MY NEW LIFE

My “now” name is Shorty, I am a almost 5 year old Chihuahua. I can’t remember what my name was before a really wonderful and kind lady gave me the life I now have, I think the reason I can’t remember is because no one ever really called me by any special name before. I do remember other things about my old life, most of it was not very good. It seems my past person had me for one purpose only and that was to breed me and make more puppies since, as you can see, I am quite a good looker. Where I lived back then there was a bunch of little kids with loud voices which scared me alot they also were not too nice to me they were very rough and often hurt me, they made me want to run and hide in a safe place. That safe place was a cage which I was left in sometimes for a very long time, when I did get out of it I was usually locked outside in a yard all by myself. I liked being by myself because of those darn kids inside but sometimes I was left there for a really long time during the day, sometimes it was really hot and sometimes really cold and sometimes it was windy and rainy. It seemed to me I was either panting or shivering and I was always hungry as I only got a small bit of food at night when I was put back into my cage. I remember some good times though and that would be when my people would bring a cute little girl dog to spend some time with me in my cage, I really liked those girls, they really smelled good and we would play alot until someone would take them away and I would never see them again, that would make me feel really sad and lonely. I would wonder where they went and why they never came back to play with me, I guessed they just didn’t like me although they seemed to when they were with me, maybe I played too rough for them, I’ll never know.

Then one day I heard the people say to someone that I was too small to do my job right and I would have to go to another place to live. Part of me was a little happy and part of me was very scared. Where was I going to be going I wondered and would it be nicer there or would there be more loud and rough kids, I was confused as this was the only place I had ever known. Well, it just so happens I had a really bad earache and the people took me to a place that makes things feel better and I heard the people talking about how I needed a new home or I was going to go to some place where other unwanted dogs go. There was a lady there who said she would take me and try to find a home for me. The feel better people said they would put my picture on something called a web of theirs to see if someone would see it and want me. I went home with that very kind lady and that night she allowed me to stay in her nice warm and cozy house in a crate. She would take me out and let me walk around her house but I didn’t go too far because I didn’t know what to do in a house so I would run back into the crate. The next day she took me in the crate in her car and that is when my life really began.

We stopped somewhere and she took me out and two ladies were looking at me and saying how cute I was, my lady told them my ears hurt and needed medicine in them every day and she thought I may have something wrong with my head because I didn’t act quite right. Those new ladies didn’t care about my bad ears and head as they took me right home with them.

Life has been great ever since, the main lady, who now says she is my mommy, named me Shorty and she loves me very much. I stay in the house all of the time now, sleep on her bed every night, she takes me to get fixed if I am sick, has my teeth taken care of when they hurt. During the daytime I sleep on her couch or in one of the comfy beds she has for me. She even bought me some things they call toys and she tries to get me to do something called play with them, I never had these things before so I don’t know how to do that thing called play with them. She also gives me these bone things to chew on and I really like those things. She also feeds me good stuff and I have gained a whole pound in the almost three years I have been in my new life and I weigh over four pounds now. I also have new friends to keep me company, two other dogs like me and three cats. I don’t care much for those cat things because they like to hide around the corners and jump out and scare me when I walk by. I used to run back to my bed crying the whole way they scared me so much but I am much braver now and I just run from them and don’t cry. Sometimes when I am feeling really brave I stand my ground and try to bite them but they are much better than those kids I used to live with. Little kids still scare me and I always want to bite them but my mommy just tells kids not to bother me and to stay away. I don’t like to go out for long walks like the other dogs, I am afraid if I get too far from my nice home I will never get back. Whenever my mommy calls me to come to her I always run the other way because I am afraid I will be hurt really bad if I do even though I know in my heart my mommy would never hurt me but I just can’t help what happens inside my head sometimes.

It turns out there never was anything wrong with my head and my lady just says I am her special little man and she loves me just the way I am because she is my mommy and that is what mommies do. I love her so, so much.

Every night when we are all in our bed together I look up toward the sky and tell whomever it is that is suppose to be up there how grateful I am for my mommy and the new life she gave to me and I wish that other dogs who are in a bad and unhappy life get a second chance like I did.

Shorty…my mommies special little man.