News From Around the Pound
Good Ol' Pepper
Joe Ouimet
Wow, I'm hungry! To think that I used to turn up my nose to Ol' Roy dog food. Roy would be my best friend right now for sure. I'd dine on dry or soft food. I'm not gonna find anything half as good out here. I'm so stupid for getting lost! How could this happen to a smart dog like me?
One thing for sure, I'm not trusting any more humans. They keep me locked up in a small box or tied on a rope. Who does that kind of stuff? Not anyone I'd want to know. Then they just leave you out there too. That's the worst part. The cats came and went, but me… forget it. Tie "Pepper" to the rope or put him out in the box. That's prison.
Humans do have good food but I'd rather hunt and gather on my own. Nothing like being able to move around. Yes sir, the joys of freedom! Also the pains of hunger and this annoying rope dragging from my collar. Just like an old ball and chain getting tangled up on everything. Don't think the humans won't try to grab it and drag me in. They'd put me back in that pound or who knows where else. Nope, not Pepper. I won't fall for their lies again.
Hey what's that? I smell something good. Food!! Definitely food. It's close too. It's coming from the human area. In a backyard. It's only 6am so most of them are still sleeping. I laugh at humans sometimes. Don't they know all the action is in the morning?
There it is in that funny metal box. I don't believe it. It's my good mate Ol' Roy on a dish in a box. Well pull my tail and whistle Dixie, looks like old Pepper here is gonna have breakfast with an Ol' Pal. Wait, it may be a trap. They can be quite clever those humans. Especially the Wardens and rescue people.
Maybe if I just sniff around real easy and not step all the way in. Shoot I can't reach. Boy, this looks like a trap but I gotta eat. Let me inch a little closer. One more step will do it. Ba-Da-Boom, snagged.
It was a trap. They got me! I'm so stupid again! Well, Fun is Fun and Done is Done. Seeing that I may be stuck here for awhile I may as well get caught up with my good Ol' Roy. See how he's been doing since we last met. Ah, so nice to see you Roy. Wow, Its great to catch up with an old friend. That soft food was DE-licious. I feel a lot better now that I ate. But I know the humans will be coming to get me soon. They better do it soon. Last time I was in here for hours. They are such cruel animals. Worse than coyotes. At least you can understand where a wild animal is coming from. Humans are crazy and mean beasts.
Here they come. It's the Wardens. I knew it. Dang, I should have spotted this as a trap but I was starved. Stupid is as stupid does. Guess I'm headed to the slammer. At least I'll get two colds and a bowl. Hard time is nothing new to me.
Great, sitting in a truck in a box with the Warden going to jail. Good luck getting myself out of this one. Tell you one thing; I'm not going down without a bite. First person I see Wham-O. Then they can know what its like to be picked on. Shoot, they have a snare pole. So much for biting a Warden but I can pull and tug. Ol' Peppers not going down without a fight.
Well that was a surprise. The Warden was actually gentle with me. Gave me another lunch date with my long lost buddy Ol' Roy. They talked nice to me here so far and haven't even yelled or hit me. I still don't trust them. Think I'll just hang back and get caught up on my sleep. See what the story is. I'm not a trusting dog anymore. Lets not be a fool.
You're not going to believe this but my cellmate "Papi" says that this place is really ok. We get walked, fed and petted. We are still confined but we get respect. Ready for this? You sitting down? A rescue group name ARF is building a dog hotel or dog shelter to help dogs in the slammer. They find homes for us where humans don't tie you up outside. You get to live in the house. Well yank my tail and whistle dixie. Looking like Ol' Pepper here may have lucked out for once.
Oh, another thing that sounds kind of too good to be true is that ARF is located next to a steak house called Chute Gates in someplace called Terryville. Rumor has it that you can smell steak in the air at ARF. Ha! This one wanta see for myself.
They had a fire at ARF Papi says and we are all waiting to go there. But there is a problem. Places like this don't come cheap and they can't finish the shelter. They need something called money. I told you humans are weird. They are the only animals who value money over other things like food and freedom. Hope these humans find their money to help us out. I don't have any to send neither does Papi or any of the dogs here.
I can read a poster on the wall. I guess some guy comes around here from ARF and hangs posters all the time. Now there's a human who needs to get a life. The poster says send money to:
ARF
PO Box 538
Thomaston, CT 06787
or online at ARFCT.org
Guess until ARF raises the money we have to pay the price. Hope they reopen soon. There's a lot of us animals waiting. Oops gotta go. I have a visitor. Looks like my buddy Roy came by to say hello. Hate to cut you short but I need to put on a few pounds before I'm adoptable. The Warden showed me how to trust humans and how to have manners. I'm gotta do my part. Hope the humans do theirs. See you at ARF.
Your Ol' Pal Pepper
