Friendship

Twenty-one years ago, my husband gave me an eight-week-old dog, Sam, to help me ease the loss of our daughter. Later my husband and I moved from New York to New Jersey. Our neighbor, whose cat had   recently had kittens, asked us if we would like one. We were afraid that Sam would not be _______, but we made up our _______   to take a kitten.

We picked a little, gray, playful cat. She raced around running after imaginary mice and squirrels and jumped from table to chair very _______, so we named her Lightning (闪电).

At _______, Sam and Lightning were not close to each other. But slowly, as the days went on, Lightning started _______ Sam. They slept together, ate together and played together. When I took _______ one out of the house, the other was always _______ by the door when we returned. That was the way it was for years.

Then, without any warning, Sam suddenly died of a weak heart. This time, there was no Sam for Lightning to greet and no way to _______ why she would never see her friend again.

In the _______ that followed, Lightning seemed heartbroken. She could not ________ me in words that she was suffering (承受), but I could see the pain and ________ in her eyes whenever anyone opened the front door. The weeks ________ by, and the cat’s sorrow seemed to be lifting (消失). One day as I walked into our living room, I ________ to have a look at the floor next to our sofa ________ we had a sculptured replica (雕塑复制品) of Sam that we had bought a few years before. Lying next to the statue, one arm wrapped (围绕) around the statue’s neck, was Lightning, sleeping with her best ________.

Catherine decided to rescue Khan after seeing him at the animal shelter. Khan was a(an) ______ dog and had broken ribs(肋骨) from being beaten. ______ her family heard about dogs and babies not getting along, to their pleasant surprise, Khan ______ right over to their 17-month-old daughter Charlotte when they were ______. The two sat on the grass and played together, forming a ______ that the family hoped would continue for the rest of Khan’s life.

One day, ______, Khan seemed to be slightly aggressive towards Charlotte. He even attempted to ______ her away from where she played. The family kept a close eye on Khan and that’s when ______ caught their attention. A deadly snake was hiding right ______ Charlotte. Khan tried numerous times to push her out of the way but it wasn’t ______ and the snake was determined to______baby Charlotte. The family screamed ______ as their daughter’s life was in danger. 

In one last ______, Khan grabbed Charlotte by the back of her shirt and ______ her over his shoulder. She______ more than 3 feet away and the family ran over to Charlotte. As it ______, Khan had been bitten as he tried to get in between Charlotte and the snake.

While Khan was at the ______, local news sites were covering the incident. They couldn’t ______ an abused rescue dog who had only been with this family for four days would be so heroic. ______ after a couple of days in the hospital, Khan was ______to return home and he was doing much better. 

Remember the heart­warming story of Hachiko, the Akita Inu who spent nine years waiting for his owner to return without knowing his death. His being ________ to his owner is being challenged by Thor.

In December 2015, Thor's owner died at 58, and his loyal companion fell into ________.The owner's family looked after Thor, but they didn't give him the same love and attention. Seeing the miserable dog, a neighbor called Saionara asked if she could ________ him in, and maybe help him ________ the death of his owner. Then under her loving care, Thor started getting better. About a year ago, he started following the same ________ he had taken alongside his owner.

Every morning Saionara gets up early, makes his food and then opens the gate for him to take the walks he was already ________ with. Thor has a good memory, and he ________ at all the usual places his owner used to spend time in, and lets those who ________ him pet him on the head. That's become his routine for the last year or so. And it seems that he is waiting for his ________ to come back.

Wherever he goes, Thor always ________ love and affection. Everyone knows his story and is eager to make his ________ more bearable. People stop to pet him. His food and water bowls are always ________ at the shoe store he walks by every day, and some people even stop to take photos with the famous dog.

After ________ his walk and spending time outside the places his owner used to spend time in, ________ the lottery (彩票) office, which he visited every day, Thor returns to his new owner, Saionara. “I'll tell you that I love him, but I'm also ________ because I'm old. But I'll take good care of him，” she says.