Kitten in a Box

In a box

By a store

There is a door

Hours later

It seems like days

Pushed the box to the side

More hours pass

Hot and hungry

Now it’s dark

Still calling to my mom

She does not come

Where is my mom

A girl walks by

Looks inside

I cry

Going for a ride

In the box

The girl takes me inside

She gives me food

Water too

I see dogs in there

The girl begged me to stay

We play I got a bath

Three times at that

Looked at the girl

Her mom and dad too

I told her I’ll keep you too

I cried

When people walked by

Now happy inside

If only for a day

Before I go away

I will not cry

If only for today

Happy inside

The day before I …

This tail had a happy ending until we discovered that our little kitty would die. He was left in a box on an extremely hot day. No food or water and covered in fleas. They left him to die a slow and painful death. My daughter took him in and we decided to give him a home. The next day the one month old little kitty was so sick, we took him to the vet’s office a day earlier than we planned.  Only to discover that he would die and it would be painful. So as I cried, I had to tell them to put little kitty to sleep and stop his pain. I truly hate people who do this to animals. Maybe if they’d taken him to the vet’s office a few days earlier, maybe he could have lived. I still cry for our little found kitty.

                                                                                                              

Always Educate and Beat the Heat

Always educate and keep you loved ones safe. Always protect those who depend on you. It is important to not leave children or pets in a car. Beat the heat and leave the dogs at home, if you just have to stop take the pets home first  and if you have to stop takes the kids inside with you. Common sense needs to be applied and if you see a child or a pet in a dangerous situation do the right thinking and call the police. Or at least kindly open the windows and get them some water, while someone else calls the police.

 Tips on how to beat the Heat

As I sit here and he sleeps

A poem, an essay, a thought, or simply feeling on a page?

As I sit here pouring my heart out into this computer, I hear my baby boy crying in his sleep.  I turn to him and wonder, I wonder why he cry’s in his sleep. I look closer and I see. I see him curled up in a ball. I notice his tail tucked tight under his belly, his tail is between his legs. He is dreaming and he is scared. He is dreaming and crying for help.

I know I cannot hug him or startle him, because he might get scared and bite. I do not want to scare him, nor do I want him to bite. I gently whisper his name, making my voice float to him like classical musical notes carried by clouds and a rainbow to his ears. I say him name a bit louder and he whines again, that scary dream is still causing him pain. His whine, his whine is like an elephant sitting on my chest. The heavy ache in my heart grows larger and heavier with each whimper and whine.

I want to jump from my chair and hug him so tight, but I know that I cannot. I know that my special little boy needs special care and special handling. This big boy is melting my heart and his crying is tearing my heart apart. I call his name again and I ask him for a hug. His ears flicker, like heat lighting from far above me. His eyes twitch, they open as if he is trying to peek at what might be standing and waiting for him. I call his name again and again I ask for a hug, he moves and this time those eyes open wide and stare. His eyes look right through me.

I once again ask him, “Jack can I have a hug?” He moves towards me slowly crawling across my bed, creeping closer and closer. He is moving almost in a fearful way and his eyes are not right. I slowly move closer and ask him, “Are you okay” and “Can I have a hug?” I get face to face with my furry baby boy and every so gently move my arms towards his body, he scoots closer. We touch and I hug him tight and I tell him there is nothing to fear. I tell him that it is okay and not to be scared it was only a dream. I hug him tighter, like the skin on your new cell phone. I kiss his cheek and say go back to sleep, it is okay.  

Jack-Jack (I did not have a picture of him on my bed, so this will have to do.)

An American Dog

The State of The American Dog

If you have not read "The State of The American Dog" you need too. It is full of facts and statistics, I never knew the real numbers and now that I do it breaks my heart.

So many of us love our dogs, but would you defend your 60 pound dog from a ankle biter, like a cocker spaniel or a Chihuahua? Would you stand between them and risk getting bite yourself?

Tom Junod wrote this amazing article on July 14, 2014 and I can not get it out  of my mind. So much truth in his words and the  facts and numbers of dogs that are put down everyday in this country is staggering. People react to fear and  they ignorantly and blindly take what main stream media says as fact, when at times it is not. They'll leave out certain facts and details, to make their story seem that much more interesting.

Responsible, good, loving, and nurturing owners are what makes dogs safe to be around, dogs of any breed. Riddle me this: Responsible, good, loving, and nurturing parents raise responsible, good, loving and nurturing children to be responsible, good, loving, and nurturing adults. Now there will always be that one anomaly that goes against the grain and is simply a bad seed. Now think back about those dogs that people call bad and say that they need to be exterminated, could it be that bad owners make bad dogs? Could it be that teaching a dog the good and proper way will produce good well behaved dogs? I believe so.

Teachings, guidance, and repetition will teach a dog how to behave and listen. Add in love and tolerance and that dog will be your friend to the end. It is any dog, not just a dog deemed viscous by society.

A dog is similar to a child: Good teachings raise good children, teach a dog goodness and good behavior and they will be good. But neglect and no training will be a receipt for disaster. Knowledge is power and training is a great tool for you and you dog. My dogs are not perfect, but we are constantly working on training and trying new training tools. I hope that with all that we do for them, that we will never be put in a position of being forced to put our dogs down. I for one would protect my dogs from being attacked by another dog, for like Tom I don't want them to be blamed or judged for fighting back or defending me or themselves. I know it is a natural thing to defend yourself, but for any dog seen as a Pit Bull it is a  death sentence. 

Thank you for reading my rants.
Much love and blessing to all living things,
Michele Aponte

PS
Read Tom's article, just click the link provided above or below.
The State of The American Dog

Jack-Jack (aka Willie Wonka) a Rescue

On August 23rd, the ASPCA (link to original article) and the Humane Society of the United States at the request of the US Attorney's Office and the FBI, assisted in seizing 367 dogs from Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia in what is believed to be the 2nd largest dog fighting raid in the United States history.

Pit Sister (located in Jacksonville Florida) (Pit Sisters web page to get Willie adopted) partnered with the ASPCA by taking in Jack-Jack (aka Willie) and worked to place him in a new home. Shelters and rescue groups across the country worked and are working to place the many animals rescued.

Jack was kind of quiet and shy those first three days, by the end of the 1st week he started cuddling with the other dogs and my husband. He seemed to be fearful and scared of my husband, I could only think that it was a man that physically abused Jack-Jack or a man that forced him to do the unthinkable - kill or be killed. I  will never know for sure, only God, Jack-Jack and the man will ever know.

We started to see the changes in Jack-Jack's pictures. His ears laid back and flat and he never really smiled. Today I was researching some pictures to send to the ASPCA people who were there when Jack-Jack's group was rescued, I saw the change as I flipped through the many pictures that we have taken of our dogs. Jack-Jack's ears moved to their normal (happier) position sometime at the end of the first week. Through the pictures I could see him becoming more playful and trying to have fun, even though any dog owner could see that he was still treading carefully around us and the other dogs. He was (LOL was) always on his best behavior.

Jack-Jack small smile (but a smile)

Now my little furry man, plays and rough houses like a normal dog, he hijacks the other dogs toys, and you'd think we'd had him for years. I am sad to inform all of you on this next little bit of information, on July 23rd Jack-Jack smiled the biggest most amazing typical Pit Bull smile that I have seen only in pictures for the FIRST time since he has been here with us and I MISSED the photo opp.......... How could I miss that picture, I have my cell phone on my hip for just those occasions.

Jack-Jack small smile (but a smile)

Today, Jack-Jack smiled again. What a blessing for this abused baby to trust and and SMILE at us in approximately two months of knowing us. I think that he is falling in love with us and I know he will be loved for the rest of his day and be with us until he is needed in doggy heaven.I am so grateful that the ASPCA was able to save him and the many others, Jack-Jack is a great dog and he deserved a second chance at life outside of the dog fighting ring.

She was the rescue

The face of a happy and sweet Catahoula pit mix

She is never blue

Her smile is bigger than her head

Her tail wags with the speed of light

She has a heart of gold, when she smiles her eyes smile too, seeing her happy teeth for miles, happy smiling eyes and teeth with a glowing heart full of love.

Love those ears

She does not need a hat or tie to show how cool and awesome she is

Dreaming that we met her when she was a pup

She is the best dog anyone could ever ask for, forever showing her gratitude

She had been left behind, but never by us

That loving smile that she smiles every day I will not allow anyone to ever take it away

She smells the flowers and grass in the yard and you can see her one half blue eye sparkle in the sunlight

The sun sparkles in her eyes like a rainbow after a storm

Love that dog!

Save me in you will see

Superbly Happy

Save me and you will see what a great pet I could be

Save me and you will see that I can be part of your family

Save me and you will see that can be more than a pet, more than just any dog, more than your friend, I can be the best friend you’ll ever have

Save me and you will see that I can be more than you ever expected of me,

Save me and you will see that I will change your life

Save me and you will see that you will save not only me but another

Save me and you will see that I will be forever grateful

Save me and you will see that I will forever love

Save me and you will see that I will be forever appreciative of what you have sacrificed for me  

Save me and you will see that I'm a rescue and if you pick me you will see how grateful I will be

Save me and you will see that a rescue dog is like no other 

Save me and you will see that I know what it's like to be abused

Save me and you will see that I know what it’s like not to have a family

Save me and you will see that I know what it's like to be hungry  

Save me and you will see that I also know what fear and terror mean

Save me and you will see that I am a rescue dog like no other

Save me and you will see that we will be superbly happy

By: Michele Aponte