The Best Things in Life Are Rescued

Morgan Turner

September 28, 2016

English 1301

Fifth Period

The Best Things In life are Rescued

 Being able to save the life of an animal is the most amazing feeling in the world. Thousands of cats and dogs are put into shelters every year. The conditions of these shelters are unhealthy for the poor unfortunate animals that reside in them. Seeing these animals in such unfavorable conditions had always made me feel sorry for them. My first trip to a dog shelter was by far the most memorable one. It persuaded me to adopt a puppy of my own and showed me just how important it is to adopt animals.

 As I was walking into a shelter for my first time ever, the first thing I  noticed was the repulsive smell. The strong odor of news papers that had been siting In the cages for a while made me want to leave, but I kept going. As I walked through the shelter, gazing at all of the miserable animals, I saw them curled up into balls laying around as If they had no energy. The loud cries and angry barks coming from all directions made my ears hurt. Their gloomy eyes watched me as I walked past them. They did not seem to care much about me being there. Once I reached the puppies I noticed that they were crammed like sardines in a cage that was meant for only one or two small dogs. They were all huddled up with no place to roam around or play. The water bowls had little to no water in them, and the bowls that did have water were filthy. When I approached their cages I noticed that most of the Animals looked malnourished and lethargic. Many of the animals struggled to hold their own body weight. Most of the older dogs had fur that came near to the ground. Their fur covered their eyes and was so knotted that if I had tried to pet them my fingers would have gotten caught. I could see fleas jumping from one dog to another and bald patches where the dogs continuously scratched at. I could count each individual rib on most dogs. The people that worked there had no empathy for these dogs. I watched as a tall man forcefully kicked a dog just because it was in his way. The younger workers would tease the dogs by placing dog food on the outside of their cages so that they could watch as the dogs struggled to get to it. Just by looking at their poor living conditions, their weak structure, and how the workers treated them I could tell that no animal deserved to be in a place like that.

Animals have always been an important part of my life ,and seeing them suffer has always broke my heart. I saw the pain and torture they had to go through and it made me want to adopt them all. Even though I could not save every animal's life, I did get a chance to give a good life to one pet. When I was in junior high my parents brought me to the pound so I could adopt a pet. Macy was a little ball of fluff peacefully sleeping in the corner. Her bright brown fur contrasting her black fur gave her a beautiful look. She glazed at me with her big brown puppy eyes, and it made me think about all of the poor animals that were mistreated. She smelt as if she had not been give a bath in a long time. A worker explained to me that she and her siblings had been abandoned at the doors of the pound just a few weeks after they were born. The owners dropped them off at the shelter because they did not want her and her siblings. She had been there for at least three weeks without getting any attention from potential adopters. All of her brothers and sisters had already found forever homes, so she was left in the cage alone.  I took her home with me that day and later on she became my best friend. I was delighted by the fact that I could give such a miserable little puppy so much joy in life. At first she was skittish. I noticed that she would tremble when I tried to pick her up. I gave her only a quarter of the amount of food that she needed to eat because when I did give her the right amount it made her sick. When it came to getting exercise she did not get enough because she was to afraid to interact with me. About a month or two after getting her, these things started to get better. I noticed that she started eating the right amount of food, and she started gaining weight. It did not take much longer after that before she became healthy. She grew to be such a delightful little dog regardless of where she came from.