One snowy Christmas, Jin received a very special gift from his husband. He unwrapped the brightly wrapped box, and out popped a beautiful little puppy! "Oh, Namjoon, he's beautiful! I think I'll call him Jimin."
Jimin had found a very happy home with Jin and Namjoon. His afternoons were spent playing in the park with Jin. And later he would race Namjoon home from work.
One summer day Namjoon came home with a surprise for Jimin. "Here you are, boy-your very own collar and license. Why don't you show them off to Yoongi and Jungkook?"
Jimin trotted proudly next door to see the neighboring dogs. "Notice anything different, Jungkook?"
"Why, Mr. Jimin," drawled the bloodhound. "You've got a new collar."
Yoongi, the Scottie, added, "Aye, and it looks very expensive."
Later that summer Jimin noticed a change in Namjoon and Jin. The races home stopped, as did the afternoon walks. Instead, Jin just sat home and knitted. Poor lonely Jimin sat outside and wondered why his owners were acting so strangely.
The answer came a few weeks later. There was tremendous excitement in the house. Namjoon happily telephoned his Uncle Taehyung. "It's here! And it's a baby…a boy! I'm a Daddy!"
Jimin tiptoed upstairs and peeked carefully into a frilly crib. "Oh, it's the cutest little human I've ever seen! So this is why Namjoon and Jin were acting so strangely!"
Jimin rushed outside to tell Yoongi and Jungkook about the beautiful baby. As he talked, a stray dog with no collar or license entered the yard. He sauntered right up to Jimin. "Hello, ChimChim. I couldn't help overhearing your conversation, and I think you're all wrong. Why, babies are just cute little bundles of trouble!"
Yoongi had heard about this intruder. His name was Hoseok, and he always managed to escape the dog-catchers net. Yoongi didn't like him. "Off with you now, you mongrel!"
When Namjoon and Jin left for a weekend, Uncle Taehyung came to stay with the baby. And much to Jimin's dismay, Uncle Taehyung had brought along his two, horribly racist Siamese cats!
They were troublemakers from the start. One cat headed right for the canary cage, while the other tried to make a meal out of the goldfish, and whenever they talked, one felt the urge to cringe and plug your ears in embarrassment! Jimin chased after them and spoiled their plans, but not before the cats had made shambles of the living room and insulted an entire race of people. Uncle Taehyung came running! "Merciful heavens, look at this mess!"
The two pesky cats pretended to be hurt. Uncle Taehyung cuddled them. "Did that wicked dog attack you, my innocent little angels? Well, I know how to take care of that ruffian!"
Uncle Taehyung didn't waste a moment. He grabbed Jimin and marched right down to the local pet shop. "Clerk, I want a muzzle. A good strong one!"
The shopkeeper strapped a heavy muzzle onto Jimin's face. It was so tight that he could hardly open his mouth!
Jimin wiggled out of Uncle Taehyung's arms and bolted out of the store in fear. Up one street and down another he fled, trying to escape the horrible muzzle. He soon found himself lost-and in a very bad part of town. Three big dogs spotted Jimin and gave chase, snarling and snapping, until they had him trapped in a blind alley!
As the snarling dogs inched closer to Jimin, another dog leapt to his rescue. It was Hoseok! Single-handedly, he fought the vicious dogs and sent them yelping away! Then he turned to Jimin. "Hey, Jimine (a nickname he had created when he learned Jimin's name the time he'd visited Jimin's yard), what are you doing on this side of the tracks? I thought you-huh? A muzzle? Aw, you poor kid! We've got to get that thing off. Come on."
Hoseok led Jimin to the City Zoo. At a pond they found a beaver struggling to pull a heavy log into the water. "Pardon me, friend. It looks like you need a log puller. I happen to have a handy-dandy one right here, modeled by the little sir. Just nip it off, and it's yours!"
The beaver quickly nibbled through a strap and Jimin was free of the hated muzzle.
"Come on, Jimine, let's find a place to celebrate!" Hoseok seemed to be known and welcomed everywhere they went. He had a different place to eat every day of the week. "It's Wednesday, Jimine. That means we go to Tony's Restaurant. You'll love it!"
Tony had a plate of bones all ready, but when he saw Hoseok had brought a friend, he served them a delicious dinner of spaghetti and meatballs! Then Tony took out his accordion and sang a beautiful love song, while Jimin and Hoseok dined by candlelight! Jimin marveled at Hoseok's carefree life-so different form his own.
After the romantic dinner, Jimin and Hoseok walked through the park to the top of a hill overlooking the city. "Look down there, Jimine. There's a great, big world out there with no fence around it, where two dogs like us could find adventure and excitement!"
"It sounds wonderful, Hoseok, but who would watch over Namjoon and Jin and the baby?"
"You win, Jimine. I guess we're just too different."
As he escorted Jimin home, Hoseok noticed some hens sleeping in a yard. "Hey, let's wake up those fat, lazy biddies!"
"But won't we hurt them, Hoseok?"
"Naw, we'll just stir them up a bit. It'll be fun!" Hoseok raced into the yard barking wildly. Chickens went fluttering and squawking about until the owner rushed outside with his shotgun! "That's the signal to get out of here, Jimine!"
Jimin tried to keep up with Hoseok as he darted around corners and scrambled over fences, but soon he was lost again. Without warning, the city dogcatcher pounced on poor Jimin and carted him off to the dog pound! "That Hoseok-I never would have guessed he was the type to desert a gentleman!"
Jimin had never been so scared and humiliated in all his life! The dingy pound was full of sad, scruffy dogs who stared longingly at his license. They told him that it was his ticket out of there and wished they all had one, too.
Soon Uncle Taehyung arrived to take Jimin home. But as punishment for running away, he chained him to the doghouse. Poor Jimin was feeling lonely and sad when Hoseok came trotting into the yard. "Hi, Jimine! I heard what happened. I came over to tell you how sorry I am."
"You ran out on me and I took the blame. It was so embarrassing! I never want to see you again! Goodbye!"
As Hoseok hung his head and turned to leave, Jimin spied a big, ugly rat climbing into the baby's window! He tugged on his chain and desperately called for help. "Hoseok, hurry! There's a rat in the baby's room!"
Hoseok raced into the house and up the stairs and burst into the baby's room. The rat was creeping toward the baby's crib. Hoseok pounced on the rat and killed it.
The noise from Hoseok's fight awakened Uncle Taehyung. He rushed into the baby's room. "Oh, you vicious brute! Trying to attack the baby!" Uncle Taehyung hadn't even seen the rat! He forced Hoseok into a closet and locked the door. "Now, I'll call the dogcatcher and have that brute taken away!"
Yoongi and Jungkook watched as Hoseok was locked in the dog-catcher's wagon. "Well, Jungkook, there he goes off to the pound. I was certain he was no good the moment I first laid eyes on him."
"Yeah, but I never thought he'd attack a helpless baby!"
Just then, Namjoon and Jin returned home. Jimin gave a desperate tug and broke his chain. He raced into the house barking frantically at Namjoon. "Look, Jin. Jimin's trying to tell us something. What is it, boy?"
Jimin raced upstairs to the baby's room to show Namjoon the truth. "Oh, my goodness! Jin, come here!"
"What is it, Namjoon? Oh-a rat!"
"That means that Hoseok is actually innocent. He saved the baby! But now he's being taken to the dog pound to be destroyed!"
When Yoongi overheard this, he felt ashamed. "Jungkook, we've misjudged Hoseok badly. We've got to rescue him!" The two dogs raced after the dogcatcher's wagon, barking fiercely. The frightened horses bolted, the wagon overturned, and the door sprang open. Hoseok was free!
Namjoon and Jin were so grateful to Hoseok that they bought him a collar and license. Now he was part of the family! The next Christmas, Jimin and Hoseok celebrated with their own family-four adorable puppies!