In May 2010 my boyfriend and I adopted a five month old puppy from North Shore Animal League. We had spent countless hours researching different dog breeds along with their personality types and what would be highly compatible with our busy lifestyle. However, the day that we walked into the North Shore shelter we could not refrain from taking home one of their adorable puppies. Most, if not all of the dogs and puppies there, were in need of loving homes and we realized there was no way we were going to spend money on a puppy from a pet store. Virtually all puppies found at common pet stores originate from puppy mills where breeders over breed many dogs. Because of the consistent over breeding many dogs have significant and fatal health problems later in life. North Shore Animal League is a non-profit organization, rescue, and non-kill shelter. This means that they travel to numerous places across the United States and rescue puppies and dogs in need of good loving homes. The dogs travel great distances to Port Washington, where the shelter is located, and wait to hopefully be adopted. Ralphie came from Tennessee in a rainy April when there was substantial flooding damage in many parts of the state. He was only four months old when they brought him to New York. When we adopted him we did not know what type of dog he was or how large he would turn out to be; all we knew was that he was the sweetest, calmest and cutest puppy there. Our car ride home, however, was a different story.
As a result of Ralphie’s experience traveling here from Tennessee, which was probably a tad nerve wrecking, he gets terrible anxiety and throws up in the car. On our first day home, he threw up on me and in my car. That’s how our “sweetest, calmest and cutest puppy” acquired his name. After a few testing weeks, Ralphie housetrained wonderfully and is a very well behaved puppy. He is now eight months old, playful, loyal, and very intelligent. We ultimately found out that he is a Rat-Terrier which is a very lovable and devoted dog breed. We are both so amazed on how much he has grown and learned over the past four months. He has adapted to his new environment very well and we agree that adopting him was the best decision we ever made. We love him to death. After all dogs are known as man’s best friend.
Vocabulary:
adopted [to adopt] (verb) - to take into one's family by choice.
breed (noun) - a group of domestic animals with the same features.
compatible (adjective) - able to exist, live together in harmony.
refrain [to refrain] (verb) - to hold back from doing something.
originate [to originate] (verb) - to come from.
consistent (adjective) - constantly doing something.
substantial (adjective) - a significant, large amount.
fatal (adjective) - to cause death, deadly.
acquired [to acquire] (verb) - to obtain, receive something.
adapted [to adapt] (verb) - to adjust, become comfortable with.
Vocabulary Exercise:
Fill in the blanks with the correct vocabulary word:
1) A rat terrier is a type of dog ____________.
2) You should always research a dog breed before you get a dog to make sure they are _____________with your lifestyle.
3) It is often difficult to go to a pet store, see all the adorable puppies, and _____________ from wanting to take one home immediately.
4) Ralphie was not bought at a pet store, he was ________________.
5) When buying or adopting a dog or puppy it is always useful to know where they _____________from in order to make sure you are selecting a healthy animal.
6) Often times, ________________over breeding of animals can cause many health problems.
7) These health problems cause many dogs to get sick and in some cases can be______________.
8) Many dogs found at shelters are rescued, in Tennessee Ralphie was rescued from ______________flooding damage in many areas.
9) Many pets have ______________their name in an interesting fashion.
10) Animals often take time to get used to their new homes, in my case, Ralphie ________very well to his new environment.
Grammar Point:
The above paragraphs contain many adjectives describing Ralphie and my experiences with adopting him. The adjectives help to create descriptions of what I am referring to and create an image in the reader’s mind. Adjectives are often referred to as the “color” of many texts because of the images they generate. Make a list of all the adjectives in the two paragraphs and list what words they are describing. (Hint: they can describe nouns, nouns phrases or a noun clause). Finally, take one of the adjectives used and create an original sentence.
Links:
Below you can visit the North Shore Animal League of America and learn more about the Rat Terrier dog breed.
