Snowball: The First Dog
- Flashback to Paulsen's childhood. He's standing with his mother, holding a puppy.
- The pup is a girl—black with a little white circle on her side. Paulsen has only just met this puppy and he loves her to bits.
- It's 1946. Paulsen is seven, living with his parents in the Philippines. His dad was in the army there.
- His family lived in military housing, so Paulsen and his mother weren't sure the puppy was allowed on the premises. They don't seem too worried about the rules, though.
- There's another complication: this puppy was being raised for food. They eat dogs in the Philippines.
- Seven-year-old Paulsen, in the moments before this chapter started, had watched another dog get strangled for cooking. Yikes.
- So basically he doesn't just want a puppy. He wants to save a puppy's life. His mother can't resist.
- She haggles with the head dude and they settle on a price.
- On the way back to the military base, his mother asks about a name. Snowball it is, for the round white spot on her fur.
- Paulsen explains that Snowball came into his life at a lonely time. His parents were caught up in work and boozing. So he was on his own. A lot.
- The family's Filipino servant, Rom, looks out for young Paulsen. Rom has his own family, though, so there's only so much he can do.
- Paulsen tells us more about his surroundings. The Philippines had just been through World War II, and there had been a lot of damage.
- The landscape there is filled with blown-out buildings. There are empty shells and exploded mines everywhere. The perfect playground for a seven-year-old boy.
- Seriously, Paulsen and Snowball treated it like a playground. They explored together, and sometimes Paulsen felt more dog than human.
- He followed Snowball's lead exploring the ruins, which included a jungle cave full of skeletons and swords. This dog is practically a pirate.
- They also explored poverty-stricken neighborhoods in Manila, connecting with poor families who told Paulsen about their experiences in the war.
- They also saw cockfights. That's right—fighting roosters.
- Outside of town, in farming country, Snowball saved Paulsen's life.
- Paulsen was barefoot, walking through the grass, when he came upon a deadly snake. Snowball snapped it up in her jaws and killed it just as the snake was about to strike.
- For two and a half years, Snowball stayed by Paulsen's side. They were constant companions. Except Snowball was more than that. She was also a sort of guardian.
- When it was time to go back to the U.S., Paulsen's parents filled out all the paperwork for Snowball.
- But Snowball didn't get to travel with the family because she was hit by a car and died.
- Paulsen was with her when it happened. He remembers thinking that he'd never stop missing her. He still feels that way, writing nearly 50 years later.
- He still pictures her in his mind's eye, a step ahead of him, always leading the way.