The Greedy Dog

In a village lived a dog who one day got lucky — he found a large, fat bone outside a butcher's shop. Overjoyed, he picked it up in his mouth and began trotting home, eager to enjoy his meal in peace.

Along the way, he had to cross a wooden bridge over a river. As he walked across, he glanced down and saw his own reflection in the water below — and there appeared to be another dog, holding what looked like an even bigger bone.

The dog didn't realize it was simply his own reflection. He assumed there really was another dog down there with a bigger prize. Greed took hold of him, and he thought, "If I can just snatch that bone away from him, I'll have two bones instead of one!"

Driven by greed, he opened his mouth wide and barked loudly at the water, hoping to frighten the "other dog" into dropping his bone. But the moment he opened his mouth, his own real bone slipped out and fell straight into the river, where it was swept away by the current.

Now the dog had neither the imaginary bone in the water nor his own real one. Filled with regret, he trudged home with an empty mouth and a heavy heart.

Moral: Greed is a dangerous trap. Those who are never satisfied with what they have, and chase after more out of pure greed, often end up losing everything in the end.