"Be Kind to Animals" Photo/Story Contest
Grades 9 - 10 Winner (Grand Prize)
From the time I was born there was always an animal in the house, ranging from a dog, a guinea pig, and hamsters, to the occasional potato bug (that had to be kept outside). Though the number of animals has declined through the years, I always enjoyed having someone around who was not a human. The first animal we had was a Sheltie-Spaniel named Rudy, who possessed an incredible amount of patience for babies who turned into toddlers. My sister and I considered him an older brother who deserved to partake of our cheerios, spaghetti, and hard-boiled egg yolks. We play with him-we chased him, and he ran and sometimes he would sit stationary waiting for us, and even let us lay on top of him, using him as a brotherly pillow. In short, Rudy was an extremely tolerant and loving dog.
It was Rudy and his endless friendship that excited me about attending the Oregon Humane Society Summer Camp. Not only was I going to make bandannas for the dogs and learn about other creatures and their habitats, I was going to play with other dogs and cats and hopefully encourage someone to adopt and take them home. Though I was nervous about being around strange people, I soon forgot my apprehension and enjoyed the fulfillment of seeing animals being adopted and the excitement of the counselors during these instances.
Because of these feelings and the memories of the adult counselors and how much fun we had together, some years later I decided to volunteer as a Junior Aide and now a Senior Aide at these camps, and have done so for approximately five years. During this time I have helped train dogs, cleaned numerous kennels (both cats and dogs), bathed dogs, and helped teach kids the importance of taking care of an animal. Instead of being the camper, I have switched roles and have become a counselor, hopefully giving kids the same experiences I have had and giving animals a chance at finding a loving home. In acknowledging Rudy, he has shown me the importance of a loving household, complete with a child’s love. At the Humane Society (where Rudy was adopted in 1983), I work towards helping animals find the kind of love and devotion that my family not only gave to Rudy, but also received back from him.