A Short Story About Me , Kirby.
By Chad Johnson
Copyright 2011
A Smashwords Edition
About 7 years ago I was adopted . I did not like the orphan home I was in . There was about 700 others just like me. Some days some of the others would leave and never come back to the “ room” we all stayed in. To this day I do not know what happened to them, maybe I do not want to know. But there was lucky ones just like me.
I was real hungry , dirty,cold , and real sick of all the noise in the “ room “. But then a special someone came into my life. Well actually 3 of them did . To this day I still do not under - stand why I am so lucky to have been adapted . On the way to my new home , I was so nervous I started to puke all over the car . But my new family did not care , and that is why I love them so much .
When I got to my new home , I did not eat for like 3 days. I was still trying to feel out my new home. What I went through the last few weeks would make anyone act stir crazy . I was living out in the streets , eating out of garbage cans , being chased by wild animals, and then being picked up by the “ man” . I then had to live in a orphan home for a while until now.
My new family is kind of mean ( I get yelled at for silly things ) in a way, even though I love them. I am not allowed to sleep in a bed like the rest of them . They make me eat by the front door and lock me up in this smelly cage when they leave without me ( that soon stopped, I think they felt sorry for me now I run things ) I sometimes wonder if they are ashamed of me . They have this rope tied around my neck when I am out in public with them like there is something wrong with me . I think we live in a city where there are a lot of adoptions . I see others just like me when I want to go out and play . I yell at the others and they yell back, but the adopted families yell at us to be quite . I know my new family loves me, they throw balls and rubber toys , and I get to chase them and bring them back . This game repeats itself until I an so tired I have to take a nap.
It is real hard to understand what my new family is saying . You see I come from another place that does not speak the same language . The other kids in my town are in the same boat . I think all of us were adopted from the same foster homes . We all kind of in a strange way look alike , yet we are so different . When I want to eat or go to the bathroom , I have to ask for permission from my adopted family . Yet they will yell at me sometimes because they are watching this strange box that makes noises . After I kick my food dish around they get up and give me food to eat. Maybe they are not yelling at me, but hard of hearing. This box is all new to me , where I came from we did not have toys like this .
My adopted family gets to shower and brush their teeth everyday . Me on the other hand , I get a shower once a week and the shower is way to cold for me . In the 7 years They tried to brush my teeth a few times, but the tooth paste was so rotten I bit them and ran off. I want to use what they use . Now all I hear when I try to tell them something is , “ shut up your breath smells so bad “ . Or ‘” get out of my face your breath is rotten “. Well what do you expect ? You treat me like an animal . Since I was adopted by this family I have had a good live. I do not go to school or work . All I do is sit on my butt ( sometimes I rub it on the carpet when they are gone ) . I eat and drink for free , even though I am not allowed to be at the table.
I have to feel lucky , this family does not kick me or beat me like some of the other adopted kids that I talk to while I am out and about . Why would an adopted family treat their own like that is beyond me . One thing they do , is turn on this machine and chase me around the house with it. This machine scares the heck out of me, It makes a loud noise and things disappear when it goes over it .
Another few things I do when my family is gone is stuff like drinking out of this huge white bowl . It has a funny smell to it , but I can not turn on the faucets to get a glass of water . Sometimes I get into their collection of food that is in this huge container ( let me tell you something , it smells so bad ) and I get food out of it to eat . Other times I get so mad I have ripped up their clothes , furniture , and threw books and magazines all over the house. Now that is some fun , but when they get home they get to yelling at me. I just look at then with these pouty eyes and they forgive me.
One thing I will never let happen to my loving family is let strangers in . I make so much noise they leave, it wears me out because I get so thirsty after all the yelling I do. Everyday at the same time this dude in all blue walks up to the door. I must scare him because all he does is leave notes in the box by the front door and hurries off . But the family I live with does not know I scare this stranger off . Some day when they read the notes they get mad and yell about not having the money again . It must be something bad , so I leave them alone .
Some days my family gets these square boxes from strangers that I do not like . The boxes have this steam coming out and it smells so good . They do let me eat some of that . To this day I do not know what it is , but as long as they get it I’m all in for eating it . It’s way better then the dried up nasty stuff I get by the front door.
When my family has to use the restroom, they shut the door. That’s how it should be . With me they want to make me feel like a fool. They tie that rope around my neck and let the whole neighborhood watch me. I really hate this , and it really gets under my skin when I have to do this when there is this cold white stiff rubbing on my backside. You would think this is some form of abuse . In this city I see this happen to all of the adopted ones like me . I guess it’s some kind of tradition . Don’t get me wrong . I do love my family , they just need to step up and show me some respect . Let me eat at the table, sleep in a bed ( not on the floor ) , go to the bathroom in doors, and stop with this rope around my neck in public.
After all these years I finally had my teeth fixed . I was on some real strong drugs and everyone laughed at me . My breath smells like roses and my mouth does not hurt . I still on occasions will eat food that others throw on the ground . Heck I can not stop my old habits from living on the streets. You can take the adopted out of the streets , but you cant take the streets out of the adopted .
If you have not already figured it out , I am the family dog . I love life because the owners saved mine. They went to a dog pound and adopted me and save my life. I love life , even though we can’t talk to each other . I can tell they love me. They play with me and let me do whatever I want . They let me chase birds, squirrels , cats , flies, grasshoppers, and floating leaves. All of that makes me feel like I am king of the world . I even now use my owners legs and fat gut as a pillow as we both enjoy that box that makes noises . And they let me eat the food they can not finish . I am warm during those days when that white stuff is all over the ground I use to go to the bathroom on . Then I stay cool on those days it feels like a hot oven out. Man I love the life of a dog .
What you call a backyard , I call my restroom with no privacy
What you call a clean laundry basket , I call a soft bed. but there is that noisy machine I’m chased around the house with.
Here is another laundry basket.
Me waiting to watch that noisy box you call a T.V.
Waiting to go outside with my friend, and there’s that darn rope I hate.
Christmas , it can't get much better then this.
This is the White stuff I find to be real cold.
Me wanting to go for a ride.
I call this the big water bowl, you call it a toilet. The one I have to drink out of from time to time when you forget to feed me. Keep the lid closed and my bowl filled up
Me
having fun while I am home alone.
About me the author . I have no background in stories. This is my first . I hope you enjoy it. I wrote this in about 1.5 hours . I think it is a cute story of my dog named Kirby. He is so fun to have around the house. He has his own mind and shows it with his antics . I tried to tell a story from his point of view. I decided to try writing short stories and poems while being jobless. I need an out let to help ease the tension of no income . I live in the mid-west . I hope to do more short stories , I have fun doing this. I do have a book of poems, but this is the first story for me. Enjoy life.