|
|
|
Writings by Young
Adults
Reba, Animal Abuse At Its
Worst
by
MJHuber, 02/26/02 I'm
a twelve year old volunteer at an animal shelter in Green County, Wisconsin,
a no kill establishment. I try not to get too attached to the
dogs I see (it never works) but I found one dog who was really
special.
It was a cold day in December, over Christmas break. I was bundled
up like the abominable snowman and had come over to the
shelter to walk some dogs. I'm a big dog person myself, so after a breakneck
run with a coonhound, a greyhound mix and a husky collie
cross, I was ready for a slightly smaller animal I went to the back cages
to take out a lab when I noticed a small form at the
back of her cage. I entered, and the form turned out to be dog, hunched
in the corner. She was a black lab crossed with something,
little flecks of beige filled her otherwise black coat. I spoke to her,
and she got up, tail between her legs. We see a lot of abuse cases at this
shelter, and this little one was showing all the warning signs. I reached
out a hand and she backed away. The other two labs
in her cage were barking like mad, they wanted a walk. Gently, I moved them
aside. Slowly, Reba made her way towards me. I stroked
her gently, trying to gain her trust.
Soon she let me snap the leash on her, and we made our way out of the shelter's
din to the dog track across the street. The area is
a construction site, and a path runs around it. When construction was finished,
they gave us the area around the radio tower to walk
the dogs on. I soon discovered I had no need for a retractable leash, Reba
was glued to my side. I started to run however, and
Reba ran with me. The dog was lightning fast, with a sleek, agile body.
Despite her odd markings, when she was in motion, she
was beautiful. I was panting long before she was, but she to eventually
tired out, and we sat in a nearby gravel hill to rest.
As I sat facing Reba, I couldn't imagine anyone ever
hurting her. She was gorgeous, maybe not in coat, but in heart. I moved
to get up, and (Now I swear this) the dog put a paw
on my shoulder as if to say, "wait, stay with me." I sat back down, and
she put her other paw on my shoulder and began to lick
my face. I pulled her too thin body towards me and hugged her tight. It
took me awhile to realize I was crying into her fur.
I just couldn't understand how anyone could hurt her. Right there, in the
frozen twilight, I hugged that dog and I spoke to her, aloud,
with only the stars to hear us. "Reba" I told her "I promise
you, never ever will I let anybody hurt you ever again. Now you promise
me that you'll keep on fighting for another chance,
that you'll never give up okay?" She licked the tears off my face, and I
hugged her once more and brought her in out of the cold.
As I left, at around nine that night, I talked to Cheryl, the head of the
shelter, about Reba. Sure enough, she had been abused,
then abandoned by the side of the road. She'd come in a few weeks ago, badly
in need of vet care. I made it my mission to get a
home for Reba. Every time a person came in who looked sincere, I would lead
them to Reba's cage. She is still waiting for a home,
but I am convinced she'll make it. If anyone deserves a second chance,
it's that beautiful dog who taught me so much that night.
|
If you shop at Pick ‘N Save and aren’t already enrolled in the Pick ‘N Save Advantage® WE CARE donation program, please consider choosing ENAH as your charity of choice. It’s easy to sign up at Pick ‘N Save’s Service Desk and the program is free. Once signed up, every time you shop with your Advantage Saver’s Club card, Pick ‘N Save will donate a percentage back to ENAH. Our organization number is 208875.