þÿNicole wrote this story in response to a class assignment. Read Nicole s paper and think about the corrections and improvements she should make. When you finish reading, answer the questions that follow.


City Pig
(1) In the dictionary the word mooch means  to beg.   (2) That s how Moochie the potbellied pig got his name.  (3) He is a moocher, and people love that about him.  (4) From Grandpa Forester to two-year-old Olivia Sánchez.  
(5) Everyone in the neighborhood enjoys feeding Moochie a carrot or potato.  
(6) Moochie s owners, the O Callahans, have had to put there rotund pet on a diet.  (7) Now the sign on Moochie s fence reads  Vegetables Only. 
(8) The O Callahan house sits on the corner of 14th and Thompson avenue.  (9) Surrounded by a big yard with rows of corn and tomato plants, the home is on a lovely patch of country right in the middle of the city.  (10) Each morning Moochie emerges from his shed to greet the day.  (11) A shed is a good place to keep gardening equipment and tools.  (12) Like all potbellied pigs, Moochie doesn t oink; he makes a hoarse snorting noise.  (13) For seven years he snorted his way to the fence each day, his tiny eyes constantly searching for passersby who might offer him a snack.
(14) But one spring day everything changed: a man named Mike Gorman moved in next door.  (15) Gorman loved the boulevards and shops that were a few blocks away, an urban type.  (16) He did not love living beside what he called a farm!
(17)  There are zoning laws,  he informed Mr. O Callahan.  (18)  Residents cannot raise livestock!  (19) I ve notified the authorities, so I suggest you relocate your hog.
(20) The neighbors rallied around Moochie.  (21) They signed petitions and wrote letters.  (22) But laws are laws.  (23) Pigs are considered livestock even pigs that love humans and are loved in return.  (24) The O Callahans had 30 days to find a new one for Moochie.
(25) Time ticked away.  (26) Neighbors came to feed Moochie one last time.  (27) Some little boys sneaked cookies through the fence.  (28) Moochie munched away, unaware of his impending fate.
(29) Then neighbor Tommy Jones had an idea.  (30) He had learned that service animals were allowed almost everywhere.  (31) He had read about service animals dogs and monkeys that help the disabled.  (32) Why couldn t Moochie be a  service pig ?  (33) Grandmother O Callahan was forgetful, and whenever her family went out, she often got lonely.  (34) Potbellied pigs were smart!  
(35) Moochie could become a companion pig a helping hand for Grandmother O Callahan.
(36) The O Callahans loved the idea and wrote a proposal to the city.  
(37) They began training Moochie and bought him a vest (size extra-large) that read  Service Animal. 
(38) City officials seemed glad.  (39) They had found a loophole that would let Moochie stay with the O Callahans.  (40) The neighborhood celebrated its victory.  (41) Mike Gorman was a good sport about it; he just avoided the O Callahan yard.  (42) He was the only neighbor who didn t apreciate the O Callahans  little patch of country.