Gus: Thinking of the shelter dogs.

My mom told me today that October is Adopt A Shelter Dog Month. I think it's important to remind people that there are lots of dogs who need homes. I was one of those dogs twelve years ago. I don't remember much about how I ended up in the shelter 'cause I was just a pup. What I do remember is the smell of chocolate, sugar, brightly colored wrappers and lots of human feet. I'm pretty sure that was before I went to the shelter, 'cause when Mom told me the story of how she found me it all made sense.

Mom stopped by 7-11 to pick up a newspaper. It wasn't the usual 7-11 that she went to. For some reason, and now we know why, Mom went to a different store that day after work. She walked in to find a little tri-colored puppy (me!) cruising the candy aisle sniffing all the goodies. There were plenty of people walking around in the store, but nobody paid much attention to me. The store clerk said she thought someone in a black truck dropped me in the parking lot. She'd tried to keep me out of the store, but I kept sneaking back in. Well, you know Mom, she couldn't leave me there. Dad and she were headed for vacation the next morning, so she took me to the animal shelter where she was a volunteer and asked them to keep a special eye on me. Two weeks later she was told I was adopted. Turns out that was a mistake. It was three months before Mom realized I was still at the shelter. She came to get me immediately. I was so happy to get out of there. I know the workers and volunteers tried to help, but there were so many of us animals that they couldn't give us much individual attention.

I remember the shelter being loud. There were lots of barking dogs and banging food bowls. Every now and then someone who worked there would say, "Hey, buddy," as he cleaned my run or fed me. I also remember that it wasn't very comfortable. The towel provided me wasn't much protection from the cold, hard floor. Looking back on my stay at the shelter, I think I know why I have a few nervous tics today. I guess when you have bad experiences as a puppy, you can't help but carry those feelings the rest of your life.

The good news is that my life today is much, much better. In fact, it's almost heaven! I sleep on Mom and Dad's bed, play with my own toys, and get lots of big hugs and kisses.

I love to lie on Mom and Dad's bed with my red Kong, Sebastian Bunny and Molly Meerkat.

My prayer is that all shelter dogs could find a family like mine who will make them feel safe, warm, and loved. If only every home could have a dog and every dog could have a home.

Love,
Gus

***My mom is trying to get the word out about Adopt A Shelter Dog Month, so she wrote about it in the Daily Mail's blog Cap West's Pet City.