Skinny and Sad - A Beagle's Tale

It was hard to remember a time before now. When I was happy and well fed. When I wasn't sad and lonesome. I only remembered wandering the street, scared and no idea where I was. No one looked at me like they cared. I looked like a rat with my ticks and fleas. I felt ill and hurt all over.

Sometimes I just wanted to sit down and not go on. I didn't have anywhere to go. There was no point. I had no home, no loving family who wanted me to be with them. I felt completely alone. I hid close to a garbage can and a few boxes. The rain poured down hard and it hit against the boxes, but still ended up hitting me. I rested my head on my paws, shivering. I watched as people ran quickly from the rain, to shelter - and to their homes.

I felt even more sad and I cried myself to sleep, as if I didn't every night. I just wanted to be loved, that's all I wanted. I didn't ask for much, but that's what I really wanted. To be loved. I curled up into a tight ball and drifted off to another uneasy sleep.

I woke up early that morning, coughing and wheezing. I felt hot all over. The rain was still pouring and I reached over to lick up a puddle. It tasted of salt and mud, but it was good enough for me. I heard the sound of tires moving on the ground and I cringed back as light came out from the darkness. I quivered and let out a sad, scared howl. The tires were slowly stopping. My ears pricked, but I didn't move.

For several minutes, that's how it was. I sat quivering slightly, listening for any sounds. The lights turned off and I was surrounded in darkness again. I looked around, scared, backing away slowly into my hiding place. I heard a slam, then the sound of feet pounding against wet, muddy pavement. They were heavy steps, deep, clanking on the ground heavily. I didn't dare to breathe.

Then, I saw him. He was a tall man, wearing a bright raincoat and keeping his head bowed from the rain. He was crouched in front of me, holding out his free hand and doing a clicking sound with his tongue, gesturing for me to come to him.

"It's okay girl," he said gently, in a cooing voice. "I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to help." I hesitated for a moment, then slowly crept my way towards him. He reached toward me and wrapped his arm around my stomach and held me up into the air before him. He looked me over for a moment. Then he pulled me closer and cradled me gently as he walked.

I looked up to see a large van. The van was standing there, another man in the front seat looking at us. The man settled himself comfortably into the front seat, shutting the door and holding me to him. The van began to move and I shifted forward. I yelped and scrambled back into the man's lap, quivering. I soon got used to the feel of the bounce in the van, and I was so tired that I fell back into his lap, snoring gently.

I sat lonely in the pound. Even though I was fed, provided water, and given shelter, it felt like a prison. In front of me was a metal barred door, to where I could not leave this place. The mournful barks of the dogs around me made me quiver. It was hard to sleep with all of them barking so much, and I barely slept. Even though I was fed, it still wasn't enough, and I was still skinny. I felt weak, and even with all these dogs around me, I still felt lonely.

I had been here since July 13th, 2009. It was now July 23rd, and still no one wanted me. I licked at my stitches, where they had spayed me. I didn't particularly know what "spayed" meant, but I knew it was something important and that I should know so I acted like did. Several of the female dogs were spayed.

It was a regular Thursday, and the dog two spaces down from me, the pit bull, was still yapping and barking. I didn't know why at first. But then came the "creeeek" of the metal door into the rows of dogs, and I listened to more footsteps. It couldn't be any of the workers; it was too far from feeding time, unless... unless they were looking for rabies suspects. I sank back, quivering. I had heard of rabies once, and I didn't want it. Then I heard voices.

"I'll look, but I won't find one here." It was a female voice, not a full grown, probably only a pup.

"You'll never know," said a male voice, probably several years older.

"All right," the female sighed. The pit bull was barking rapidly now. I sank back down into my spot, legs and arms spread out and trying to rest on the hard wooden floor. It was completely uncomfortable. I looked up to see a face.

It was a female human pup. She was very tall, with long brown hair. She peered at me over glasses, her brown eyes boring into me. She crouched and stuck her fingers through the bars. I stood carefully, trotting over and not hesitating to lick her fingers. She laughed gently. My heart skipped a beat. The male human walked over. He had dark skin, and wore a hat on his head. He wore no smile, but I could smell he was friendly. The girl turned to him and began to talk. He nodded then looked at me. I continued to lick her fingers. She pulled away and scratched me behind the ear. If I had been a cat, I would have been purring. One of the ladies who worked at the "Pound" walked over. She was much shorter then the male human, and her fuzzy hair went every which direction.

"Can she go in there and interact with her?" The male human asked.

"Of course," and she opened the cage door. The girl slipped through and sat down. I crawled into her lap, circling and began to lick her face all over. She was smiling and laughing as she petted me, scratching me on my head and behind my ear. I wagged my tail. She looked up at the male human and said something I couldn't hear; I was too happy to pay any attention to what was going on around me.

My heart fell when she stood. She looked down at me, her eyes warm, and she closed the gate behind her, leaving me alone in the cell again. I ran to the door, looking up at her sadly, wanting to cry. Don't leave me! I thought. I watched as the pup, the male human, and the female worker walked back down the aisle of dogs and disappeared through the metal gate. I had actually thought I had her. My tail stopped wagging and I slipped back over to my spot, whimpering and resting my head on my paws. Minute after minute passed, and the barking of the pit bull stopped, only to begin again, madly. I didn't look up.

I heard the clatter of feet against the ground and a girl's face appeared in front of the cell door. No, the girl. She stood smiling at me, jumping up and down. I waited for her to come back into the cell with me, but she never did. The female worker opened the cell door, and I waited. But she reached down towards me, and picked me up in her arms, cradling me gently. I licked her face as she carried me out of the prison and down the walkway next to the male human. The sun felt good on my cold fur. She walked down to a large truck, laughing as I licked her. She opened the door and put me inside, shutting the door behind me. She reappeared through the door opposite of me, sitting down and petting me as the car started.

She did love me, and I knew it. And she showed her love the first time we came back to her home.

She gave me a name -- Willow.

- Lauren, 11, Oklahoma (PenPal #13455)