Hayley S.

Topic: Animal euthanasia

I open my eyes and look at the digital clock. It is 6:37 AM; time to wake up. I slowly take my two front paws and lean forward to get myself up. I immediately sprint to my owner’s bedroom and jump onto her bed. As per usual, I bark and lick her face until she gets out of her bed. As she smiles and pets my soft white fur, I think about how lucky I am to have such an amazing life. My owner’s name is Madison Rose. She named me Snowball, Snowy for short. Madison is 23 years old and I am 7. We live together in an apartment in San Francisco, CA.

Later that day, it looks like Madison is getting ready for a gargantuan event. She tells me she’ll be back in a couple of hours. She pets me with her small hands and leaves me a couple of delectable treats. As she hastily walks out the front door, I bark goodbye, and she promises she’ll be back soon.  

As the clock in the living room is turning and turning, I can tell it has been a couple of hours. I keep going to the front door excitedly every time I hear a noise outside. I start to get very perturbed; whenever Madison says she’ll be back soon, she's always back soon. Madison never lies. I talk myself into believing she’ll be back in the morning, and I go to sleep.

When I wake up the next morning, I hear footsteps walking in, and I get ready to give my delighted greeting to Madison. I dash to the front door, and it is Madison’s brother. Madison is always talking about him and I’ve seen him at family gatherings, so I know the coast is clear. I start wondering if today is another family gathering, maybe Thanksgiving or Halloween, I wonder. Madison’s brother starts sobbing as he weakly turns his head to look at me. He then falls to the floor and softly says, “She isn’t coming back.” He then says to himself, “She’s dead.” At this point, I am so bewildered. I think, what do you mean she isn’t coming back? I wonder what being dead means. I start barking, and I feel my heart fall apart. The next thing I can remember after that is sitting in the back of Madison’s brother’s vehicle. He wipes the tears off his burning face and says, “I’m sorry, I’’m sorry, I’m sorry.” I have never seen someone so agonized.

After what felt like forever, we drive up to a building that spells out the letters, A-N-I-M-A-L S-H-E-L-T-E-R. Madison’s brother picks me up and takes me inside. He tells them that he cannot take care of me anymore. I keep trying to tell him to not leave me, but he won’t listen. I bark so loud that Madison’s brother cannot even talk to the people who work there because he can’t hear his own voice. The next thing I know, Madison's brother is gone, and I am sitting behind a fence in an infinitesimal room.

I am petrified. I am using the one ripped-up blanket to cover my shivering body. I am trying to remain calm; the lady told me in a menacing tone that there would be consequences if I barked. I want to go home so badly. All I want is to have Madison telling me everything's going to be okay. I keep thinking about how yesterday she was petting my soft white fur. That sounds like a fantasy now.

The next morning I get woken up by a tall strange woman. She tells me I’m leaving, and I get so excited. I think to myself, “Finally, I get to go home to Madison!” She puts a hard chain leash on me and eagerly drags me inside the building. It hurts, but my thoughts about seeing Madison outweigh my pain. I get taken into a room where there is some nerve-wracking equipment. The lady in there says, “I hope you had a good life.” I feel my heart speed up, I feel I am having a loss of breath, and my entire body is shaking. I start barking, and barking, and barking, trying to fend for my life. The lady tries to manipulate me into believing everything's alright. She keeps repeating in a soft voice, “Everything’s gonna be alright.” I’m uncontrollably barking, and my body hurts from shaking so violently. The lady picks me up, and I try scratching her as hard as I can. She throws me into a little cage. I sit in the cage seconds before my life is about to be taken away from me, panicking. All of a sudden, I see fumes of gas come out at me from the sides of the cage, and I start shaking even more rapidly. I hear the lady yell, “He’s having a convulsion, it’s working!” This two minutes feels like two years to me. I bark one last time, trying to say, “Tell Madison I’ll miss her,” and I traumatically feel myself stop breathing.

Approximately 2.7 million dogs and cats have their lives stripped away from them in a shelter each year. Snowball was just one of them.

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.  

Kianna M., Aida N., & Sara R.

Topic: Animal abandonment


I started to see two new people. They looked like a couple. They went over to the golden retrievers and work their way down to the cockapoos and then to my siblings and me. They started to throw treats at me and started talking to me in a weird way. It was hard to understand them, but I just got super excited, and then they walked away. A few minutes later they came back with a person and the person said, “This one.”

After they carried me and put this weird thing on my neck, they put me on the floor and started pulling me. I tried to pull back, but they managed to make me move by using a loud noise like a squeaking noise, and they threw the toy pig into their car.

I got in. They drove and then stopped at another building called Petco. They left again, but this time they left me with water and some food and the window halfway down. I tried to climb out, but I was too short to reach the edge. Then they came back with big bags with food, treats, toys, some bath stuff for cleaning, and a big bed!

They walked out of the car and opened the door. I started to make a run for it. I heard my name being called: “Milo! Heel!” But I kept squirming, trying to break free by whimpering, and then I finally gave up trying, so they walked me inside, where I got cold water.

A week later, I heard my owners, Julie and James, yelling at me to get off the couch, to stop jumping on them, to stop going on the table and stop being “aggressive when being playful.” Another way they tried is by having a person with a loud whistle make me sit, roll over, and stop jumping. I would just lay there because I would be too tired, but I would get yelled at, and when we got home I went on the couch and fell asleep. They kept on trying to pulling me off the couch and started yelling at each other to stop yelling at me.

Then a few days later, Julie left and came back only two times a day.

She had been my favorite owner. I could tell that James did not like me too much. He would be the one to yell at me the most.

James tried to put me in a shelter, because he did not have the time to take care of me.  But I heard him once say I remind him of Julie, so both of them tried trainers again as a last resort, but again I would not listen. I would try this time, like I would roll over and sit, but by the time I got home I would start to jump on my owner, seeing if he wanted to play, but this time I scratched him so hard that he was bleeding on his arm. It was like living in a bad dream I could not wake up from. I wished I could tell him it was an accident, until he said with anger, “I have had it with you!”

I tilted my head with confusion, unsure of what he was talking about. He grabbed me and dumped me into the car, and I heard the engine start up. I barked, trying to ask him, “Where are we going?”

He shouted at me to stop barking, and I replied with a quiet whimper. I could tell he was mad about what I had done.

Suddenly the car jerked to a stop, and I nearly flew out of the seat. I looked out of the window. We had arrived at an old dog park. The owner got out of the car, opened the door where I was, and shoved me out of the car.

I wagged my tail, thinking we were going to play fetch, so he threw one of my favorite toys and I stopped, waiting for one of my favorite words. My owner stopped to think, then replied with, “Go get it, Milo.”

Now that was what I was waiting for, not knowing that I had heard it for the last time.

I ran to get the toy and ran back, but I was too late. He was already in the car and had driven off. I was feeling so many things: confusion, sadness… betrayal. And that was just some of it. Then I realized that I was running after the car. I could not catch up; that thing was fast! I slowed my pace to a walk, wondering where I was. Wow, I was hungry!

I smelled something, something that smelled like... CHICKEN! I ran to the source of that wonderful smell. A tall person was eating a chicken sandwich. I did the only thing I could think of: I tilted my head, looked up, and whimpered. The person gave me a look of disgust. How was I supposed to know that he was a cat person? His pants smelled of cats. He pushed me away with his foot softly and said, “Sorry, this is my sandwich.”

I tried one last time, but the person got irritated and kicked me hard on my side. So I gave up and tried other people, yet still I got nothing. Finally someone gave me a pathetic scrap of chicken.

I wagged my tail and gratefully ate it. She patted me softly on the head and left. It was getting late, so I found a spot under a bench. I was restless, but finally I forced myself to sleep. I woke up and still found myself under the bench. I wished this were a dream. I wished I were still on my comfy dog bed. I wish I had food.

Out of the things I miss, most would be my bed.

No… food. I miss that most of all. Or the way my owner scratched me behind the ear. Ugg, I thought he liked me. I put so much trust into him! I still don’t understand. I thought he liked me.

He took care of me. Why didn’t he just give up once he got me? I remember when we first met. He had looked at me and I saw the love in his eyes; he looked like he would never give me up. But yet here I was, under a bench, hoping for something that would probably never happen again. I walked to an alleyway and found some boys playing around. I barked playfully, wagging my tail. They gave me a strange look, and I did not like that look.

Before I could blink, one of them picked me up. He said, “Look at this tiny guy.” He was giving me an innocent look. He looked at the other boys and there was that same strange look again.

The other boy closest to me said, “Let’s play catch!” Then I was thrown at him.

They started throwing me around. It reminded me of one of those ball games my owner played sometimes where they throw a ball into a hoop. Uh-oh, next thing I knew is they threw me into a large trash can. I was paralyzed with shock. There were pieces of glass in there, and it looked like some got into my skin. I ate some roast leftover beef in the trash, trying to not eat glass. When I was sure they were gone, I got out and I felt very weak; I collapsed.

I woke up to the worst day. I had cuts and bruises, I was out in the streets miles away from my home, and I didn't have any food, water, or bags of treats for me. I tried to get up, but with the pain that I was feeling, I couldn’t stand up.

I was hungry, so I got up weak, tired, and hungry. I was walking slowly down the road side. I looked up to see no one helping me, just people trying to look away. I was so thin that I could see my rib cage. There I had ticks all over me, and fleas. I felt like I wasn't going to be able to survive to see tomorrow. When I was walking down the road, passing a park where there were kids and parents, I stopped by a tree, where I sat down in the shade. Kids came to see me, and I looked up to find the kids holding rocks. I knew right away, but it was to late…

They threw rocks at me, laughing, and ignoring the fact that I had my rib cage showing. Then one of them took things too far and threw the rock very hard at my leg. There was a sickening “CRACK”. They stopped. Some were surprised, while others were scared. Some of them were crying and ran to their parents. Others gave me a sorry look, and the one who threw a rock at my leg was in shock. My bones must have gotten weaker over time because of no food and fresh water. One of the kids came rushing, with their parents worried and shocked, They called the vet. then I fainted.

I woke up another day, inside a small room, with a bed and food and water.

I had a white thing on my leg, but I looked at the food and water and I rushed over there with the thing in my leg holding me back. I finished both the food and the water. I was wondering where I was. I started to panic, barking loudly, and then I heard a bark next to me, then another, and another. I thought to myself, “Where am I?”

Then people came inside and started walking to the hallway where the dogs were barking. I tried to back away, but there was that thing on my leg holding me back. I felt the pain rushing into my whole leg. They knew I was scared, so they tried calmly walking towards me, but I take a long time for trust. After all, I had my owner abandon me. They looked at my collar and tried my name: Milo.

I stared at them with a scared look in my eyes. They tried to pet me, but I scooted back more. They were persistent: “It’s okay, Milo, you are safe now. You’re safe with us.”

Safe? I was trapped by these strange smelly people. How was this safe? After all this, how could I trust anyone? I had to try; I would give them one more chance, just one. I got up and tried to see if she would be nice. She let out her hand, and then I licked her hand.

And she smiled.

Don’t leave your pets just because they have behavior problems. Instead, get trainers or teach them on your own. If you are moving and can’t bring pets, just give yours to a friend or a family member who can keep your pet safe.

Imagine if you were dropped off in a park by your loved ones. How would you feel? Left with no food, water, or shelter. How would you survive?

How would you feel if you were left with no one to look after you or want to help you, abandoned by the person you love most? How would you feel…?

Mahalia M. & Lily R.

Topic: Animal euthanasia

I knew that it was time. She had been suffering for too long now. She hadn’t been breathing well for the past few days, and just yesterday she was vomiting everywhere. Saige, my dog, was falling, and I didn't want her to suffer. Turns out, I was the one who didn't want to suffer.

Saige had been sick for the past two years. Now there was no cure. My parents had gotten her for me when I was 18 as an early birthday present, right before my parents business trip to Oregon with their co-worker (my mom’s best friend) Sylvia. I guess it was to say sorry for not being able to be there for my nineteenth birthday. It was just me and Saige after they left that morning. Two days later, while my parents were still on the trip, it was my birthday. I took a walk with Saige early that morning.

Later in the evening, I was going to go out to dinner with Rachel. I was going to drop off Saige at Rachel's mom's house so Saige and Sasha could hang out. (Sasha is Rachel’s dog and Saige's best friend; they have been friends for as long as I could remember.) We then would drive to Las Vegas for the weekend. We drove off early in the morning, a day before my birthday. In the middle of the week, on a Wednesday, I got a call from Rachel's mom. I was hoping Saige hadn’t gotten into any trouble.

I put the phone on speaker so Rachel could hear.

“Hi, Mrs. Ramirez. Is everything okay? Is Saige alright?”

I heard her about to speak, but then she paused. I was starting to get a little worried.

“Um, hello?” I said, getting a little nervous.

“Hi Bella... Saige... I know she has been dealing with cancer for the past two years now, but she is acting really weird today… She's not wanting to eat at all. All she's been doing is lying around not wanting to do anything. She doesn't even want to play outside with Sasha… Maybe she could be a little homesick, but I don’t know. She has never acted this way before.”

I could tell that Mrs. Ramirez was stressed out by the way she was talking. So I had to stay calm for her, to let her know that everything would be okay. Even though deep inside I was extremely worried.

“Thank you for letting me know, Mrs. Ramirez. You don't have to worry. Rachel and I will be on our way right now.” And I hung up.

We were finally at Rachel's house around nine hours later. I rushed inside without even know that the car was still moving when I got out.

I walked inside.

“Saige???”

I saw her lying down in the corner of the living room. I started running toward her. She was on the floor, breathing slowly, with faded eyes like she was close to meeting death itself. Rachel and I picked her up from the floor and put her into my car. We were heading to the vet.

I kept saying to myself, “Stay, please. Stay... with… me.” I started to cry onto her golden fur. I knew she never liked the vet. When we got there, I picked her up again and went walking into the vet with a tear down my face. I went to the front desk of the vet. At the front desk I was crying so much I could barely speak. Once they called Saige and me into the operating room, I felt my heart drop. I put Saige on the table, crying my eyes out.

They said, “We have to put her down. She is in a terrible state.”. I looked at the doctor, then at Saige.

I told myself, while looking at Saige on the operating table, “You have been my friend for a while. I don't want to let you go, but … I have to stop your suffering.” Fiction became a reality. “I LOVE YOU, SAIGE… But goodbye my friend, until we meet again…” the doctor walked over to the syringe. Then he walked back to the table and … injected her.

At that moment she lost all life in her and started to close her little eyes, and her paw slowly fell out of my hand, and her last teardrop fell down her soft golden fur. I felt better knowing we were able to end the pain, but I knew I would miss her so much. I took her collar off as I left the room Thinking, as I held her, the only thing I said was I love you, Saige. I hope she knew how much I won't forget her. Thank you for everything.

As I walked out, I felt that she was walking with me and barking happily like she always did.

I called my mom back to tell her what had happened.

“Bella, are you OK?”

“S-saige d-died.”

“I'm going over there now.”

She arrived.

“MOM I MISS HER SO MUCH!”

My mom gave me a tight hug.

“I love you, Mom,” I said.

“I love you, too.”

Once I got home, I placed Saige's collar next to my bed, trying to convince myself that she was still here with me and that she was still alive. I thought I felt her presence on the sofa with me, and I immediately burst into tears because I felt like I saw her still, but wasn’t here anymore.

I cannot believe she’s really gone now… and letting her go, I feel like I could have done more, and now I feel so guilty.

The loss of a pet is unbearable. But I had known the end was near. She became a huge part of our lives... especially mine. Her bed is empty now, and I don't hear her footsteps following me around everywhere I go. Everything reminds me of her. I feel her, but she's not here anymore. Everyday I wait and listen hard enough to maybe hear her bark again, but I knew that it was time.

She had been suffering for too long. Saige, she was falling, I didn't want her to suffer. Turns out, I was the one who didn't want to suffer. She was beautiful and sweet and I'll love her forever.

Nadia D. & Aaliyah R.

Topic: Animal hoarding

It was a long chilly evening. A family was coming back from their mother’s sister’s house, and in the car it was silent, and you can feel all the disappointment coming off the car like always. By the time they got home, Kira had told Millie to go to her room, and Kira had told Daniel to go downstairs. When he came downstairs, they started to have a conversation about taking a break for a while. While they were talking, Millie over heard and was thinking how this was going to all unfold. After that, Millie went to sleep. The next morning Millie woke up with her  puppy on her bed and some pancakes on her counter. Then Kira started to talk about how her relationship with Daniel wasn't going well.

Once they had told Millie the bad news, she started to cry because she was sad and never in one million years would she have thought her parents would go through a divorce. She was holding back her tears, so she went to go feed her puppy so she could get it out of her head. Then her dad left for his room and started to pack his stuff. While he was packing, Millie was thinking, What was happening? Why was he going to leave? To cheer herself up, she went to go play with her  puppy to get the thought out of her head. Twenty minutes later, she saw her dad walk out of the door nervously, looking like he was about to burst in tears.

***

Two months later, Daniel would see a dog on the street. He took food to the dog, and the dog took it, but as Daniel started walking to his house, the dog went in front of him and stared at him.

So he followed the dog. The dog took him to a big building, and behind it there were five little puppies and their father. They were yelping. So he took them and helped them, and once he took them to his house, he was thinking, ‘’I need to go get the dogs food and toys.” So he went, and when he was running to the store, he also thought that these dogs give him company because he was really lonely. When he came back from the store, the dogs came running to him because they could smell the dog food coming off from the bag.

***

Two weeks later, he started to have  trouble taking care of them. One of the puppies, Lucy, looked like she had a medical condition because when she would walk she would bump into things. Daniel thought she was gonna go blind. So he went on the internet to find out what was happening to her. He was extremely stressed because he didn't have the money and shelter for all of the dogs. He really still wanted to give Lucy a checkup but knew it was too expensive and he wouldn't have any more money for the rest of the dogs.

But he still tried to keep them all fresh and clean. After he had left his family, he had to move into his own proper house. It was a pretty small house, a good house for one person. So it was really hard for him, and he was really trying to give the dogs a good shelter. But none of the puppies or dogs had a lot to eat. They would all be crying because they were starving. Daniel came to the devastating conclusion that he was going to take them to the shelter so they could have a family that could provide them good shelter. He made this decision because he was not wealthy and didn't have a choice because the dogs were starving and had no food. Daniel couldn't afford to have these dogs and puppies.

Daniel was already going through a lot. He was really going to miss them. The next rainy morning, he took all of his dogs to the shelter. He was shedding tears all the way there. He had said goodbye to all of his dogs. His heart was broken because his dogs gave him comfort and gave him company because he was alone and did not want to feel that pain anymore. His last words to them was goodbye, and he gave them hugs and kisses. Just like the ones he had once given his daughter.  

Cooper P.

Topic: Puppy mills and pet stores

“Why won’t my dog fetch? Maybe he’s lonely.” I went up to my dog and started petting him. “I’m sorry, boy. Do you want another dog to play with?” Maybe I should buy a new puppy. I thought about the idea of getting a new puppy for the whole day, but I could not decide, so I just went to sleep and thought about it more the next day.

I woke up and I went outside to walk my dog. Whenever I wake up, my routine is to walk my dog out on the sidewalk because there are dirt and plants right next to it. Sometimes I run into other dogs, but my dog is calm about seeing other dogs. If it is a dog that doesn't like my dog, my dog does not like the other dog. That dog usually barks viciously at my dog, and I just simply keep walking.

I got home and asked my wife if it was a good idea to get a new puppy, and I gave her the reason that our dog seems to be getting lonely. She said it was a good idea. “Cooper, you hear that? You’re getting a new friend!” Cooper is going to be happy when he gets his new friend, I thought to myself. It was 12:30, and I had to be at work at 1:15, so I had to leave soon. My work was really close, but I had to prepare.

After I was done with my work, I went over to a pet shop over at the mall to buy a new dog. I was looking at the different dogs that they had, and I picked this small white bichon frise. A question came in my mind before I wanted to ask how much the dog was.

I said, “Where did you get this dog from?”

The clerk said, “This dog was bought from a puppy mill.”

“What is a puppy mill?”

The store clerk looked around for his manager or a fellow employee. Once he realized no one else was there, he said, “I’m not supposed to tell you this, but at a puppy mill, the mother of these dogs is forced to keep on making puppies until the mother hits the point where she cannot make anymore puppies, and then they dispose of the mother.”

I said, “What do you mean by dispose?”

The clerk said, “By dispose I mean kill.”

I thought to myself, That’s really harsh. How could they do such a thing to a poor dog? Then I said, “They don’t do anything else, do they?”

The clerk looked for anyone else and then whispered, “They also treat the dogs really badly, and most of the time the dogs end up having something deformed about them. The owner of this company only buys dogs that have no special conditions so that normal people would buy them.”

I thanked the clerk. I walked out and got into my car, decided not to get a dog there, and drove back home.

Once I arrived home, I told my wife all the details about how the people get the dogs at those pet shops, and I told her that we should not buy a dog from a pet shop.

She asked, “What are we going to do for our dog then?”

I said, “I don’t know. Actually, I’m going to go back and ask him for a better alternative.”

She said, “Are you sure he will actually give you the information you need? I mean, he does work there.”  

I said, “I actually don’t know that, However, worth a shot. It’s not that far away either.”

I drove to the pet shop and asked the clerk if he could suggest to me where to get a dog, and he said, “I already gave you enough information, why should I tell you this now? This is my job, you know.

I said, “My dog Cooper really needs a friend because I think he’s getting lonely.”

The clerk said, “I’m sorry, I know how you feel. I think my dog is feeling the same thing. One suggestion for you is to go to the humane society down the road. The humane society accepts dogs no matter what, even if they have been rescued from a bad home or if they were stray before, and they care for them and wait for someone to adopt them.”

I said, “Thanks for the help. I’ll rate this place low on Yelp but I’ll mention that you did a good job.”

The clerk said, “Have a nice day.”

I then drove to the humane society.