# Shelter Dog Poem



## teeneythebetta (Apr 29, 2012)

Do I Go Home Today?​By Sandi Thompson ~​​My family brought me home 
cradled in their arms. 
They cuddled me and smiled at me, 
and said I was full of charm. ​​​They played with me and laughed with me, 
they showered me with toys. 
I sure do love my family 
especially the girls and boys.​​​The children loved to feed me, 
they gave me special treats. 
They even let me sleep with them 
all snuggled in the sheets. ​​​I used to go for walks, 
often several times a day. 
They even fought to hold my leash, 
I'm very proud to say. ​​​These are things I'll never forget 
a cherished memory. 
I now live in a shelter 
without my family. ​​​They used to laugh and praise me 
when I played with that old shoe. 
But I didn't know the difference 
between the old ones and the new​​​The kids and I would grab a rag 
for hours we would tug. 
So I thought I did the right thing 
when I chewed the bathroom rug. ​​​They said that I was out of control, 
and would have to live outside. 
This I did not understand 
although I tried and tried. ​​​The walks stopped, one by one; 
they said they hadn't time. 
I wish that I could change things, 
I wish I knew my crime. ​​​My life became so lonely, 
in the back yard on a chain. 
I barked and barked all day long 
to keep from going insane. ​​​So they brought me to the shelter 
but were embarrassed to say why. 
They said I caused an allergy, 
and then, kissed me goodbye.​​​If I'd only had some classes, 
as a little pup 
I wouldn't have been so hard to handle 
when I was all grown up. ​​​"You only have one day left," 
I heard the worker say. 
Does this mean a second chance? 
Do I go home today?​​Source: http://www.treetopsrescue.org/info/display?PageID=1868​


----------



## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

So Sad.


----------



## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

ChoclateBetta said:


> So Sad.


+1

This made me tear up a little.


----------



## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

Me too.


----------



## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

dogs are so innocent they never deserve that...I know I would never give up my baby. He gets on my nerves sometimes but I love hime so much. I neer want to have my own human children but I feel like he really is my little baby.....Without all the things about a human baby I don't want ...


----------



## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

There are some dogs that arent innocent. Sadly no one wants to help those dogs.


----------



## BeckyFish97 (Apr 9, 2012)

makes me cry when I read stuff like this, its so wrong!!! The owners believe it is all the dog's fault-My grandma bred dogs since she was a young woman, she taught me to love and respect the animal, and the one thing she always made sure I knew is that it is never the dogs fault! I was young when she told me this, and didn't learn to understand the true meaning of it until I grew up, I now see-if an owner wants a guard dog they teach them to be aggressive and don't understand why they are unable to handle the dog that was once so sweet! (most often I see it is pitbulls-actually when trained properly one of the sweetest and most loyal dogs you could find(90% of dogs in shelters in the UK are pitbulls) The ones that never attempt to discipline the dog then complain that they ate the kids stuffed toy, or a shoe, or took some meat off the counter, or ran on the furniture-who's fault?NOT THE DOGS! and every one of them suffers, every single one suffers for the mistakes that were not their own. If it is being put down for being over aggressive or spending the rest of their days in a shelter wondering what their mistake was, every single one of them suffers. Makes me so sad to think of the many dogs out there that deserve so much better!!! 
Anyway, I found another poem here! Got it in a booklet from eves puppy training class:

*Rescue Pets Christmas poem*

*"Tis the night before christmas and all through the town*
*Every shelter is full-we are lost but not found.*
*Our numbers are hung on our kennels so bare,*
*We hope every minute that someone will care.*
*They'll come to adopt us and give us the call,*
*'Come here, Max and Sparkle-come fetch your new ball!'*
*But now we sit here and think of the days*
*We were treated so fondly-we had cute, baby ways.*
*Once we were little, then we grew and we grew,*
*Now we're no longer yound and we're no longer new.*

*So out the back door we were thrown like the trash,*
*They reacted so quickly-why were they so rash?*
*We 'jump on the children, don't come when they call',*
*We 'bark when they leave us, climb over the wall'*
*We should have been neutered, we should have been spayed,*
*Now we suffer the consequence of the errors THEY made.*
*If only they'd trained us, if only we knew,*
*We'd have done what they asked us and worshipped them too.*
*We were left in the backyard, or worse-left to roam,*
*Now we're tired and we're lonely and out of a home.*
*They dropped us off here and they kissed us goodbye,*
*'Maybe someone else will give you a try!'*

*So now here we are, all confused and alone,*
*In a shelter with others who long for a home.*
*The kind workers come through with a meal and a pat,*
*With so many to care for, they cant stay for a chat.*
*They move to the next kennel, giving each of us cheer,*
*We know that they wonder how long we'll be here.*
*We lay down to sleep and sweet dreams fill our heads,*
*Of a home filled with love and our own cosy beds.*
*Then we wake to see sad eyes, brimming with tears,*
*Our friends filled with emptiness, worry and fear.*

*If you can't adopt us and there's no room at the Inn,*
*Could you help with the bills and fill our food bin?*
*We count on your kindness each day of the year,*
*Can you give more than hope to everyone here?*
*Please make a donation to pay for the heat,*
*And help get us something special to eat.*
*The shelter that cares for us wants us to live,*
*And more of us will, if more people will give.*

*Writer unknown*


----------



## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

Some of the sweatest dogs I met are Pit Bulls. Some Mutts can be overly aggressive and not be anyones fault.


----------



## rubinthebetta (Oct 9, 2012)

ChoclateBetta said:


> Some of the sweatest dogs I met are Pit Bulls. Some Mutts can be overly aggressive and not be anyones fault.


Maybe some mutts. I know mine is really sweet.


----------



## Maddybelle (Sep 29, 2012)

I have volunteered at my local Humane Society since age 12. Let me tell you, it is not for the faint of heart. Mine is SO much better than most. You walk in and you feel like you've steped into a daycare center. It's clean, smells nice, the people are friendly, and the animals are very well taken care of. Once an animal has passed a health exam and a temperament test, they are put uot on the adoption floor. At my shelter, once an animal is put up for adoption, they are not EVER put down for lack of space. No "3 days and they're gone". We will keep an animal until they find a forever home. Cats are kept together in large rooms with kitty furniture and lots of toys, and theire litter boxes are changed 2-3 times a day. Dogs are kept in 4x8 kennels with walks and time to run around in the outdoor play yard several times a day. Some dogs go kennel crazy and start pacing and/or barking. These guys are fostered in the staff's offices until they get better or find a home. If we get a really sweet dog that is especially scared, unsocialized, or depressed, everyone gives them special attention. Our staff and volunteers have a habit of taking these guys home, either as fosters or permanently. Even with all these wonderful things, it is still a shelter, and we can't save everyone. 

I remember this one cat, I probably always will. One of the clinic/intake staff came over to me and asked if I has any experience washing cats. I said yes, shat's up? She said there is a cat that this gentleman brought in, covered in motor oil. I mean, COVERED. When I saw the poor thing, I thought he was a solid black cat. Well, I got him in the tub, wetted him down, got out the Dawn (figured it works for oil covered penguins...) and started scrubbing. The poor little guy was very skinny, but so very sweet. Usually when you wash a cat, the try to run away from you. Not this baby. He climbed into my arms and just shook. He had obviously been someone's baby before this started. I held him for a few minutes, and tried not to cry. I got about 1/2 of the oil off of him when I realized: this is a mostly white cat with patches of brown tabby. A few of the staff members and volunteers saw that I could use some help washing this poor distressed animal, so before long there were 6 of us taking turns scrubbing this cat. When we got as much of the oil off as we could, one of the other volunteers took him into the back to get dried off, fed, and looked at by a vet while I took a potty break. I went back to check on him, and the lady that brought him to me was carrying him over to the clinic in a towel. She told my the bad news: this poor creature, who had so many people helping him and already loving him, had feline leukemia. Feline leukemia is very expensive to treat, and is incredibly contagious. Our shelter doesn't have the resources to care for an animal with this disease, so he unfortunately had to be put down. This tiny cat was in my life for less than 2 hours, and I'll never be the same person. Saving animals isn't easy, and there are times when you feel like giving up, but you know that even if you leave, there will always be injustice, neglect, and cruelty. There will always be another motor oil covered cat. All you can hope for is to save those you can, and give those you can't a few hours of love, comfort, and a warm meal.


----------



## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

Every animal deserves a chance.Thats why I am agianst PeTA.


----------

