Every morning I get woken up by my dogs paw on my face. Slobbering and jumping around, letting me know it’s time to get up and go outside.
Every day when I leave for class he sits at the door and watches me until I’m out of sight.
Every day when I come home, I find him still sitting at the door waiting for me. When I open the door he greets me by jumping around, wagging his tail, yelping with joy, and panting with excitement.
Every night he lays down next to me, snuggles his head inside my arm, and snores in my ear all night.
I adopted my dog Diesel when he was three months old at a pet shelter in South Carolina. He was brought in after being abandoned on the highway for a few days. At first he was mangy, and had patches of fur missing on his ear and lower leg. On the other hand, he was goofy, weird, and awkwardly happy, which is obviously why I fell in-love with him instantly!
It’s been a year since I adopted Diesel. Since then he has; peed, pooped, and threw up all over my apartment, Chewed up the furniture, and several other important items, dealt with a bit of fear aggression, and even peed on my friends face while he was sleeping on my couch.
No matter what he does though, I still love him.
Here are some videos of Diesel and I.
Dogs are a lot of work, especially big dogs. When people adopt a puppy, and then complain or reject the responsibilities that come along with it, I get infuriated. What the hell did you think was going to happen? The dog would instantly be potty trained and behave like an angel? I’m sorry, did you get insulted the first time someone put a diaper on you, toss it aside, and claim it was unnecessary? No, you didn’t. It took months for you to learn to use a toilet, but until then you simply shit in your pants. So why the hells do you expect so much more from a dog?
Way too often do people give up, and bring their pets back to the shelter they adopted them from. Unfortunately, that dog is no longer a cute puppy, and the chances of them getting adopted again have plummeted. Also, they’re going to have to deal with being abandoned all over again! Imagine how confusing and upsetting that must feel.
“I’m sure my pet will get adopted though,” whatever helps you sleep at night. Here is a recent Facebook post that offers some insight on what happens during these instances.
I had to spend 21 hours volunteering at a pet shelter. The same shelter I adopted my own dog from. I imagined having to play with the abundance of puppies and cute animals that we all see out in the front room. I was sadly mistaken.
After being brought straight to the back, an area I didn’t even know existed within the pet shelter, I was instantly terrified. It was a maze, of different square cages, stark and dirty, containing one or two dogs each. Not one happy dog could be found, all you hear is whining and barking.
All I wanted to do was play and walk with every single one of these dogs! Every time I simply pet one of them they would immediately start to glow, but then when I had to leave they would cry and scratch at the cages for me to come back. I felt like I was abandoning them every time I had to walk away.
The worst of it all came during feeding time. There was a pen outside in the back, containing three dogs. 2 larger dogs, and one medium sized hound. When the hound tried to eat some food, the other two dogs ripped it to shreds. By the time I was able to get help and get the dogs off of the smaller one it was too late. The dog was still alive, but very bloody, and had a broken leg. The next day I heard that the dog was dead, but I already expected as much.
Every day I’m playing with my dog, I think about how easily he could have been just like those poor animals still trapped in the shelter. I’m happy I saved him, but wish I could’ve saved more of them. I hope people start to realize how serious it is to adopt a pet, and stop returning them to places like this. If there is NO OTHER CHOICE, then my advice would be to put the dog down yourself. At least this way you are their with them when they go, and they don’t have to suffer.
I apologize for this depressing post, but it’s what’s on my mind currently. If you are someone who is able, I highly recommend adopting an animal from a shelter. These pets are a lot of work, but are the most loving. BUT DON’T DO IT UNLESS YOU ARE PREPARED TO TAKE ON THE ANIMAL FOR THE REMANDER OF ITS LIFE!
I’m thankful every day for the life I’ve saved.
