In a deal he struck with his daughter Ellie, John DiCola mistakenly thought he set a reading goal high enough that Ellie would not reach it and earn the dog she wanted. | Buzz Orr~Sun-Times Media

Ellie DiCola plays with her dog Cody outside her Winnetka home. Ellie is a hero to her brothers and sister, her father says, because she met his challenge of reading 500 books to earn the dog. | Buzz Orr~Sun-Times Media

Cody romps in front of his new home in Winnetka. "He's really a good dog," says John DiCola, who kept his promise and bought Cody for his daughter. "With four kids in the family, (Cody) gets plenty of love and attention."| Buzz Orr~Sun-Times Media

Cody has no respect for the books his 9-year-old owner read to earn him. | Buzz Orr~Sun-Times Media

Ellie DiCola not only got a puppy, she developed a love of reading, her mother says, after Ellie took her father up on his promise to get her a dog if she read 500 books. | Buzz Orr~Sun-Times Media

Ellie DiCola made a bargain with her dad John DiCola when she was in kindergarten. If she read 500 books, she could get a dog. Four years later, she collected on his promise. "It was worth it," Ellie says. | Buzz Orr~Sun-Times Media