Once upon a time there was a dog named Timmy. He had a cozy home and a family who loved him very much. Timmy was a good dog and he had only one drawback: he was very afraid to stay home alone. As soon as everyone left the house, he immediately started barking loudly, whining, and sometimes even howling. And his owners didn't like it very much.
- You're an adult dog, Timmy, so you shouldn't be afraid to be alone!
- You're very smart, and smart dogs don't whine and howl for nothing!
- If you can't think of something to do, lie down and sleep!
- You have everything, food and toys, can't you keep yourself busy? - Timmy heard this and many other things from his owners. Timmy realized that there was nothing good in his noise, but he couldn't help it. He was calmer even with shots and other medical procedures than he was with this temporary loneliness. Meanwhile, Timmy was displeased not only with the owners, but also with the neighbors. And some of them were giving advice, too:
- Take Timmy to the hospital already, and tell them about it there, maybe the vet can work something out - said one.
- We should send him to dog school, others said.
And the owners did it all. Except the vet said Timmy was a perfectly normal dog. Of course, he was only afraid of being alone, but otherwise he was a calm and friendly dog. The kinologists (and there were several of them) could not do anything either. While the owners dreamed that Timmy would calm down, he himself dreamed that someone would stay with him when the owners were not at home. And strangely enough, someone was able to fulfill both of those dreams.
***
That day Timmy's owners went to visit the family. And just as he was about to start up the piano again, he heard a sudden sound:
- Hey, Timmy!
He turned his head and saw a gnome in a vest with bone-shaped buttons. He turned his head and saw... a gnome in a vest with buttons shaped like bones.
- R-r-r! Who are you? - Timmy asked.
- Hi, Timmy! I'm a dog's best friend. And I'm here to help you. Don't worry, I'll stay with you until your owners get here. If you want, I can even play the harmonica for you.
The gnome took a harmonica out of his pocket and played a little. Timmy liked it, and he even started to sing along to his new friend. They had a lot of fun. When the owners came back, Timmy was fast asleep.
The dogs' best friend came to see him many more times. And no one ever scolded him for making noise again.
The end