Sasha

A Tale of Love and Rescue

"I'll give you one last chance before I throw you in the dump." Would I survive with my horrible owner towering over me? I couldn't see why he was so mean to me. He did have a hard life being divorced and all. But that was no excuse to treat a sweet little animal like me so harshly. I cringed back and crawled under the table. The crack of the cruel boss's whip hitting me burst my eardrum. I felt the little bits of dirt in my fur which my owner wouldn't wash, and I felt sick because of my aching ribs and almost no fur. My stomach let out a thunderous growl, and I suffered the emptiness of being fed only three times a week. I couldn't help inching to my master and jumping on him as I begged so much for just one more scoop of food. Of course I didn't receive it. Instead, my master shouted, "That's it! You, dumb dog, are coming with me!"

The trash can smelled like every kind of perfume mixed together, and I felt slimy, old food all over me. I felt hot, humid rain on my raggedy fur and saw black rain clouds across the sky. I watched the cars on the street, hoping maybe one kind person would take me. The milliseconds turned to seconds, the seconds turned to minutes, and the minutes turned to hours. Whatever time it was, there I was in the trash can, invisible and waiting. "Screeeeeech!" Suddenly, I heard a car pull over, and a lady jogged toward me. Was she going to be sweet and gentle, or would she treat me inhumanely like my old home? I wagged my tail and jumped up in the trash can. I barked, so I knew her attention would definitely be on me. When she approached me, she checked me over, picked me up in her warm arms, ran back to her bright cherry car with me and a satisfied smile, and sped away.

"Whoever threw the dog in the dump is who I'm super mad at!" I heard the lady declare. I definitely agreed with her.

"You are right on that, Mom. Can we keep her?" Was the young girl talking about me? I sure hoped so.

"We'll see, honey." We'll see? Oh, I hoped I saw soon. I'd been through enough waiting. I wanted to belong to this family badly. The car was so joyful as everyone was talking, laughing, and stroking my back. It was the first time I'd ever been petted, and I realized this was extremely relaxing. There was a girl who looked about the age of nine, a man who acted like the girl's dad, and of course the lady, who was presumably the mom. Also, there was a pretty teenager who kept grinning at me. I could tell the family like me a lot. I sniffed the air, and for a change, I smelled a huge, juicy bone, and soon that bone was in my mouth! For the first time in my life, I gobbled down a treat in the middle of the day. Today was the day a lot of my first-times took place. I licked the people I hoped to be my owners all over. If they kept me, I had a feeling I was going to love their place. I thought I was in a heavenly dream as life was going wonderfully.

Everyone got out of the car to arrive at an enormous brick house with a door that said, "ALABAMA VET'S OFFICE. OPEN ALL DAY." What was a vet's office? The family inspected me thoughtfully, and the lady took me inside the office. What was going to happen? I looked at the desk that had papers all over it, and then the long halls with different rooms and enormous white tables. At the end of the hall, there was a scale. Would someone put me on the table and do something to me? I hoped they'd put me on the table and give me another bone, but somehow I knew this wasn't going to happen. A nurse led the lady and me through the hallway and finally stopped at a room. She laid me at a table, and then a tall man holding a shot stepped inside the room. My heart beat like a hammer as the man pierced my skin with a needle. Then, he announced that I had a disease called worms, so I would have to stay at the office for a few days. I thought I'd go home with a kind family. The lady reached out her hand and stroked me, and after that, she left.

The next few days at the office were terrible. The piercing shots hurt so bad that I didn't feel like moving. I dreaded the frigid baths that made me shiver and shake. The smell of sickening sterility filled the air around me and the first night, I thought just maybe the food would be good, but oh, no, it was canned and flavorless. Oh, how I wished the kind family would come back.

Each day, I would pick my head up every time someone came inside my room and bawl. But no one was there to take me home. All people did was sadly smile. No one understood a dog's life.

By the sixth day, I gave up hope that I would ever leave the office. I'd just stay there the rest of my life, never getting well. Now I just shivered, wondering why my life had to be this way. I didn't think I was a bad puppy.

As the days passed, I grew sadder and sadder, until the tenth day. On that day, a nurse walked into my room with a warm smile and exclaimed,"You're all better now! Are you ready to go home?"

I howled and ran all around the office. But which home was it? I ran out of my room to the front desk to see the nice lady check me out of the office. I hoped she'd never take me here again. As I jumped on her, she cooed, "Are you ready to go home? You're all better now! Are you happy, sweetie? Come on into the car."

I was placed into the car and driven home. When we arrived there, I realized my new home was casual and fun compared to my old home. My old home was all black while this had colorful walls, books, magazines, and a TV.

I felt myself being laid on a cushiony sofa. Curling up, I remembered what it was like at my old owner's house. I shivered but decided never again to give up hope or happiness, for I knew now that things can always turn out for the best. I'm still at this house, and I'm queen of it. I lie on my owner's beds with my head on their pillow. They don't punish me for pretty much anything. I even have a new name called Sasha. How do you like that? I love it; I love it just as much as I love my new home where I'm treated right. Life's great!

- Emily, 10, Alabama (PenPal #4423)