I will always remember that very first Christmas morning. I could hear the wind outside and it seemed to be raining, because I could hear the drops hitting off the window. It was dark, but I was warm enough, in my bed. I had peed in my sleep and parts of my bed were wet, so I tried to find a drier part but I peed there too. I don’t do it on purpose, it just happens and it smells a bit. I was a bit scared, because I had been taken from my mammy, brothers and sisters. These people had placed me in a box and into a strange object, which made a strange noise and we seemed to be moving for a while. Then, I ended up here, in this strange house.
After a while, I could hear people approaching and I could hear happy voices. I sat up and the door opened in front of me. There were two small children there with their mammy and daddy and they seemed really happy to see me. I wagged my tail and moved towards them, although I didn’t really know if it was okay to do so. If my mammy was here, she would know what to do and she would go first, but I had to be brave and do it myself. I felt rubs from the children and it was nice, very nice and then a little more pee escaped. The daddy seemed to be a little bit annoyed, and he got a few cloths to clean it up. I looked back and he was throwing my bed outside. “He’s only a little puppy”, I heard the mammy say.
There were loads of bright coloured packages in another room and there was a tree, with really nice lights flashing on it. The children were really excited and they were all laughing and having fun. I walked over to them and they started showing me all these really nice things that they had got. Another small bit of pee escaped, because I was really excited. The daddy got a bit annoyed again; I was beginning to feel he didn’t really like me. They all went up to another room, where there was a really nice smell of food. I walked around, smelling the ground and they threw some scraps onto the ground. The scraps tasted nice and I enjoyed eating them. After a while, they went away and the house was silent. I was back out in my original room now, but they forgot to give me back my bed. The floor was cold and I was really thirsty and still a bit scared. I really wish I was still with my family, because I miss them and my mammy is really warm to snuggle up to.
After a while, I heard the people coming back and the children opened the door to my room. There was a small bit of pee on the floor, but the daddy person cleaned it up. He opened the door and they put me outside. It was really cold and the rain was hurting me. I took a few sniffs around and waited at the door for them to let me in. After a while, there was no sign of them, so I cried a little and the door opened. I walked in and there was a really nice smell of food again and this time they gave me some, in a bowl. It was really nice and I warmed up a bit.
After a little while, I felt the urge to poop and it just happened. The daddy, got annoyed again, this was the most annoyed he had been and I was very scared of him. He put me outside again and I heard him muttering inside, as he cleaned it up. I don’t do it on purpose; it just happens to me, I really wish it didn’t. After a while, they let me back in and I find a nice place beside the fire. Everybody is quiet, watching telly, so I take the opportunity to have a sleep. I dream of being with my family, all together, playing and having fun. These people are nice, especially the children, maybe I will get used to it.
That all seems so long ago. These days, nobody plays with me anymore. I’m not allowed into the house and the chain hurts a lot. That’s right; I live on a chain now, tied to my kennel, all the time. I guess it was fun while it lasted, the few comforts, the bit of heat and the warm bed. Soon after that Christmas, the children went back to school and the adults went back to work. I was left alone in the house a few times and I had a few accidents. On one occasion, I chewed up a shoe, because I was bored and I had loads of energy, with no way to use it up. The daddy got really annoyed that evening and they went away in the car. When they came back, they had a new home for me, called a kennel, a chain and a collar thing. I don’t really like the kennel, as it’s a bit cold and the collar was getting too tight for me, so they took it off and just used the chain.
Sometimes I see people walk past with their dogs and I bark, in the hope that they will come in to play with me. They actually hurry past, like they are afraid of me or something. I don’t wish them any harm, I just want some company.
I hate my life, why do people get puppies like me for Christmas?
The Unknown Bike Rider 