The Dog and His Reflection

There once lived a dog who had spent the entire morning searching for food. He was a clever scavenger and knew all the best places in town to find scraps and leftovers. After hours of looking, his persistence finally paid off when he discovered a large, juicy bone behind the butcher’s shop.

The bone was magnificent—thick and meaty, with plenty of tender meat still clinging to it. It was exactly the kind of prize that any dog would be thrilled to find. The dog’s mouth watered as he picked up the bone carefully in his teeth.

“What a wonderful day this has turned out to be!” he thought to himself. “This bone will keep me satisfied for hours. I’m the luckiest dog in town!”

Eager to enjoy his treasure in peace, the dog decided to carry the bone home to his favorite spot in the yard where he could gnaw on it without any interruptions. He trotted through the streets with his head held high, proud of his find and looking forward to his feast.

On his way home, the dog had to cross a small wooden bridge that spanned a quiet stream. The water below was clear and still, like a perfect mirror reflecting the blue sky and white clouds above.

As the dog walked across the bridge, he happened to glance down at the water below. What he saw there made him stop in his tracks and stare in amazement.

Looking back at him from the surface of the stream was another dog, and this dog was carrying a bone that looked even larger and meatier than his own!

The dog’s eyes widened with excitement and desire. “Look at that!” he thought. “That other dog has an even better bone than mine! His bone looks bigger, juicier, and more delicious. I want that bone instead!”

The dog studied his supposed rival more carefully. The other dog seemed to be about the same size as himself, but that bone—oh, that bone looked absolutely perfect!

“It’s not fair,” the dog grumbled to himself. “Why should that other dog have a better bone than me? I found mine fair and square, and I deserve the best bone available. I’m going to get that bone for myself!”

The greedy dog began to feel angry and jealous. He couldn’t stand the thought that somewhere there was a dog with a better bone than his. The more he stared at the other dog’s bone, the less satisfied he felt with his own perfectly good treasure.

“I’ll show him who’s boss,” the dog decided. “I’ll bark at him and scare him away, and then his bone will be mine!”

Without thinking any further, the dog opened his mouth wide and let out his most fierce and intimidating bark: “WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!”

But the moment he opened his mouth to bark, his own precious bone fell from his jaws. Down, down, down it tumbled, splashing into the stream below with a loud “PLOP!”

The dog watched in horror as his beautiful bone sank quickly to the bottom of the stream, disappearing from sight in the muddy depths where he could never retrieve it.

At the same moment, the other dog in the water vanished completely, as if by magic.

Only then did the dog realize the truth of what had happened. There had never been another dog at all! What he had seen in the water was simply his own reflection. The “other dog” with the “better bone” had been himself all along.

“What have I done?” the dog wailed. “I had a wonderful bone, and I threw it away because I was greedy for something that didn’t even exist! I’ve lost everything because I wasn’t satisfied with what I had!”

The dog stood on the bridge for a long time, staring down at the water where his bone had disappeared. He thought about his foolish greed and how it had cost him his precious meal.

Other dogs passing by shook their heads sympathetically when they saw him standing there looking so dejected.

“What happened to you?” asked a friendly old hound. “You look like you’ve lost your best friend.”

“Worse,” replied the dog sadly. “I lost my lunch because I was greedy for something that was never real in the first place. I had a perfectly good bone, but I wanted an even better one. Now I have nothing at all.”

The old hound nodded wisely. “That’s a hard lesson to learn, young friend. Sometimes when we’re not satisfied with what we have, we end up losing everything. It’s better to appreciate what you’ve got than to risk it all for something that might not even exist.”

From that day forward, the dog remembered the lesson he had learned at the bridge. Whenever he found food, he was grateful for what he had instead of always looking for something better. He never again let greed cloud his judgment or cause him to lose what was already his.

And whenever he crossed that bridge, he would look down at the water and remember the day he learned that being content with what you have is worth more than risking everything for what you think you want.

Moral: Be grateful for what you have instead of risking it for what you think you want. Greed can cause you to lose what you already possess. Sometimes what appears to be better is just an illusion.