Morgan was walking her dog, Pip, with her friend Rasha.
Suddenly a big dog raced toward them, barking loudly.
Pip pulled hard on his leash.
Then, before Morgan could tighten her grip, the leash flew from her hand.
As Pip took off toward the playground, the big dog ran after him, growling and barking.
The two dogs tore around the slide, through the sandbox, and around the swings.
Then Pip darted toward the tennis court.
"I've got him!" a tennis player called, grabbing Pip's leash.
"Whew!" Morgan ran over and scooped up her dog. "Thank you!"
A young guy with a skateboard appeared and whistled at the big dog. "Dakota! Come!"
"Hey!" Morgan called.
"Your dog chased my dog all over the park!"
"Relax, kid. It's totally fine."
"No, it's not!" Rasha said.
"Pip could have gotten bitten, or he could have run out into the street!
You should keep your dog on a leash!"
Dakota ran off again, chasing a squirrel this time.
The skateboarder shrugged.
Then he dropped his board and skated away.
Morgan could still feel her heart thumping in her chest.
"That was terrifying."
"We need to do something!" Rasha fumed.
"Our city doesn't have a leash law.
Let's tell the city council to enact one.
It's not safe for dogs to run loose in the park."
"Um, there's just one problem," Morgan said.
"We're kids. Who's going to listen to us?"
"In a democracy we have rights too," Rasha said.
"Besides, my mom used to work at City Hall.
So I have some ideas!"
Morgan and Rasha got busy.
First, they sent a letter to the newspaper about why their city needed a leash law to keep dogs safe.
Next, they sent emails to friends and neighbors, asking them to call local politicians.
After that, they created a petition.
"We need to collect lots of signatures," Rasha said.
"That will show the city council that lots of citizens want a leash law."
Morgan and Rasha brought the petition to locations all over the city.
Some people said they didn't want to sign it.
"My dog likes to run without a leash."
"We already have too many rules!"
But others were eager to sign.
One man even nodded after Morgan told him about how Dakota had chased Pip.
"I've seen Dakota running wild through the park," he said.
"Where do I sign?"
The following week Rasha's mom drove the girls to City Hall for a city council meeting.
The girls waited for their turn to speak.
"You have five minutes," the president said.
Rasha explained why the city needed a leash law to protect dogs and dog owners.
Then Morgan held up their petition.
"We collected hundreds of signatures.
Lots of people want a leash law."
The president nodded.
"We've gotten dozens of calls."
Another council member frowned.
"I have more important things to do," he muttered.
"Protecting kids' dogs is a waste of my time."
"Thank you for bringing this issue to our attention, girls," the president said.
"We'll vote on it at our next meeting."
Morgan sighed as she sat down. "What now?"
"We wait," Rasha said. "Change never happens overnight."
A month later the girls were walking Pip in the park.
"Look!" Rasha pointed to a workman posting a sign.
"All dogs must be on a leash.
Violators will be fined."
She hugged Morgan.
"We did it!" Morgan cheered.