The Greedy Dog Story with Moral and Questions

Moral storyFor Class 2 to 52 min read
A dog with a bone in its mouth on a wooden bridge, looking at its reflection in the stream below.

A dog was very hungry. He walked from house to house looking for food. At last a kind butcher threw him a big juicy bone. The dog was delighted. He held the bone tightly in his mouth and ran towards his home to enjoy it alone.

On the way he had to cross a narrow wooden bridge over a stream. As he crossed, he looked down into the clear water and saw another dog with a bone in its mouth. He did not know that it was his own reflection.

“That bone looks bigger than mine,” thought the greedy dog. “I will take it from him.” He opened his mouth to bark at the other dog. As soon as he did, his own bone fell into the water with a splash and sank to the bottom.

The dog looked into the water again. The other dog had lost its bone too! Now he understood his mistake. He walked home hungry and sad.

Moral of the story

Greed makes us lose what we already have.

New words

greedy
wanting more than you need
delighted
very pleased
stream
a small river
reflection
the image you see in water or a mirror
bark
the sound a dog makes
sank
went down under the water

Questions and answers

  1. What did the butcher give the dog?
    Show answer

    He gave the dog a big juicy bone.

  2. What did the dog see in the water?
    Show answer

    He saw another dog with a bone, which was really his own reflection.

  3. Why did the dog open his mouth?
    Show answer

    He wanted to bark at the other dog and take its bone.

  4. What happened to the dog’s bone?
    Show answer

    It fell into the water and sank to the bottom.

  5. True or false: There was really another dog in the stream.
    Show answer

    False. It was the dog’s own reflection.

  6. What is the moral of the story?
    Show answer

    Greed makes us lose what we already have.

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