My First Year I Am

I heard the faint high pitched beeping of my alarm clock as I opened my sleep covered eyes. I attempted to roll out from under my covers but immediately retreated as I felt the chilly spring air touch my skin. While I was mustering up the motivation to get out of bed, I glanced at my alarm clock. “11:00 AM” it read in boxy, glowing numbers. Had I really slept in that long? I finally rose from my bed, traveling down the stairs to make myself some breakfast. “Hi, girl!” I greeted my dog where she was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs. I smiled to myself as I turned on some music, opened the fridge to retrieve some eggs, and turned on the stove. It felt like a fine Saturday morning until I remembered that I had a lacrosse game later

I have always loved the feel of an early morning. Back home I used to wake up early to go fishing with my dad. The blue sky with rays of oranges and yellows always soothed me. However, this morning had everything that I have always loved, but it had an ominous tone to it. It had rained the day before so the only noise that I kept hearing was the splashing of boots on the murky mud.

The day began with an abrupt start. My alarm went off, and I was wondering to myself why I had set it to wake me up so early. I then remembered, today was the day I was finally able to meet and take home my new chinchilla named Luna. On the way to the home that had my soon to be chinchilla, me and my father stopped for breakfast at Chick-Fil-A.

Pet Hotel is a learned job. You will not be expected to be able to perform any of the following job duties without first going through a training period. In addition, we are all always learning from each other and from the dogs, and experiencing daycare first-hand is the best way to learn dog behavior and to become comfortable with acceptable types of play. You will never be asked or expected to do anything for which you are not fully trained and comfortable. As a part of our team here at Pet Hotel, you will be responsible for supervising play in our busy doggie daycare program. Much of the job involves monitoring play while being aware of various play styles and ensuring that all dogs are safe, stress-free, and having fun. You will also be

As pet owners of a thirteen year old dog, my husband and I face a difficult decision moving forward. It is our responsibility

I am suddenly awaken, my dog Rangers is nosing me in my neck with her cold wet nose. I pretend that she did not wake me; she then persists and begins to lick my face. Get up she says, I got to potty. I look over and it is 0525, five minutes before my alarm sounds off. I think to myself I just want to lie there for a few more minutes but Ranger is pining to go outside, I can tell she is about to get boisterous and wake the entire house. Today is Wednesday, 18 August 2015; this is how my day begins.

For many of our raisers, turning in the dogs at the end of the year is the greatest challenge, For Mike, “It is not hard to give them up because I know they will go on to help them more that I need them,” Says Mike, “It’s not that I don’t get attached to them because I do. If you raise a dog for a year and don’t get attached you’re probably in it for the wrong reasons or have something wrong with you. It’s just that I know these dogs can make a real

Around 18 months, it’s clear that Stella had started to become self aware, by talking to herself when looking in the mirror and smiling. I try to let her become more independent while still staying in control because she still needs guidance at this age. By the time Stella begins preschool, she is potty trained with a few accidents here or there, and seems to be advancing well socially, physically, and mentally. She had a bit of trouble when she started, becoming scared that I would not come back to get her, but after I reassured her, she seemed to calm down as soon as I left, demonstrating a bit of object permanence, that just because I am not there does not mean I have disappeared forever. She is a bit shy to start, but warmed up making it evident that she is a slow-to-warm up child according to Thomas and Chess (Thomas and Chess, 1977.) She is not a very active child, preferring to play by herself with her toys. When she gets stuck on something, I try and scaffold to support her, rather that doing it for her (H Snyder, lecture notes, September 20th, 2017.) By age two, Stella continues to explore the world around her, and my partner has been spending more quality time with her when possible. We are saving up to buy a home, so in order to save money we try and do inexpensive adventures with her (Manis, 2008.) Stella’s emotions have expanded, and by age 3 she is able to express these emotions with ease. When Stella is 3, I give

Walking up to the shelter only to find that the dog we wanted is being taken home by another family, we thought we wouldn't be getting a dog today. But when we found her, we were glad that the other dog was taken. Her black, slicked back fur shedding off of her perfect dog body. Her black beady eyes are bulging out of her head with the look of excitement. Unable to hold herself back she breaks the leash that the vet was trying to hold her back with. Running to us, she slips and falls on her head. We don’t have a second to worry because she jumps up and starts licking our faces with her slobbery tongue. By the time she is tired from licking our faces, we feel as if we just went swimming in a pool of melting jello

When I was a child I lived in a rather desolate area. We were the only house on our lonely street. Now you may think, “ Wow he must have been rather bored without any children to play with.” I would have to tell you that you are incorrect. While I had no human companionship, I had wonderful pets that were my most dear friends. I have shown a love for animals from a young age and that feeling has not changed with age. While other children were out playing with their friends, I was found in our backyard playing with my dogs. I was as happy as i could possibly be when I was with them. These experiences I had in our house on that lonely street have sparked my interest in becoming a dog trainer.

It was a hot, summer morning in late June when I heard barking outside my door. It was my dog, lucky, trying to wake me up. I got up and went downstairs.

The sun was kissing the horizon; the day was just beginning, and the sweet sounds of the birds morning sound had awakened me. I was sitting in the same spot I do day after day, happy and well rested. I awoke from my peaceful slumber with a large, clanging chime that echoed off the walls and the roof. The sounds of footsteps stomped down the stairs, and there, as always, was Todd. And as he always does, he shuffled his way to the kitchen and turned on the coffee. Finally, as the aroma of burnt coffee grounds filled the air, a new day had begun.

Numerous people have pets that accompany them through life. Cats, rabbits, birds, and dogs are popular household pets. They keep their human owners company and quickly become part of the family. Owners refer to them as their "children," and younger kids in the family consider pets to be their "siblings." Immediately, an unbreakable bond is formed between pet and owner. Cuddling with dogs or cats seem to cause stress to disappear. Everything seems to be okay when a dog or cat sits on your lap. There is a lot of love there. Additionally, dogs seem to be the most popular pets, although I do know lovely "cat people." Actress Maggie Lawson, (Psych) knows all about dogs, how they are our best friends, and why we should all love them.

For years, I convinced myself that the story of my life began when I arrived in America at eleven months old. I tumbled through the clichéd white-picket-fence childhood, never realizing how impossible it was to completely discard the first year of my infancy. While I had always known about being adopted from China, I did not fully comprehend the weight of this detail until my late teenage years.

It was also a great responsibility that my parents entrusted me to take care of. I had to feed her, keep her groomed, and of course teach her the correct way to act. My dad taught me that you always make sure that your dog is fed, before you feed yourself. This lesson I didn’t figure out to later in life was meant for not only my