A penny for your thoughts

I had no idea what I was thinking when I suddenly found myself opening the door to our neighborhood ASPCA.

At best I was looking for a friend who wouldn’t betray me. A confidant who wouldn’t tell my secrets. A protector who wouldn’t let anything or anyone get the best of me. At worst we’d see each other’s bad habits and hopefully just be there for each other.

Well I was as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs as I walked into the kennel area, of course I paid no attention to the various smells and sounds of multiple yelps and barks and whining, I just realized the whining was actually coming from me! I was becoming emotionally entangled with everything that I was experiencing at the moment. Just then the attendant received a phone call and excused himself for a moment I told him that I would be alright. As soon as the door closed behind him the strangest thing occurred, every caged animal just stopped barking and yapping. Standing at the most forefront of each cage their tails still wagging carelessly, they stared at me as if to be saying, which one of us gets to go home with you?

Or at least that was my take on their strange behavior.

I really had no idea what I was doing nor what it takes to look after an animal such as the loyal dog, a man’s best friend.

Do I pick the little one, the medium sized one or the big one?

I started to slowly look around at all the dogs , it was overwhelming because I really didn’t have a preference, didn’t care whether it was a good breed, half-breed or endowed with a pedigree.

I figured maybe I’m overthinking this all together. So the next thing I know I sat down on the floor and softly began to sing one of my favorites songs in the world. I figured it music can soothe the savage beast such as mankind can be, it must work on all beasts. As I sang ‘Smile’ by Chaplin the animals sat down as well intently looking at me, all as if in slow motion. It was working! They all took an interest in each other’s comfort, it was beautiful to watch.

It didn’t dawn on me right away that I had a peculiar set of mad skills, especially when it came to communicating with animals on an emotive level.

Suddenly the most loneliest dog in the world made her way up to the front of the crowding from a dark corner of the cage in the middle of the room. She had a muzzle on which would account for the big sad gray colored eyes ive ever seen. She was a Brindle Pittie, I tried to act all nonchalant until I noticed she was doing one thing no other dog was doing during my song which caused me to do the same thing. Tears began to roll down my cheek slowly just like hers, until I got choked up and couldn’t sing anymore. After we just sat there and looked at each other for what seemed like an eternity, the attendant came back in and asked me how I was doing.

I quickly jumped up on my feet and brushed the dust off my butt, I just pointed towards the Pittie and said, ‘ I want her’..... he replied, ‘ are you sure, she’s got issues’? I laughed and said,‘don’t we all’!

I went to the front desk to take care of her release and thirty minutes later I was given the leash that would connect me to my best friend.

She was just as happy as I was, but I wasn’t wagging my tail! However, I was talking her ear off non stop for the whole ride to her new forever home, my home. I removed that stupid muzzle, and she kissed me like a madman! It was hilarious to see. But when we got home I let her run all over the place so she would know that my home was now her home. I fixed her a meal only kings and queens would get.

When she came into the kitchen she sat politely staring at me, I couldn’t say anything but, ‘Penny for your thoughts’?

That’s how she got the name Penny.

But to be honest, she proved to be worth her weight and then some in pure flawless diamonds. By the way that’s what she got for her anniversary birthday a collar with one flawless diamond embedded in the center of a Penny.

Finis!