 | My Puppyhood
Most of my puppyhood my owners and I are unsure of, for I remember little of my young days. But we suspect that I was born at a puppy farm, one of those awlful places where they churn out puppy after puppy, not even caring about the mummy. I was taken to a pet shop with all my brothers and sister of that litter, and put in a horrible glass cage. My siblings were more pushy than I, so by the time I could get to the food bowl there was nothing left. We became unwell, so we were move behind a door at the back into a smaller cage. I felt awlful, and so hungry. Finnally, the cruel humans put us back out the front, claiming we were 'well'. My cute brothers and sisters were snatched up quickly, though an ugly, older puppy was not wanted. I had what I have heard humans refer to as 'rickets', a lack of nutrition, so one of my front legs was turned outwards. I had given in at this stage, no hope - my candle of hope had died.I took no notice of my surroundings, I allowed myself to be cuddled and walked by strangers who left without me, I made no sound, I just was; but then a lady and a man came in, that changed my life. They talked to the shopkeeper, I couldn't really here them through the glass. Not that I cared, just more people. They came over to me and looked, cuddled, and palced me on the floor. I just stood there, what I always did, why walk anywhere? I was so weak, anyway. But after I had been put back into my cage, the people talked longer with the shopkeeper, then with themselves. Then they came and took me again, this time outside. The air, the fresh air - beautiful. This happening only sparked my candle of hope in life, though it died again. It needed a stronger spark. They took me into a strange house, and put me in a small pen, though it had no roof and the sides were thin white bars so it breathed unlike glass. There was water and they gave me some food. I retired to sleep on a blanket in a corner, which I did for a while. That afternoon, the lady went out, the man had gone long ago, and she returned about half and hour later. Except she had other people with her. I could here them. Then one of them came around the corner - a young girl about eight - she dropped a bag she was carrying and with an open mouth she said, "can I pick her up?" Yes, that was when I first met Gemma, my master, though she wasn't my master then. They played with me, and cared for me, the other person was a girl about 11. They also had another dog, a funny looking one, called Alfie. Later we were outside, and we were coming in. They called me- I came to the back door and stopped suddenly. In front of me loomed a great hill, though it had a flat side like a cliff. It was smaller than me, but how did I get up it? One of the girls said, "Mum, she doesn't even know how to climb a stair, the poor thing." It was this afternoon that my candle of hope was lit. Over the next few months, they taught me to climb the back stair, I became friends with Alfie, they fed me good food, and I began to feel really good. I started growing...and growing...and growing...everytime someone came to visit my family, they said that I had grown lots since they last saw me. I grew bigger than my family expected, it was all the good food. As I grew older, I became more settled and my family says I am a lovely dog. 
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