My New Dog Neechi :: Essays Papers

My New Dog Neechi The time I got my first new dog, Neechie, from the Clarion Humane Society was real joy. I remember making the phone call to the Humane Society in Clarion, Pennsylvania, on July 5, 1994. I had just asked the volunteer worker who answered the phone, â€Å"Do you have a little dog there that needs a loving and caring home?† She said that they had just received a little puppy a few days before. My heart leaped in my chest. I was so excited that I wanted to get there as fast as I could. My friend and I drove off in my car to the Humane Society so fast that I did not notice anyone or anything from my house to our destination. It was like we were traveling at the speed of light. We were at my house; then instantly we were there! As I pulled into the parking lot, I saw the large cement building. It looked so cold and expressionless, and I barely noticed the small, old, ragged sign that hung between two poles about four feet off the ground. â€Å"Definitely not hip on the advertising, † I thought to myself. Then all sorts of thoughts came over me like a rushing river. I was so excited and so happy. I felt heroic because I was going to save a little dog, from â€Å"The Pound,† as some people would say. I don’t like that term, but I soon understood it after I entered the building. The first thing I remember was the smell. It was like a still stagnant pond, almost lifeless and algae ridden as if it could not breathe and needed a refreshing rainfall to bring life back into it again. The sounds I heard were of rattling metal and clanging noises from the dogs and cats pawing at their cages and tipping over their dishes with excitement and hopes of a new and loving home where they would feel safe and loved. Oh, how my heart ached as I looked around at wall-to-wall cages filled with wagging tails and exultant eyes. After the initial shock of it all, my thoughts went back to my little puppy. The volunteer greeted me happily and led me to a little room where the small dogs were kept. There she was I saw her right away! She sat so still and patient, her little black nose almost touching the cage bars.