There is an extraordinary amount of animals that find their homes in shelters and have a heart filled with love dreaming for a family to love them back.People all over America make resolutions when the clock ticks midnight, making it a new year. They want to see a change in their lives. This year I want to see something change in our community. In 2018 I want more rescue animals finding a home and shown love. There is an extraordinary amount of animals that find their homes in shelters and have a heart filled with love dreaming for a family to love them back.
Recently a new pet store has sprung in the Mall of Georgia . People all over Gwinnett are racing to visit and to purchase their prized pooch. Little do they know, that the animals come from puppy mills. These puppy mills are over-breeding dogs in inhumane environments for a cheap dollar. When you take home a dog from stores like this, it contributes to the scandals of puppy mills. Yet, right around the corner, there are hundreds of dog shelters with sweet loving dogs looking for a home. There are so many dogs that have dreamed their whole life to have their own home and be shown some love. Just because they are in a shelter doesn’t mean that the dogs are mean. In fact, the animals in shelters are more likely to be kind, loving ones that are thankful for love. Most of the animals that dwell in the shelters have either been abandoned or abused.
In fact, rescue dogs are something that hits close to my heart. On December 26, 2012, my family brought home a two-year-old Boxer from a local rescue shelter. He was the sweetest dog I had ever met and was extremely loyal to our family. He previously had been abandoned, but rescuing him gave him a second chance and a true family. My rescue dog, Mojo, became a part of my family. He was no longer my pet; he was my baby brother. Mojo cheered me up when I was sad and was always right by my side. Mojo had the sweetest little heart and cared about us more than humans could. In October 2017 he got diagnosed with cancer in his spleen, and just recently we had to put him down. This tragedy brought many emotions, one of them being hope. Yes, hope. The hope that I feel is to save other dogs like him, so they could have a loving family that brought out the best in them. My rescue brought out the joy and love in me and he changed my life forever.
The change I want to see starts with you, instead of adopting a dog from a puppy mill, adopt one from a shelter. Or just encourage people to rescue animals. This action will slowly decrease the puppy mills and save dogs who deserve love. Rescue animals are worth every ounce of love, energy, and time. Trust me; they will change your life.
Sydney Jones is a freshmen at Dacula High School. She is a member Exploring Venturing Program at the Gwinnett Citizen.