Nellie
Looking back over my life I wonder if I was really worth saving. Why me? Why at the last minute did some family agree to take me in?
It was Monday morning and the shelter staff were checking the list of who was going to die that day. I was on that list identified simply as the Little Aussie.
I knew a little about death. I had seen my first owner murdered by her jealous boyfriend. There had been a lot of shouting and screaming. I tried to bite the boyfriend but he kicked me hard and I ran off.
I heard my owner scream “No! No! No!” I heard a horrible loud gunshot and the screaming stopped. The boyfriend ran out the door and my was life changed forever.
After my owner died her uncle took me to his dirty little house where I stayed in the backyard with another dog named Henry. There was a covered porch and a couple ratty dog beds.
Me and Henry got fed when the uncle remembered to fill the bowl with cheap dog food. We drank filthy water from old pans left out on the grass. We never went anywhere or saw a vet.
One time an animal control officer came to talk to the uncle. I guess a neighbor had complained that we weren’t being treated right. The officer made some suggestions about how to make our lives better, but nothing changed.
Years went by. Henry died. I quit caring about anything other than my next meal. Then one day I saw a hole in the fence.
The fence was old and tired. One of the boards quit trying to stand tall and fell over. For the first time in years I could see life on the other side of the fence.
There were people walking dogs on leashes. Kids playing ball. Some guy strolled by eating a hot dog. Suddenly I was so hungry. I wanted that hot dog. I wanted to go for a walk. I wanted someone to pay attention to me. I wanted to be loved.
I squeezed through the opening in the fence and headed down the street to what I hoped would be a happier life. But it didn’t turn out that way, at least not at first.