I'M A DOG...by Penny Eims, Examiner.com

I am a dog. I am a living, breathing animal. I feel pain, joy, love, fear and pleasure. I am not a thing. If I am hit, I will bruise, I will bleed, I will break. I will feel pain. I am not a thing.

I am a dog. I enjoy playtime and walk time but, more than anything, I enjoy time with my pack - my family - my people. I want nothing more than to be by the side of my human. I want to sleep where you sleep and walk where you walk.

I am a dog and I feel love...I crave companionship. I get too cold and too hot. I experience hunger and thirst. I am a living creature; not a thing. When you leave, I want to go with you. If I stay behind, I will eagerly await your return. I long for the sound of your voice. I will do almost anything to please you. I live to be your treasured companion.

I am a dog. My actions are not dictated by money, greed or hatred. I do not know prejudice. I live in the moment and am ruled by love and loyalty. Do not mistake me for a mindless object. I can feel, and I can think. I have emotions. I understand perhaps more than you do. I am able to comprehend the words you speak to me, but you are not always able to understand me.

I am a dog. I am not able to care for myself without your help. If you choose to tie me up and refuse to feed me, I will starve. If you abandon me on a rural road, I will experience fear and loneliness. I will search for you and wonder why I have been left behind. I am not a piece of property to be dumped and forgotten. If you choose to leave me at a shelter, I will be frightened and bewildered. I will watch for your return with every footfall that approaches my kennel run.

I am a dog - a living, breathing creature. If you choose to take me home, please provide me with the things that I need to keep me healthy and happy. Provide me with good food, clean water, warm shelter and your love. Do not abandon me. Do not kick me. Do not dump me when your life gets too busy. Make a commitment to me for the entirety of my life, or do not take me home in the first place. If you desert me, I do not have the means to care for myself. I am at the mercy of the kindness of people - if I fall into the wrong hands, my life will be ruined. I will experience pain, fear and loneliness. If I wind up at an animal shelter, I have only my eyes to implore someone to save me and my tail to show you that I am a friend. If that is not good enough, I will die.

I am a dog. I want to give and receive love. I am not a thing. I am not a piece of property. Please do not discard me. Please treat me with kindness, love and respect. I promise to repay you with unconditional love for as long as I live.

HAVE A LITTLE "HOPE"

A very pregnant "Hope" came to the New Nodaway Humane Society's Animal Shelter as a stray in early 2010. Not long after Hope gave birth to six adorable puppies. What to do ... what to do? The shelter staff LOVES puppies and had already formed a loving bond with Hope. But, as is often the case, the facility was full beyond capacity and short-staffed.

The NNHS Rescue Team contacted a top-notch Lab rescue near Chicago. Our rescue friends did not hestiate for an instant. They would take Hope and her babies into one of their available foster homes. Soon thereafter, Hope and the kids made their way to "the windy city."

Just recently, our good friends in Chicago hosted a "Hope Family Reunion." Hope, her six babies and all the new owners were invited and attended. They're pictured above (from left to right: Otis, Laney, Bella, Kobe, Halo, Momma Hope in black harness, and Wrigley).

Hope, you did good!