I live inside a cage you see at a petstore at the mall.
I'm not an only pup, my sisters are all here.
My brothers too, except for Spot, who died cuz he was starved.
It's lonely here at nighttime, when all the lights go dark.
We tremble in our cages and we whimper and we bark.
But no one comes to hold us or pet our fears away.
We sit all night in terror until the store opens the next day.
We don't remember mama, left so far behind.
She did the best she could for us till Man said "It is time."
He crammed us all in cages too small for us you see,
We rode for hours but could not help, we lay in poop and pee.
And now we sit in a pet store, where kids taunt and squeeze,
They do not hear our whimpers or understand our pleas.
We're miserable here and it's scary, we all would rather die.
But since we don't do our best to run away and hide.
I know you think my story is too sad to leave me be,
You want to take me home with you, a happy puppy.
But please, though it is fearful here to live against our will,
If you take me, that leaves a spot another pup will fill,
You can stop our suffering by not taking us home.
You must be strong and leave us here, unsold and alone.
For if you do not take me, then another pup won't come.
And maybe he will not be shopped so far away from home.
Though some of us may not survive the cycle, here it falls.
If we don't sell they will not need more puppies in these halls.
And if they need no puppies, then the Man will not bring more!
Eventually it can all stop! YOU can close the door.
So when you see a puppy face so sad and sweet and small,
In a cage at the pet store at your neighborhood shopping mall,
The best thing you can do for him is leave him sitting there,
That is the best way you can show all dogs how much you care!
-Poem taken from critterhaven.org
