Zoey P.

Topic: Animal spaying

“Mr. Wade, bring your little pup to the back and we’ll check her out!” shouted the vet tech from behind the counter. Mr. Wade held his six-month-old Pit Bull puppy, Cookie, in his arms, and followed the vet tech into the back room. He set her down on the examining table and took a seat. Shortly after, the veterinarian came in and did a quick check over the pup’s record. She nodded and smiled.

“Alrighty! So, it seems that she’s around the age that she should be spayed,” the vet said. Mr. Wade frowned and gazed at his dog. The puppy looked back at him and wagged her tail wildly, letting out a loud bark.

“I don’t think I will. I’ve heard how it changes your dog’s personality. I won’t have it!” He snorted. The vet let out a long sigh.

“Those are misconceptions, sir. If anything, it’ll help Cookie behave better! Make her gentler. Make fewer accidents in your home. And if she has puppies, it’ll just be adding to the many overpopulated dogs on the streets,” the vet countered tiredly.

But Mr. Wade was a stubborn man. He frowned and shook his head. “I think we’re done here,” he said as he picked up his dog.

***

I watch the people’s feet passing by under the bushes. My mother Cookie isn’t back yet. She’s out getting food for us. She left her human a while ago.  

“Olive, how’s Pine?” I bark. My little brother, the runt, is really sick. He can’t get up.  My little Tsister Olive turns to me. Her ears are lowered, and she lets out a whine.

“Bad. I think we should just leave him alone,” she murmurs. I nod and curl up into a ball. I begin wondering about where my mom is at, when a round object falls from the sky and lands right next to me. It’s small and blue: a human toy. I stand up and look to my sister. NO is the last thought I think before a human pup bursts through the bushes after the ball. It scoops up the toy and begins to look away when it notices my limp brother. He drops the toy, and begins to make his way to my brother. In a split second I launch myself at his feet and sink my teeth into him. He gives out a loud cry, which draws the attention of the grown-humans. A female human comes through the bushes and sees us. She calls something to the other humans.

A deep growl rises in my throat. I rush towards my siblings, and stand in front of them. Can I protect them? The answer becomes clear when the female human picks me up and tosses me to the side. This is my last chance. I sprint towards the human again and bite her. I will not let go. Not as long as she’s coming for my brother and sister. She stumbles backwards, and I take this chance to grab Pine by the scruff.

I turn around to find that Olive has already scattered into the bushes. I yank Pine into some underbrush. Thorns lace the branches of the bushes. Humans don’t like thorns. I hide Pine under a pile of leaves.

I turn around and race towards the voices of the humans. I run under their legs and try to escape their grasps. I make it a few paces down the street, when a man comes and grabs me from behind. He has his hand clamped around my muzzle. I stop struggling. He has won. I just pray that he doesn’t find Pine.

***   

Barking. So much barking. It’s all that I can hear. I’ve been trapped in this place for a while now. If Olive hasn’t been caught yet, that’s good. Maybe she’ll take care of Pine. The humans provide a bed, water, and two meals each day. It doesn’t make up for the smell of urine, though. I walk over to my half-full food bowl. It stinks. I put my brown paw over my nose. That’s when I hear a tap, tap, tap coming down the hallway. The sound of footsteps approaching rapidly. A tall human man comes up to the barrier separating me from him. He puts a small object into a hole, and the barrier opens up. I’ve learned not to fight anymore. He reaches down and picks me up. We begin down a long hall, when I catch a whiff of something. Fear. An overwhelming sense of dread flows over me. Something bad is about to happen to me. I begin to wiggle under the tight grip of the man’s paws. The grip only becomes tighter. We make two turns and finally show up at our destination. He opens the door, and we go into a small room. There are more humans in there. They are standing around dressed in white. There are all sorts of human objects lying around. Scary things have happened in this room. The male human sets me down on a cold table. A woman comes over to me with a long pointy-looking object. I close my eyes and let out my best growl. She talks in a soothing voice.

“Stay away,” I snarl. She doesn’t get the point. I try to run off the table, but am caught by another woman’s cold hands. She puts me back on the table. No. I have to make it back to Pine. Please. Don’t hurt me. I let out a long, drawn out whimper. The woman strokes my head all the way down to my tail. It feels. . . nice. This is the first time I’ve felt warmth from a human. I begin to let my guard down and close my eyes. I feel a sharp prick on my hind leg, and a drowsy feeling consumes me. I wanna go home! The fear has faded away into a side thought. All that is there now is a hope that everything will be okay in the end. For me, for the other dogs, and for my family.