The Coates family expects their pet golden retriever to have puppies any day now. A newspaper ad is placed by Mr. Coates, in preparation to sell the puppies. Calls are made by numerous interested people. The birth of a large litter of puppies causes the family to ask questions of everyone they know. Advice is given to the Coates family by several neighbors, as the puppies are becoming more and more active. During a visit to the vet, three of the eight puppies escape to three parts of the office. Then, when the Coates family gets home, one puppy digs under the fence, and all eight puppies scatter in different directions through the neighborhood. The puppies are chased down by all five members of the Coates family. The neighbors all bring leashes to help get the puppies under control. Stories are told by the neighbors to other neighbors who did not see the event. Three of the puppies are bought by the Santiago family. The family has three children, so each child is responsible for the care of one puppy. A big exhale is let out by the Coates family once the Santiago family drives away. Only five puppies will have to be watched constantly by the family. They know it won't be long before the puppies are gone, and life in the house will be back to normal. They give their best effort at containing the puppies, so there is no more digging out of the yard. One week later only one puppy remains, and the Coates family decides to keep him. What word from the paragraph is the best example of a strong action verb?

are
decides
is
scatter