I am not a dog lover and I never imagined that I would own a dog. A few years ago my husband's MS had progressed to the point that made it impossible for him to continue working. He experienced long, lonely and confusing days. My youngest daughter Charlotte, who was 10 at the time simultaneously started suffering severe bouts of anxiety. Charlotte had always wanted a dog and I thought to myself a puppy might just be what the doctor ordered. Nikki is a miniature Golden Retriever. She is a hybrid of a Golden Retriever, Cocker Spaniel and Poodle, in other words she is in my opinion a boutique mutt. Miniature Golden Retrievers are bred to be 14-18 inches at the shoulders and they weigh anywhere between 20-45 lbs. Nikki looks a lot like a Golden Retriever. She was bred to have the temperament, disposition, personality, and gentleness that the standard Golden Retriever is well known for. The main difference is that with hybrid breeding the miniature Golden Retriever will stay small. Most full bred Golden's can weigh anywhere from 80-120 pounds. Nikki was born on June. 14, 2014, a day before my younger daughter Charlotte's birthday. Nikki arrived to us all the way from Kentucky. Nikki has expanded our lives and the whole family has benefitted from her. She is super cute, sweet, kind and she keeps all of us on our toes. Nikki loves to run outside and can retrieve a ball thrown to her for hours at a time. Nikki is a love of an animal and she has enriched our lives exponentially. Nikki is the cutest member of our family and we could not imagine life without our cutest family member. Ruff!

Definitions
1. Simultaneously(adverb) occurring or existing at the same time.
2. Progressed(verb) to move forward in time.
3. Anxiety(noun) a feeling of nervousness
4. Miniature(adjective) very small
5. Hybrid(noun) the offspring of two plants or animals of different species.
6. Boutique(noun) small or exclusive
7. Bred(adjective) to produce by mating
8. Mutt(noun) a dog with parents of different breeds.
9. Temperament(noun) a person or animal's nature.
10.Disposition(noun) a person's inherent qualities of mind and  character.
11.Enriched(verb) improve or enhance the quality or value of something.
12.Exponentially(adverb) to increase.


MATCHING ACTIVITY
Match on the left with the correct definitions on the right.
1. Simultaneously                        A. a feeling of nervousness.
2. Progressed                                B. to increase.
3. Anxiety                                     C. to move forward in time.
4. Miniature                                  D. occurring or existing at the same time.
5. Hybrid                                      E. to produce by mating.
6. Boutique                                   F. improve or enhance the quality of something.
7. Bred                                          G. a person's inherent qualities of mind and character.
8. Mutt                                          H. a person or animals nature
9. Temperament                            I.  to move forward in time
10. Disposition                             J. a dog with parents of different breeds.
11. Enriched                                 K. the offspring of two plants or animals of different species.
12. Exponentially                         L. Small or exclusive.

Grammar Point 

Synonym:  A synonym is a word or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word or phrase in the same language.

EX. Shut is a synonym for close

Read the story below. Rewrite the story by replacing each underlined word with a synonym from the word bank.

                                              WORD BANK

                                   softly   dad    resting   crept   exhausted  

                                  sofa       rest   put     sleepy    yummy   table

                                             Ice Cream Surprise
     My father was so tired after work, he took a nap on the couch.
While he was sleeping, I quietly snuck  into the kitchen and made 
an ice cream sundae. I placed it on the counter.  I saw some sprinkles and cherries and put them on top of the sundae. My ice cream sundae was delicious!