The book starts by introducing India Opal Buloni, ten years old and living with her father a preacher. On an errand to the grocery store Opal finds a large homeless dog. Opal is immediately attached to the dog that she names Winn Dixie after the grocery store where she finds him. I think it was really brave of her, to say she was the owner of the dog so they wouldn’t take him to the pound. Also, I think how she came up with the name of the dog was clever. I liked the way they bonded together and how she compared both being like orphans. I was glad the preacher let Opal keep Winn-Dixie.