Kristin Westenburg English 111a 01/24/2013 “Homeless and Huggable” As a child growing up my parents always adopted out pets from the local animal control. I have always been a person who visited shelters on a regular basis. As I approached the animal control, I couldn’t help but feel sad. I knew that I was going to have to leave so many adorable faces behind. I really hoped that I could convince others to adopt from here. If people would just pay attention to the personalities of these animal and not just the breed, We could give so many a second chance at life. The weather was very gloomy which added a bit to the sadness of this particular trip. The grass around me was dead, covered in a blanket of sheer white snow. The trees were completely naked, just the way fall left them when it went. Upon entering animal control there were two women, apparently staff members judging by the shirts they wore. Neither woman appeared to be in the highest of spirits. I was greeted with a gruff “What can I do for you?” I replied, “I would like to see the animals.” I turned to the right and saw a large grey door with a window in the center, covered in blinds. I heard two loud clicks and the door unlocked. As soon as I walked through the doors, there was a long hallway. The smell of animal feces, and stale urine illuminated the room. Usually I would be repulsed by this smell, but I knew this was to be expected when there were this many animals designated to small cages, living in an area this size. The floors were a light grey color and appeared to be cement. There were cheerful, bright pictures of flowers and animals on the windows and walls. I saw no animals at this point, but heard loud barking. I assumed that these dogs were big! As I neared the hallway, I turned sharply to the left. There was a row of tall silver cages that seemed like it went on forever. The first dog I noticed was named “Bruno.” “Bruno” was a Labrador mix. He had a tag on the door of his cage that said he was five years old. “Bruno” appeared to be a very happy dog, jumping at the cage door in excitement. His big blonde tail wagged back and forth. I reached my hand through the door and began to pet “Bruno.” He was so soft! As I explored the cages a bit further, I noticed a room to the right labeled “Felines.” I’ve always been a sap for kittens, even though I’m allergic. This room looked significantly different from the other area of the establishment. The cats and kittens were housed in small cages stacked four high and ten long. Each cage contained one adult cat, or one mama cat and her kittens. A majority of the cats were reaching their small arms through the cage doors. It’s as if they were begging to be held, to be loved, to be wanted. If I could have picked them up I would have, but I knew if I attempted it, I would have to leave because my eyes would balloon up and my face would itch to high heaven! I spent a little more time in the “feline” room before exiting back into the main area. When I returned I heard water hitting the pavement, and noticed a large man with greasy grey hair and stained blue jeans. He appeared to be cleaning out the dog cages with a hose and push broom. He was also filling the large aluminum bowls with food for the dogs. With my binder in hand, taking notes of what I was seeing, I noticed a set of twin girls with curly blonde hair. The mother, a petite woman was questioning the large man about a beagle puppy. The small girls were so excited, running in circles, tending to get away from the mother. The cage cleaner promptly answered the woman’s questons and retrieved the beagle puppy from the cage. The