Hi Edubloggers,

Today I am just rewriting a story I submitted for the Mission PAWsible Project, by the Hawaii Humane Society. The mission of the Hawaiian Humane Society is to promote the human-animal bond and the humane treatment of all animals. This story I wrote focuses on the dog slaughtering in Korea and China and how these innocent animals need our help.

The rain felt like bullets on my fur as I ran away from those monsters. My father was fortunate enough to run away, but my mother was beaten with sticks and electrocuted to protect me! I didn’t want to go down the same path my mother did, so my instinct said ‘you have to run’ so I ran like there was no tomorrow. My name is Jong Hyun, and here, I will tell the story on how I learned how to protect myself and the people I love.

 

I did not live a normal life in my first year alive, as I was one of many unfortunate souls born in a dog meat slaughterhouse. They would brutally electrocute us. I lived in filthy, cramped conditions with blood on the floor, and being with dogs who have been snatched from the streets, and in some cases the backyards of their owners’ homes by thieves.

 

So after I escaped what seemed like hell, I was finally free! Shortly after, I was scouring the city for food, only for trash to be thrown at me. Fortunately, someone took me to a humane center. While I was there, I was trained to become a service dog and take care of people.

 

After being at the center for a while, I was assigned someone. She was a elderly woman named Ji Yeong who had difficulty breathing and had heart problems. She also was lonely because her husband passed away and her children were a world away. So not only did I have to provide medical support, but I also had to provide emotional support. I dedicated every second with her, even though she was fragile, she made my life and job worth doing. She would always mention, “your smile makes me fall apart.”

 

 After five years of us bringing joy to each other’s lives, I woke up later that usual because Ji Yeong’s footsteps would wake me up, but to my surprise thought she slept in. I went into her room and I saw her lying on the floor and I knew my life was going to change for the worst. Her skin was cold to the touch and I couldn’t feel her pulse. So I ran out the house and barked like I never have before evoking grumpy neighbors. As soon as they saw Ji Yeong, they called the ambulance. I too was taken away by the humane society probably to nurture another family.

 

 Death doesn’t distinguish people, it just sucks us up like a vacuums with no off switch. Ji Yeong’s funeral was held on a gloomy, rainy day. The experience made me think it was all my fault and that I should’ve heard her collapse but a voice inside told me it was okay and that I needed to move on.

 

 Although change is difficult, the Humane Society transferred me to a different family like the snap of a finger. I promise to put their happiness over mine every single time.