"Be Kind to Animals" Photo/Story Contest
Grades 9 - 10 Winner (Grand Prize)
If it weren’t for pets, I’d be an only child. From the time I was an infant, I shared my mother’s lap with our cat Marumba. My mother always wanted two children, but my parents divorced before that occurred. When my Dad moved out, our dog stayed with us, thus I grew up one of many. We all loved each other and learned from each other as family members do.
I learned to respect other’s personal space and moods from Marumba. Marumba loved to bask in the sun, which made her black coat luxuriously warm. Yet Marumba was not inclined to serve as a pillow as much as I might want to snuggle into her. However, when I went to bed, Marumba would always come say goodnight to me, and purr me to sleep.
I learned how to take turns, be consistent and responsible from Bosco. Bosco was our Australian Shepard, our protector, and loyal friend. When my parents divorced, Bosco and I were still very young. He needed training and lots of exercise every day, and I needed to learn how to share my mother’s time and to pick up after myself. So every night Mom made our dinner while I fed Bosco and played hide-and-seek and other training games with him. He taught me to put away my stuffed animals, and I taught him which toys were his to chew. After dinner, regardless of the weather, we went out for a walk every night. Bosco and I learned “Wait” and “Its Bosco’s turn!” together. If I was sad Bosco would let me hug him, and he’d kiss me. I felt loved and safe with Bosco. And when I grew older, I was glad Bosco was there loving Mom when I was at my Dad’s house.
I learned how to deal with a serious illness in the family when Bosco was diagnosed with cancer. He had surgery, and a long recovery period during which we helped him with stairs. We invited his dog friends over to visit and sat with him for hours. He overcame the cancer, but that summertime illness left him terrified of kennel cages and fireworks. So we found a dog sitter who would stay in our house when we went on vacations, and gave up Fourth of July celebrations in favor of spending that evening safe at home with Bosco, music outplaying fireworks. Bosco was family, and deserved the best medical care and our sensitivity to his needs and fears.
Pet’s lives are shorter than our own, so I’ve learned the harsh pain of loss of family. Happily though, we have lots of photos, good memories, and valuable life lessons learned from our family pets!