Today
a family came and bought me!Oh
happy day!They are a nice family,
they really, really wanted me!They
had bought a dish and food and the little girl held me so tenderly in her
arms.I love her so much!The
mom and dad say what a sweet and good puppy I am!I
am named Angel.I love to lick my
new humans!
The
family takes such good care of me, they are loving and tender and sweet.They
gently teach me right and give me good food, and lots of love!I
want only to please these wonderful people!I
love the little girl and I enjoy running and playing with her.
Today
I went to the veterinarian.It was
a strange place and I was frightened.I
got some shots, but my best friend the little girl held me softly and said
it would be OK.So I relaxed.The
Vet must have said sad words to my beloved family, because they looked
awfully sad.I heard severe hip dysplasia,
and something about my heart… I heard the vet say something about back
yard breeders and my parents not being tested. I
know not what any of that means, just that it hurts me to see my family
so sad.But they still love me, and
I still love them very much!
I
am 6 months old now.Where most other
puppies are robust and rowdy, it hurts me terribly just to move.The
pain never lets up.It hurts to run
and play with my beloved little girl, and I find it hard to breath.I
keep trying my best to be the strong pup I know I am supposed to be, but
it is so hard.It breaks my heart
to see the little girl so sad, and to hear the mom and dad talk about “it
might now be the time”.Several times
I have gone to that veterinarians place, and the news is never good.Always
talk about congenital problems.I
just want to feel the warm sunshine and run, and play and nuzzle with my
family.
Last
night was the worst, pain has been my constant companion now, it hurts
even to get up and get a drink.I
try to get up but can only whine in pain.I
am taken in the car one last time.Everyone
is so sad, and I don’t know why.Have
I been bad?I try to be good and
loving, what have I done wrong?Oh
if only this pain would be gone!If
only I could soothe the tears of the little girl.I
reach out my muzzle to lick her hand, but can only whine in pain.
The
veterinarian’s table is so cold.I
am so frightened.The humans all
hug and love me, they cry into my soft fur.I
can feel their love and sadness.I
manage to lick softly their hands.Even
the vet doesn’t seem so scary today.He
is gentle and I sense some kind of relief for my pain.The
little girl holds me softly and I thank her, for giving me all her love.I
feel a soft pinch in my foreleg.The
pain is beginning to lift, I am beginning to feel a peace descend upon
me.I can now softly lick her hand.My
vision is becoming dreamlike now, and I see my Mother and my brothers and
sister, in a far off green place.They
tell me there is no pain there, only peace and happiness.I
tell the family, good-bye in the only way I know how, a soft wag of my
tail and a nuzzle of my nose.I
had hope to spend many, many moons with them, but it was not meant to be.“You
see,” said the veterinarian, “Pet shop puppies do not come from ethical
breeders.”The pain ends now, and
I know it will be many years until I see my beloved family again.If
only things could have been different.
(This
story may be published or reprinted in the hopes that it will stop unethical
breeders and those who breed only for money and not for the betterment
of the Breed.Copyright 1999 J. Ellis)