! The ark might have sunk!

Little dog! You kept us safe - me, my family, and all of the animals- with

your little nose!"

The little dog was proud. But mostly, he was hungry.

"Little dog," said Noah, as he pulled out a juicy bone, "so all the world

and all the generations will know your great deed, your nose will always be

cold and wet, just as it is today."

That's how the dog got his cold, wet nose. When you feel it, remember the

little dog who used his nose to protect Noah, his family, and all of the

animals, two by two.