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MR. G AND JELLYBEAN: A Strange Case!
Chapter 3: A Cheetah’s Best Friend
Penny is a chicken. Roo is a dog. They became fast friends. (photo credit p1.1)
Penny and Roo met at the Duluth Animal Hospital in Georgia, U.S.A. They’ve been attached ever since. (photo credit 1.1)
Dogs strain at their leashes. Cats meow in their carriers. A fluffy chicken scampers by in a diaper. Then a tiny dog wheels past in a special cart. The front desk of the Duluth Animal Hospital is busy! Many animals are brought here if they’re sick or injured. The veterinarians (sounds like vet-er-ih-NAIR-ee-enz) here treat all kinds of animals.
Their patients include dogs, cats, hamsters, lizards, turtles, even chickens. They help their animal patients feel better or give them shots to keep them from getting sick.
But the chicken and the little dog—called a Chihuahua (sounds like chi-WAH-wah)—aren’t patients. Penny and Roo work here. These two best friends welcome animal patients and their owners to the hospital in Duluth, Georgia, U.S.A.
The hospital staff appreciates their good work, especially Alicia Williams, their owner. Alicia works here as a receptionist. She helps patients prepare for their visit with the vets. So do Penny and Roo. Sometimes the patients are frightened or in pain. Their owners are worried.
But then Penny does something silly. She steals Roo’s treat and trots fast, fast, fast on her feathered legs. Roo chases her and tries to grab the treat back. People smile and laugh. The two friends are so funny that they help everyone—animals and humans—feel more relaxed.
Penny and Roo have been working together for three and a half years. How did these two unique friends get this special job? Penny came first. Alicia met Penny when she was taking a class in animal science. Alicia had to learn about what happens when animals are used in research, and she had to visit some places that did this work.
Research is an important way to learn more about both animals