Past/Future Essay Example

English 100
3 February 2013
When I was eleven, my twenty-one year old sister moved back home from out of state, bringing with her an unpredictable, and not-very-friendly adolescent mutt with her. I had been begging for a dog for years, but it was never the right time, as my single Mom was renting our house, and it is much harder to rent with a dog.
My sister was coming out of an unfortunate situation, so an exception was made. I was beyond excited, thinking this dog would be my new best friend, and I would take her everywhere with me. When my sister and the dog arrived, I found I was sorely mistaken. I tried to pet her, and she growled and avoided me. For two weeks I was sullen and disappointed; having a dog in the house, but not being able to interact with it was probably worse than not having a dog at all.
It turned out my sister had rescued this dog from a house where she was chained to a tree around the clock, barely fed, and probably physically abused. I felt sorry for the dog, but being only eleven, I probably felt sorrier for myself.
I took it slow with this pup, and she eventually warmed up to me. When my sister got a job and was gone 10 hours a day, the dog, now named Cherokee, was under my care. After maybe six months of this, my sister being a typical twenty-one year old, and my being a homeschooled eleven year old, we found Cherokee was with me significantly more than she was with her. At that point she made the decision to officially make Cherokee “my” dog.
Our Mom was not entirely thrilled, knowing that meant years to come of renting with a dog, but she also knew how much that dog had come to mean to me, so she allowed it, on the condition that she would not be responsible for any part of Cherokee’s care or well-being; it would all be on me. I agreed, and never looked back.
I had a tough adolescence, as I am sure everyone does. My father was not around, my Mom worked, and my older sisters had their own lives, so I spent a lot of time on my own. Cherokee made it bearable. She was never the “take anywhere” dog I had hoped for, since she could be aggressive towards strangers. My Mom always told me if the dog bit anyone, that was it, I would have to give her up. So I was careful, maybe too careful. Cherokee’s behavior got worse and worse from isolation, but at least she never bit anyone, and I still had my best friend.
I went through periods of intense, undiagnosed depression, possibly unbeknownst to anyone but me. Cherokee was quite literally my reason for living. I always imagined that if something happened to me, my family would be unable to handle her, and would have her euthanized. I sometimes hated life, but I always loved her more than anything, and I was determined that I would not let that happen.
As I got older, I learned more about dog behavior and training. I discovered positive training methods that meant I could try and work through Cherokee’s issues without putting anyone at risk. I was diligent, working with her multiple times per week. She would always be protective of me and our home, but I got her to the point where I could walk her around people without fear of her biting them, which was all I really needed.
She was with me through every major change in my life. I grew up in Maryland, and she made the move from there to California with us when I was sixteen. I discovered that for me, “home is where the heart is” was not exactly accurate; it was more “home is where Cherokee is.” She made all of life’s changes and transitions more bearable.
When she developed cancer few years later, and I had to make the decision to have her euthanized when her bad days outnumbered her good, I was an utter mess. That dog literally got me through my adolescence; I owed her so much. She taught me more than I can express about commitment, responsibility, myself, and as cheesy as it sounds, love.
I now know that dogs will always be a huge part of my life. During my years with Cherokee, I became passionate about helping other homeless, abused, and neglected pets. I learned so much about behavior, nutrition, and health issues. I discovered clicker training, which is an awesome, easy, science-based method of training new behaviors in animals.
The work of non-profits, and not just animal-related ones, has become hugely important to me. Dogs have somehow taught me to care more about people and the world around me. Taking sociology and psychology classes in college has made me realize how much I picked up about those subjects just from reading so much from my interest in dogs.
I honestly have no idea yet what I want to do with the rest of my life, but I know for sure that I will always have at least one dog by my side, I will always work to lessen pet homelessness and educate about adopting from shelters and rescues instead of buying from unscrupulous breeders and pet stores. I will most likely end up devoting my life to non-profit organizations, animal-related or not. I may even end up starting my own someday, perhaps somehow combining my passions of animals and children.
I have two dogs and a cat now, and while it can be very challenging to be a full-time, financially independent, starving student with three extra mouths to feed, not to mention the amount of time I have to devote to caring for them, including exercising and training my two very high-energy mutts, I would not trade it for anything. They are my reason for living; not so much in the literal sense anymore, but I guess more that they make my life worth living.
I learn so much about them all the time, so even though I am not working or volunteering with any animal-related organizations right now, I know they keep me sharp, and keep me learning. I owe animals so much, and I imagine that will only become truer as I work on getting through school and building a career.