The bell above the door jingled as a young boy

no more than ten years old, stepped into the small pet shop. He looked around with wide, excited eyes, taking in the shelves of food, toys, and tiny collars.

“Sir,” he asked shyly, “how much are the puppies?”

The shop owner, a kind-looking man with a warm smile, replied:

“They’re between thirty and fifty reais, son.”

The boy reached into his pocket and pulled out a few coins and crumpled notes.

“But… I only have three reais,” he murmured.
“Could I at least see the puppies?”

The man’s smile softened. He called out:

“Lady! Come show your babies!”

Lady, the mother dog, trotted in happily, followed by five fluffy little balls of fur tumbling after her. But one of them lagged behind, limping noticeably.

The boy pointed right at him.

“What’s wrong with that one?”

The shop owner sighed.

“The vet checked him. He has a problem in his hip joint. He’ll limp for the rest of his life. He won’t run like the others.”

But the boy’s eyes lit up as if someone had turned on a light inside him.

“That’s the one! That’s the puppy I want!”

The shop owner blinked in surprise.

“No, no… you won’t want that one. If you really want him, I’ll just give him to you.”

The boy fell silent for a moment. Tears welled up in his eyes, but his voice came out steady and certain:

“I don’t want you to give him to me.
He’s worth just as much as any of the others.
I’m going to pay the full price.
I’ll give you three reais now and fifty cents every month until I’ve paid it all.”

The man was stunned.

“But son… you can’t really want this puppy. He’ll never be able to run, jump, or play like the others.”

The boy’s expression changed. Slowly, he knelt down, lifted the left leg of his pants, and revealed the prosthetic he used to walk.

He looked straight into the shop owner’s eyes and said:

“See… I don’t have a leg either.
I can’t run very well.
That little puppy is going to need someone who understands.”

For a moment, the shop fell completely silent.

Then the shop owner knelt beside the boy, placed a hand on his shoulder, and did something that would change both of their lives forever.

He gently picked up the limping puppy, placed him in the boy’s arms, and said:

“From today on, the two of you will learn together what it means to walk at your own pace.
Pay me whenever you can. What matters is that he’s found the right owner.”

The boy hugged the little dog carefully — and the puppy, as if understanding everything, licked his cheek, sealing a friendship neither of them would ever forget.