Shelter Dogs by Peg Kehret

Author:Peg Kehret
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company

5

WHEN JESSICA MITCHELL was three years old, she went to visit her grandmother. Her uncle was also visiting that day. He had brought along his dog, a pit bull.

Pit bull terriers, commonly known as pit bulls, were originally bred to fight. Although pit bulls can be gentle, many are used as guard dogs and are sometimes trained to be aggressive.

As little Jessica ran up the sidewalk toward her grandmother’s house, her uncle’s dog attacked her. Jessica screamed with pain and fear as the dog knocked her down and bit her many times in the face and around her eyes.

Police and paramedics raced to the scene. Sirens wailing, an ambulance rushed Jessica to the hospital.

She went immediately into surgery, where doctors rebuilt her torn cheek and put her jaw muscle back together. Jessica spent a week in the hospital. Her wounds were painful, but eventually they healed, leaving a lot of scar tissue.

When Jessica was in first grade, she was hospitalized again while doctors did reconstructive surgery to minimize a C-shaped scar around one eye. Later, another surgery removed excess scar tissue from her jaw. While her face looks fine, she may still need further surgery.

After she was attacked, Jessica became fearful of dogs. She liked other animals, and she understood that most dogs never attack anyone unless they are threatened themselves. Still, whenever she saw a dog, she felt panicky.

By the time Jessica was eight, she wanted to conquer her fear. Many of her friends had dogs, and Jessica longed to pet them and play with them without being frightened.

She didn’t think she would feel threatened by a little puppy, so she asked her parents if she could have one. Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell agreed, and they took Jessica to the Humane Society.

One of the available puppies that day was a shepherd/Lab mix who was eight weeks old. Because he was brought to the shelter when he was too young to be adopted, he had been placed in a foster home, where he had received plenty of love and attention.

The pup was gentle and friendly and liked being held. The Humane Society staff thought he would be a good choice for Jessica, and Jessica thought so, too. She named him Danny and took him home.

Danny turned out to be the perfect puppy. His silliness made Jessica laugh. She liked to pet him and play with him. Danny gave her puppy kisses and napped on her lap.

Of course he grew bigger, but Jessica already loved and trusted him. She had nothing to fear, even when he was fully grown. Although the rest of Jessica’s family enjoyed Danny, too, he seemed to know that he was Jessica’s dog.

While she felt completely comfortable with Danny, Jessica still had twinges of fear when she met other dogs.

A year after she adopted Danny, Jessica joined 4-H, an international program for young people. The 4-H club emblem is a four-leaf clover. The four Hs stand for head, heart, hands, and health.

All 4-H members select a project to work on.

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