chewy

                Hello!  My name is Chewbacca and I am a five year old chocolate lab.  Even though I am only five years old, I have had a lot happen in my short life.  I am going to tell you about the two families I have had, my life on the street, and where I ended up. 

                So…in the beginning I lived with a really nice family that got me as a puppy from a farm.  I don’t remember much about that farm, but I do remember the Jones’ family who raised me.  They were really nice.  There was a mom, a dad, and a little boy named Timmy.  Timmy and I played all the time.  I even got to sleep in his bed every night. 

                One day I was out in the yard, just minding my own business, when I found the front gate open.  I am usually supposed to stay in the yard, but today I decided to sneak out of the gate and check out the neighborhood (there were so many good smells to indulge in!).  After some time passed, I realized I was not on St. Paul Street anymore; I was lost.  Before I could begin to freak out, I noticed a mailman across the street.  Well, you can probably guess what happened next.  I started chasing that mailman down one block, then the next, and when I stopped to look around, I had no idea where I was…again.  I let the mailman go and started to retrace my steps.  This was pretty easy because of my excellent sense of smell.  I was on a roll at first when I got distracted by a squirrel (I HATE squirrels)!  I chased him from four blocks and finally got him up a tree.  I was in real trouble now.  I had no clue where I was and I was starting to get hungry.  I tried to find my way home again and felt like I was making progress.  My hunger panes were getting worse, so I started sniffing for food instead of finding home.  Then, like I had willed it to me, there was a bag of leftover McDonald’s right in front of me.  It was amazing!  I had to find more right away. 

This began a three week journey to find every scrap I could get my paws on.   I found trashcans in alleys, leftovers littered on the side of the road, and even dead animals (I know, gross)!  Pretty soon I had forgotten all about getting home to the Jones’ family and was in survival mode.  I thought about them from time to time, but it became less and less as the days passed. 

One day when I was on my usual route to find scraps, I saw a van drive by me multiple times, but I wasn’t really paying attention.  All of a sudden as I was munching on chicken bones, I felt a net around me and I was being put into that van by two humans I did not know.  You would think I would have been angry, but I was terrified!  I had no idea who these people were or where they were taking me.  I think I even had an accident (how embarrassing)!  The van wasn’t so bad and neither were the humans, but I was still scared.  We rode in the van for about 15 minutes and then it stopped.  The humans put a leash on me and brought me into a HUGE building where there were lots of people and other animals (dogs, cats, and rabbits).  I was put into a cage with a cement floor and a bowl of water.  I had another accident (again, embarrassing)!

After cowering in the cage for what seemed like hours, but in reality was probably only minutes, a human came to get me and we went to a different room.  In this room there was a human with a white coat who started poking and prodding me.  I didn’t like this very much.  When that was all done I got put back in the cage and someone fed me.  I hadn’t eaten in awhile, so I ate really fast and I didn’t feel full.  I took a few steps towards the water dish and suddenly puked up everything I had just eaten.  I felt bad about making a mess and I just went to the opposite side of the cage and lay down.  I looked around for a little bit and my eyes started to get heavy, so I took a nap. 

I awoke suddenly when I heard a commotion; there were dogs barking, humans talking, and other weird noises.  I was coming to the conclusion that I didn’t really like this place.  All of the days started to blend together and everything was routine now.  I didn’t get any sleep at night, so I was always tired.  In the morning, I would get fed in the cage and then someone would take me outside for a walk.  This was my favorite time of day because I got a chance to get some fresh air and get out of the “commotion zone”, as I liked to call it.  After my walk, I usually tried to take a nap; the key word here is tried!  I got woken up a lot by barking dogs or humans tapping on the glass staring at me.  I got another walk in the afternoon and then dinner.  I was pretty bored all day, so I just slept and felt depressed.  I am not sure how long I was at this HUGE building, but I remember clearly the day I got out.

It started out as a regular day (breakfast, walk, nap, etc).  There were a lot of people in the HUGE building today, but they all looked the same and I had no interest in them.  I was busy taking my afternoon nap when this couple walked by me.  I usually don’t pay any attention to people as they pass, but there was something special about these humans.  The woman stopped briefly, but kept going down the aisle looking at all of the dogs.  The man, however, stopped and looked at me for a long time.  He left and brought back the woman.  I couldn’t tell what they were saying, but a couple minutes later I was brought into a tiny room with them.  I was a little nervous because I didn’t know who they were, but they were petting me and giving me treats, so it wasn’t so bad.  I thought it was going pretty well, but then I was brought back in the cage.  I looked and sniffed around and the decided to just go back to my nap. 

I was interrupted shortly after that when a lady came and got me again.  I was brought to that same room and the same couple was sitting there smiling down at me.  There was lots of talking and then everyone got up and the woman grabbed my leash.  I was thinking, “What is happening to me?”  They took me into a pet shop inside the HUGE building and were picking out all of this stuff (food, bowls, collar, leash, toys, etc), which I now know was all for me!  The three of us went outside to their car, but the last time I had been in a car was in that van that took me to the HUGE building, so I wouldn’t get inside.  They tried giving me treats, coaxing, and finally the man picked me up and put me in the car.  Once I was in there I was fine and the woman drove off.  We didn’t go very far and pulled up to this beautiful house with a huge backyard.  We stayed out there for awhile and I was leery, but secretly loving it.   

The thought hit me that this could be my new home.  How did I feel about this?  Was this good?  Or was this bad?  I was leaning towards good, but I thought I should give it a couple days before I made up my mind completely.  I didn’t want to get my hopes up.  I mean, I had really gotten used to being independent and looking out for me, myself, and I.  Now, I would have to get used to trusting humans for everything.  I think I could do that…or at least I was going to try my best.