In the middle of October in 2014, the sun beats down on the earth and people buzz happily about their business. Inside a cage, the weather hardly affects me. I sleep, eat, poop, and whine all day in the same small box. Could you imagine my excitement when I finally saw hands come to scoop me up and carry me toward an equally excited family? Uncontrollably ecstatic, I tell you! The family who visited me that autumn day actually took me home. I got a bath, a collar, a name, and away we went! At first I felt nervous, but over the first year I learned to adore my new family and home endlessly. The next year and a half of my life contains my best memories – so many of them, I can only recount a few.
My best friend came to be my new sister. She would run around with me in the backyard and take me for plenty of walks, only to come home to a snuggly nap. I love her so much. I see her going out more and more, leaving before the brightness of the sun wakes anyone else up. She tells me its school, but only a couple more months and she will always be home with me. With this in mind, I start to wake her up in the mornings before the alarm sounds to assure she lay with me for a moment. Sometimes she sits up suddenly and curses, exclaiming how she woke up late. Then, one by one all the other members of my family wake up and leave. My other sister, daddy, and then mommy. Mommy turned out to be the busiest of them all, assuring my sisters always leaves on time and daddy eat a good breakfast. She even makes sure I eat and go outside. To my disappointment, even mommy leaves. She leaves me inside my cage with treats and toys surrounding me. Once my sister comes home from school, she immediately runs to release me from my cage, eager for an embrace. She would soothe me, “My puppy! I missed you,” and then carry me around the house until she sat down with textbooks. By then, everyone else would be home and I would have plenty to do.
Love comes easily to my family. I could run into every room and eyes would light up while arms open wide for me. I love my family, for they became everything to me almost immediately. Even better, they love me back. Each day of my enchanted life occurred in this loving fashion for over a year. My best memories include them each time. Late into the evening, my sister drives me to the park knowing no other dogs would be there. She carries me through the gate and releases me, allowing me to run, faster than Forrest ever could. The exhilaration of those nights will never be surpassed. A sunny weekend with mommy and daddy also comes to mine. Out on the boat with them, we speed through the ocean, forcing mist into the hair and through our lungs. The wind flaps through my ears and flows through mommy’s hair while daddy smiles toward the sea. You could see his passion for the water and their love for each other – such a beautiful day. It could have begun to storm and it still would have felt as though the sun was shining. I wish moments like those lasted forever.
The weekends soon came to be my favorite days, for they contain my sister’s only free time. She counts down the days. One hundred… sixty-four… forty-nine… I could see the anxiety and anticipation within her. Teachers hit her with piles of homework, but she pushes through every time. It appears to me like snapshots of a marathon, my sister dashing persistently through each obstacle she faces. Everyone speaks of her graduation, proud of her honors and success. “Just my exams left,” she would assure me as she shut her door every night, studying alone. My love for her gave me patience to endure missing her every day. I look forward to her opening my cage door every afternoon and the nap that soon follows. Enough to sustain me, I count down the days with her. Forty-one… thirty…
At one year and nine months, my cage closed for the last time. My loving family ran after me, but how could I stop? The gate remained open and Forrest could not outrun me! The whole world became mine as fast as I lost it. Suddenly, I felt pain and heard screaming. My sister caught up to me, already in panicked tears. Daddy scooped me up, but everything hurt so much. I felt the metal door closing in on me. The cycles of my life were cut off, ending in this moment. No more boat rides and park visits. What could anyone do? I’d never see her wear her golden gown and smile with her diploma. I don’t want to leave. The pain stops suddenly as daddy carries me and I yelp once more before the door shuts. A hot April day, my family falls somber before me while the world hums normally around me one last time.
My best friend came to be my new sister. She would run around with me in the backyard and take me for plenty of walks, only to come home to a snuggly nap. I love her so much. I see her going out more and more, leaving before the brightness of the sun wakes anyone else up. She tells me its school, but only a couple more months and she will always be home with me. With this in mind, I start to wake her up in the mornings before the alarm sounds to assure she lay with me for a moment. Sometimes she sits up suddenly and curses, exclaiming how she woke up late. Then, one by one all the other members of my family wake up and leave. My other sister, daddy, and then mommy. Mommy turned out to be the busiest of them all, assuring my sisters always leaves on time and daddy eat a good breakfast. She even makes sure I eat and go outside. To my disappointment, even mommy leaves. She leaves me inside my cage with treats and toys surrounding me. Once my sister comes home from school, she immediately runs to release me from my cage, eager for an embrace. She would soothe me, “My puppy! I missed you,” and then carry me around the house until she sat down with textbooks. By then, everyone else would be home and I would have plenty to do.
Love comes easily to my family. I could run into every room and eyes would light up while arms open wide for me. I love my family, for they became everything to me almost immediately. Even better, they love me back. Each day of my enchanted life occurred in this loving fashion for over a year. My best memories include them each time. Late into the evening, my sister drives me to the park knowing no other dogs would be there. She carries me through the gate and releases me, allowing me to run, faster than Forrest ever could. The exhilaration of those nights will never be surpassed. A sunny weekend with mommy and daddy also comes to mine. Out on the boat with them, we speed through the ocean, forcing mist into the hair and through our lungs. The wind flaps through my ears and flows through mommy’s hair while daddy smiles toward the sea. You could see his passion for the water and their love for each other – such a beautiful day. It could have begun to storm and it still would have felt as though the sun was shining. I wish moments like those lasted forever.
The weekends soon came to be my favorite days, for they contain my sister’s only free time. She counts down the days. One hundred… sixty-four… forty-nine… I could see the anxiety and anticipation within her. Teachers hit her with piles of homework, but she pushes through every time. It appears to me like snapshots of a marathon, my sister dashing persistently through each obstacle she faces. Everyone speaks of her graduation, proud of her honors and success. “Just my exams left,” she would assure me as she shut her door every night, studying alone. My love for her gave me patience to endure missing her every day. I look forward to her opening my cage door every afternoon and the nap that soon follows. Enough to sustain me, I count down the days with her. Forty-one… thirty…
At one year and nine months, my cage closed for the last time. My loving family ran after me, but how could I stop? The gate remained open and Forrest could not outrun me! The whole world became mine as fast as I lost it. Suddenly, I felt pain and heard screaming. My sister caught up to me, already in panicked tears. Daddy scooped me up, but everything hurt so much. I felt the metal door closing in on me. The cycles of my life were cut off, ending in this moment. No more boat rides and park visits. What could anyone do? I’d never see her wear her golden gown and smile with her diploma. I don’t want to leave. The pain stops suddenly as daddy carries me and I yelp once more before the door shuts. A hot April day, my family falls somber before me while the world hums normally around me one last time.