Prize-Winning Essays
Once again we had a huge response to our essay contest, with great young minds entering from all corners of the province. Though our judges found it hard to narrow down the field to just a few prize recipients, they were gratified to find so many young Albertans who so eloquently expressed their concern for animals. That’s why we say everyone who enters is a winner!
These essays were chosen because of their exemplary expressions of caring for animals. They embody the principles of kindness and compassion towards animals, which demonstrate the upstanding qualities of their authors.
The writers of these essays received prizes generously donated by our sponsors: Pizza 73, Iams Pet Food, Edmonton Northlands and West Edmonton Mall.
Going Out of My Way to Help Roo
The one season I look forward to every year is calving season. I like looking at the cows, petting the calves and especially naming them. We always like to find a black calf, or better yet: twins. In the late spring of 2005, twins were born. One was a special twin that needed my help.
We heard one night that a cow had given birth to twins. Excited, I woke up early the next morning and raced to the pen. Sure enough, there was a mother with a cute little honey-coloured calf. I named the calf Eeyore and the mother Kanga, from Winnie the Pooh. The other calf was called Roo. He was laying in the corner. His mother had abandoned him.
Our Dad came in and asked us if we wanted to bottle-feed Roo. He was a stubborn calf that was now kept in the barn. We jumped at the opportunity and I went in to feed Roo. He was gentle and soft. Roo liked jumping around his pen and playing with my siblings and me. We were careful around him, mostly because he was still small. He was my friend.
Sometimes people ignore sick animals. There are times when we have to go out of our way to help others. Roo wouldn’t have survived long if we wouldn’t have helped him. I felt proud after Roo started drinking by himself. I helped a calf survive. I always feel great because I saved my friend’s life.
Never too Young to Make a Difference
I have loved animals from a very young age. I picked worms up off the sidewalk and put them on the grass. I voluntarily cleaned stables at my friend's farm. I took over our basement and created a miniature veterinary clinic complete with a surgery suite, brochures, and business cards.
In my younger years, I was turned away at animal shelters and veterinary clinics. They told me I was too young to help out. I waited in anticipation of the day I could start making a difference by volunteering my time.
I was not able to have my own cat or dog when I was young – my father is allergic to everything with fur. I had hamsters and fish that lived very long and pampered lives and got to occasionally take care of my grandparents’ dogs, Taffy and Sparkle. Many a wonderful vacation was spent playing with Taffy and Sparkle up at the river. I cherished these times together.
Early on I realized that each animal is their own distinct individual and should be treated with the kindness and caring we as humans treat each other. I have known since I was a young girl that I wanted to put my time and talents into making the world a better place for animals. I have chosen to become a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.
This year was the year for me to make a difference in the lives of animals in my community. I visited a local animal shelter and noted that each animal is given a comfort blanket or towel and a toy to call their very own. It brought me joy to see that this small gesture lets the animals know that they are loved and cared for.
The Snuggle Buddies Project was born.
I created the Snuggle Buddies Project to bring a bit of comfort and a lot of love to the animals awaiting their new forever homes.
The Snuggle Buddies Project is a community-based project that collects pre-loved blankets, towels and pet toys from the public in Calgary and area and distributes them to local animal shelters on a rotating basis.
I organized the first collection site at my school, and then began collecting blankets at my church. After a generous donation of containers by Great Western Containers I began asking local businesses to host collection sites.
After picking up the blankets from the sites, I count, wash, tag and bundle them all up nicely with a bow before distributing them to the animal rescue societies. The first society we donated to was the Rescue and Sanctuary for Threatened Animals (RASTA) located in De Winton, Alberta. We were able to give RASTA a much needed gift.
The community has responded with great enthusiasm to the Snuggle Buddies Project. We have received everything from blankets made just for animals to brand new cat beds. We collected one hundred blankets and towels in our first month!
The Snuggle Buddies Project is something that every community in Alberta can participate in. If we all work together we can make a difference in the lives of every animal in every shelter in our province. You truly are never too young to make a difference.
I think that animals are such special beings; they teach us so many things. They teach us to live life in the present, enjoying every good thing that comes our way. They teach us patience, and compassion. They trust us to give them a loving and safe home and in return are loyal and love us unconditionally. Because of this I choose to care!
My Aunt Saves Cats
My aunt saved 12 cats last year. She saved the cats because they almost got run over by a truck. She already had one cat so she took his feed dish and put it out front so the cats would come. It worked! Now when I go to her house I always play with the cats.
Lost and Found Dog
Many years ago my family owned a beautiful black and silver Keeshond named Sarge. It’s hard to explain how much we loved our dog and how much love he brought to us. On Christmas Eve, Sarge became ill. His health went from bad to worse in a couple of hours. He was taken to the animal hospital where we found out that they could not help him. That was the last time we saw him. Christmas was very lonely. Our hearts and house felt empty. I will never forget it.
Months later, camping season began. We loved to camp. We always drove to Buffalo Lake for the July long weekend. Friday evening we were sitting around the campfire roasting hot dogs, when to our surprise a black and silver Keeshond walked through our site. We all looked at each other in shock. It seemed as if Sarge had dropped by to say “hi.” Later that night the dog came back. This time he stayed. The dog appeared to be dirty, wet and shaking due to the cold. Mom and Dad went to him first to check him out. He was very calm and friendly – a lot like Sarge. We happily cleaned him up and fed him. He spent the night in our trailer and we were so excited to have him.
The next day we searched the campsite for his owners but had no luck. We kept him all weekend. At last it seemed that our family was full again. In our hearts Sarge had come back to us. It seemed like a miracle. Mom and Dad said that if we couldn’t find his owners by the end of the weekend we would take him home, but would still look for them. They knew that there was a family out there that felt lonely and sad without him. My brother Matthew and I hoped we could keep him. Monday evening came. It was time to go home, and yes, the dog was going with us! We went to Sylvan Lake where we stopped for snacks. In the store we noticed a sign on the wall.
“Lost: Black and Silver Keeshond who answers to the name Bear. Our family really misses him, please if you see him call us.”
We took the number and called. The lady sounded excited. She couldn’t wait to see him. We felt sad for the family but at the same time we wished he wasn’t theirs. Fifteen minutes later, they arrived. The little girl cried when she saw her dog, Bear. They thanked us and took him home.
Again our hearts felt empty. The ride home seemed very long. That week we searched for a new dog. We found a Keeshond for sale. My family met with the owners and chose a 6 week old black and silver boy dog. Like Sarge, he was perfect and extremely fluffy. We called him Bear. It just seemed right. He’s now 4 years old and again our family feels complete.
Hope, Joy and Faith
“We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals.” Immanuel Kant.
Well at least that’s what the poster on the wall said. I was in the Westside Animal Shelter looking at all the abandoned animals. My heart was ripped to shreds. All the dogs were howling and the few cats in the kennels were crying. The long dark corridor was filled with claustrophobic cages with lonely animals inside. There were mixed breeds, pure breeds, large dogs, small dogs, skinny cats, overfed cats and all of them as lonely as the first flower to blossom out of the snow. It hurt me that they never got a chance. I couldn’t wrap my head around how people could do this to animals and then make o ther people fix their mistakes. But since I was there for the summer to volunteer, I knew I could make a difference.
It was that afternoon when my story began. Mom had picked me up from the shelter and was driving us home. “How was your first day?” questioned Mom.
“It was great… but still a little sad,” I answered
“I know how you feel,” Mom said in sympathy.
We drove fur ther into the heart of the city. The next lights had just turned red. Mom put on the brakes. I was about to close my window but something caught my attention. It was the sweet, innocent “Mew” of baby kittens. I ran out of the truck and into the alley. I rummaged through the smelly dumpsters and piles of trash until I found three Ragdoll kittens in a soiled box. They must have been there for days. The adorable little kittens were dirty and really smelled but I loved them. Right then and there I decided they were mine and by the look in my eyes my mom knew it as well.
I had this foreboding feeling that not all of them would make it but with the help of the shelter and my mom they would live longer than they would have if they were in that alley. On the way home all our attention was on the soiled box and its contents.
We finally got home. My mom opened the door and suddenly our dog, Emma, raced out from behind the door but soon raced back. Our dog, not being the sharpest tool in the shed, stuck her nose in the box but after a few loud hisses and getting scratched, her nose was out of there. Emma would never have hurt them, she was just curious. I dashed up the stairs and laid the three feline wonders on my bed. Then I ran downstairs, crushed some cat food into smaller pieces and then trotted up the stairs and fed that to them.
One of them wouldn’t eat, so I had to sprint down the stairs one more time. Luckily for me, Mom wanted to try ano ther recipe, with goat’s milk. I just grabbed the special milk and ran up the stairs like Indiana Jones running from a boulder. Thank goodness the kitten drank it. I was overcome with joy and then I thought, “That is what I’ll name her, Joy! The o ther two will be Hope and Faith!” Those names were perfect.
Hope, Faith and Joy were all quiet but mischievous and when they were with me they were hilarious. Hope wanted to fly so she would climb up on my wardrobe and do belly flops onto my bed! Faith of course was very odd. Whenever I had a bath she would want to know how to swim and try and hop in with me but every time she touched the water she would shoot out like she had just been shocked with a million volts. Joy would sit there on her back, she always seemed like she was laughing at her older siblings. When the day was done I would have three little cream and orange fuzz balls curled up beside me on top of the covers.
It has been a couple of years since I found them in that alley and that foreboding feeling I had before is gone now. They are still quite the characters but now they curl up with Emma in front of the fire. They love the dog as much as they love me. The adorable kittens have become wonderful cats and a great addition to our family. They will always have a special place in my heart.
