Personal Narrative: Buying A Dog

Hello pretty people, Sam here. I went through a specific process when picking Cooper to be my first dog. I wanted to walk you all through that process to hopefully make it easier on you when trying to pick out a dog.

Being the middle child, my parents have always taken the older sibling on trips and so when the opportunity came around for a trip. The time was 11:00 am. The date was June 3rd, and the destination was San Francisco. When we arrived at the airport and were waiting to get on the plane the time flew by; 3 hours felt like 30 minutes. I waited anxiously for the plane to take off and when it did, my stomach turned upside down. I knew there was no turning back now. We landed at the San Francisco airport, and my parents told me we got a rental car, and I got to pick it out. I chose a slick, deep red Chrysler; the idea of that car gave me a spring in my step.

When my sister and I got home and there was a tiny crate in the corner of the living room. I asked my mom, “Are we getting a puppy today?” “I guess you’ll have to wait and see” she said.

Upon arriving at the house I was greeted by an adorable little Labrador/Pit-bull mix she was very energetic and

Even though the Longmont Humane Society has glass walls to provide an enjoyable view for it’s clients, from the employee's perspective it is a chaotic environment that is difficult for anyone to handle. Upon entering one is immediately immersed into the deafening chorus of barking dogs, drowning them like a massive wave swallowing an unsuspecting sandcastle. As one begins to adapt, the different barks become audible. The hound’s low, prolonged bark resonates deep within one’s chest like the vibration of a tuning fork. The small dog’s high pitched yapping is easily discernible among sixty other canines. Over the course of the day, various smells overpower the nose, from the acidic smell of stomach bile to the ammonia laced urine. The most dreaded mess of all is the masterpiece of the finger painters.

It was a bright sunny day my family and I just adapted a beautiful lab mixed with a great dane. We were in my mom’s van heading to Petco. My family and I were going to Petco to get all the supplies my new puppy needs. So, we pull in to the parking lot of Petco.

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

“Oh yeah, we were thinking Brett for the first name. As for the middle name, we were thinking Michael after the angel Michael, who aids and defends people.”

The road is so flat and straight; you can see them coming from a mile away. Six runners flow in arrowhead formation around the Canadian city of Saskatoon. The early November air is still and dry, the sky overcast, and the temperature hovers a bit above freezing, just as predicted.

I’ve been chasing my dreams for year and than an opportunity pop up to try to reach it and succeed. I had a 5:00am flight out of Phoenix to Chicago to Kalamazoo and four Chihuahuas. This event was so important to me and I spend $10,000 to get there That day I spend the whole day at the airport and I was so tired from waking up 1am in the morning to get there on time. By the time I got to the hotel I wanted to sleep and relax after a crazy day I had. The next day was a Thursday in June and mom and I went to the dog show site to check things out and become familiar with the surroundings. When I got there everything was so big and elegant. It was like heaven to me and I couldn't believe I made it to the Inventional Premier dog show. I was so excited I thought my heart was going to bump out of my chest. I couldn't wait to show the next day. After a long day of walking around and seeing friends from Arizona and California we went back to the hotel to get dinner and some rest. The next came and I was pumped for the big day! I walked over to ring one and took a spot front row in the stands. It was 8:00am which was my time to shine. I showed my four little Chihuahuas against 10 other dogs in our breed.

At this point I had never seen a puppy, well I should say never owned one. Belle and Grace our dogs were messing around and play fighting like they usually did. As I grew closer to Earth I noticed I live in a small world and need to get out in the open.

I named the german shepherd Duke! We did absolutely everything together. There was never a dull moment. We would wrestle, run, and take long walks in the park. The dog never left my side unless I was going to school. Then my parents would have to put him on a chain or he would run after the bus!

There names were Toby and Keith, We had some trouble halter breaking these two and at the fairs were really hard too, they thought they couldn’t be separated. We did good that the New Haven Fair, I placed third in class with Toby and Fourth in class with Keith. They both were in different classes so that worked out well for me. Next was the big discussion, I had to pick which one I was taking the the Washington Town and Country Fair. I choose Keith for this fair. I had to say my goodbyes to Toby because the farm we originally purchased him from needed a market, so they purchased him back. We got lucky because I broke even with that sale. Keith placed fourth out of six lambs in class. Next was the auction, we sold him to an old buyer: Sandy Stierberger, she came back this year. I was very excited to see her

it was a great choice. I am able to provide a great life and environment for such an amazing dog.

My family felt like picking out a name for me as the first child was exciting. They had