Ella, Waiting for You

I think I'm going crazy. Crazy, as in if I don't get outta here soon, I'm gonna have a breakdown and become some insane mutt that chews through cages just to get some attention.

I've been here too long.

Every day, I spend my time cooped up in a kennel, watching as people walk past me and look past me and choose not to stop. I watch as they glance at me and disregard me as just another black dog in a shelter full of black dogs. For a long time after I got to the shelter, I would sit in my kennel as people walked by and I would stare at them and try to convince them to stop and look at me. To stop and give me a chance. I was quiet and I was polite.

But no one ever stopped.

So I tried something different. I tried to be loud, to be the loudest one in the room, the one who would be sure to get attention because I was different. I was loud. I stood on my hind legs and pressed myself up against the cage bars. I barked and barked, louder and louder, begging those families to stop and give me a chance. With each bark, I pleaded with the kids and the women and the men to please stop walking, to please notice me and want me.

They just walked faster.

And so when there's no one in the room, when it's just me and a bunch of other dogs, all waiting for our families to walk in and discover the pup that will make their life complete, I have a lot of time to think. I have time to wonder why it is no one wants me.

My owners didn't want me.

The shelter people asked my owners for a reason, for an explanation on why they were dropping me off. They said I was destructive outside. I wanted to shout that I didn't destroy things and bark and run for no reason! I was bored! I wanted to be loved, I wanted to be a part of the family, to be wanted! All I ever wanted was for someone to love me. For someone to care about me as more than the cute dog in the backyard.

Wasn't I worth that?

Now my new potential families walk past my kennel and they don't stop to see how great I am. There's a girl who volunteers her time at the shelter and she's taken a liking to me. She takes me out for walks and we went for a car ride to downtown the other day. She tries to get people to notice the good things about me.

I'm not all bad.

Why can't people see that I'm not just another black dog, but that my fur ranges in colors from charcoal gray to dark black and white on my chest? Why can't they see that, if they give me a chance outside of my kennel, I never bark or make any noise? Why can't they see that I'm super fun to walk on a leash because I don't pull and I don't charge off into the unknown, dragging my walker behind me? Why can't they see that I don't have tons of energy and love to snuggle with my person? Why can't they see that I love kids and want to be their best friend? Why can't they see that I like to play with other doggies, as long as they respect that I'm the boss? Why can't they see that I'm a great size to be an indoor doggie in a house that's kitty and small animal free because clearly small mammals were made to be chased? Why can't they see that I'm special and I'm unique and I'm one-of-a-kind?

Why won't they give me a chance?

It's not my fault I'm going crazy. I've been here since forever and, for the first time in forever, I can't see a future that leads outta here. I need someone to cut me some slack and give me a chance. I need someone to see that I, Ella, am ready to be their forever dog.

I am Ella.

Penny Girl

My name is Penny. The people in blue tell me that I'm awesome and that I'm sweet. They tell me that I'm the best dog ever. But still I sit in this cage, waiting and watching and wondering:

Why am I unwanted?

It can't be that I'm a bad dog. I'm not. I'm actually quite a sweet dog. When I'm around kids, I take it super easy. I go really slow so that they don't get scared because sudden movements and loud noises can be scary, take it from me. I love kids so I don't want them to be nervous around me. I want them to love me and so I can love them back.

It's been a while since I've been loved.

It can't be that I'm not a calm dog, I like nothing better than the couch or the bed or the tiny little doggie bed that doesn't actually fit. People look at me and think I'm going to be this crazy dog with huge spurts of energy. But I'm not. I'm chill and laid-back and easy-going. I think people would like that. I think they would love me.

But clearly I'm wrong.

I can't explain it and I can't make it go away. I can't tell you why no one wants me and no one loves me. I can't tell you why my owners didn't care when I got lost and why they didn't come for me. I can't tell you why I'm still here, in this cage, after 64 days.

I wish I could explain it all.

I wish I could say that my owners moved or got sick or honestly couldn't care for me anymore. I wish I could say that there's something wrong with me or something that keeps me from getting adopted. I wish I could say anything to keep the truth hidden.

The truth that no one wants me.

No one wants a plain, brown wrapper dog. No one wants a dog who isn't unique, no matter how kid-friendly and dog-friendly and cat-friendly I am. I am just another pup in another kennel in another shelter. I do not stand out. I am not super hyper or fluffy or attention-grabbing. I am just another brown face in a sea of brown and black faces.

But let me tell you what I am.

I am loving. I am friendly. I am loyal and I am sweet. I am incredibly special to the people here and to the volunteers who love me. I could care less about cats and I am friends with every dog who comes my way. Kids make my world go round. I am grown and I am calm. Surely, there is someone out there who wants a pup like me. There must be a family out there for me somewhere.

I am Penny.