Sarah had five dogs that she had to walk each day. She was paid by her neighbors to walk their dogs because most of them did not get home from work until very late. Sarah would go to their homes, one at a time, and then she would walk each dog for a short time before moving on to the next dog.
Sarah loved her job. In fact, she would need money she could get with the plans she had for I the future. When she graduated high school, she wanted to go to college and become an animal doctor. Although it would take a lot of hard work, she could not imagine a life without animals. She wanted to help any animal that was hurt or in need. When she was lite, she imagined she was the doctor and was always trying to put bandages on the arms and legs of her toys.
This afternoon, though, Sarah just couldn't enjoy her work. All of her friends were going to Claire's birthday. But she was not available.
As Sarah arrived at the first house, inspiration struck! She would simply go to each house and get each dog and walk all the dogs at one time. That way, she could still complete her job, get paid, and still have time to go and meet her friends.
After thirty minutes, Sarah knew the fantastic idea she'd had was not so fantastic at all. She was sitting on the side of the road. Two of the dogs would not stop barking (吠叫) at each other, and she failed to keep all the dogs walking and not running.
Sarah had learned an important lesson. There were no shortcuts (捷径) in doing a good job. She would just have to go and meet her friends on another day.
