I never thought that I was going to find a loving family but I did and I am as happy as I could be, but it was not always that way. Let's start from the beginning I was born in a trashy alleyway on May 15th, 2014. My name is Sailor and I am a grey American pit bull terrier. I grew up with my mother who was abandoned by her owners when they found out that she was pregnant. My mother taught me how to scavenge through trash bins, and where the nearest river was so that we could get water easily.

 One day when I was about 4 months old I fell into a ditch and my mother helped me get up and then get home, but I had hurt my paw so I stayed home in our comfy box in the alleyway while she went to get some food. She came back every day with a wonderful meal until I was better and could walk on my paw, but she insisted that I stay home one more day. I watched her walk off that day and waited for her to come home but she never did. I waited for several days hoping that she was going to appear out of nowhere, but she never showed up. I got up and went to the nearest trash bin and scavenged for food. Sadly all I found was a small bit of a hot dog that was left, so I devoured it and headed off to the river to get some water. When I arrived I smelt an unfamiliar smell, but I chose to ignore it and went back to the big box in the alleyway which I called my home. 

The next day I woke up and jumped up to see that there was a gigantic boxer scavenging for food in my trash bin. I sniffed the wind attempting to get a big whiff of the dogs sent. It was what I had smelled yesterday by the river. I ran up to the dog barking and when I got to him I let out a deep growly saying that this was my home. To my surprise he did not fight back, instead he surrendered, and that is when I walked up to him and we sniffed each other. I gave him a little lick on the nose to show him that he was welcome and then showed him to a box that was across from mine, the one that used to be mine but now I sleep in my mother’s to make me feel closer to her. 

Not long after that him and I got to know each other. I found out his name was Brady, and we got super close and the next thing I knew was that we were cuddling in my box every night. I liked it, it made me feel like I was not alone. Every day we would go to the river together and then we ran around in the green leafy woods with the ground covered in leaves and broken tree branches. These were the best days I had since my mother disappeared. One day we were walking through the woods when all of a sudden we heard a loud noise, another dog barking and a human shouting “get’m boy” and then there was a gunshot “1,2,3” I counted the loud bangs that echoed through the forest. 

Brady and I ran away as fast as we could, and ran back to our safe little alleyway and into our safe little boxes. We stayed in our boxes for a week too afraid to leave. I got very skinny and ill. Brady headed off one day with no warning, I thought that he had left me just like my mother had that day. A couple of hours later he returned with a deer that he had found. 

We had a feast that night and we slept wonderfully. A few days later I was no longer sick and once again running through the woods with Brady by my side. One afternoon as Brady and I were heading home we built up the courage to go into the rusty and dim abandoned supermarket and see what was inside. To our surprise, the store was filled with tons of food. We no longer had to go diving for food in dirty bins. Days passed and nights fell and we were content with our trashy alleyway and ripped boxes. 

One Morning in mid-fall I was awoken to the sound of a screaming animal and three loud barks. I assumed it was just Brady getting an animal for us to feast on but when he did not return I started to get curious. I wandered off into the woods walking towards the barks I had heard earlier, and what I saw next was terrifying. I saw a big beast with big yellow teeth, and drool running all down its face running full speed towards me. I spun around and lifted my legs off the ground and into the air it was like I had just been charged and was now using all the battery I had left in me to push me towards the next green tree in sight, I felt the hard rocky ground with wet mushy dirt underneath my leathery soft paw pads. Now and then I would step on a sharp object that sent extreme agony through my sensitive paws, but I would not stop too afraid that if I did I would be injured by the beast that was chasing me. Snap Snap Snap were the sounds that I heard coming from every step that I made, stepping on leaves that crackled under me and branches that broke.  I must have been running for an hour because when I looked behind me the beast was gone, but I had no clue where I was or where my home and Brady were. I decided I would sleep under a rock that I had found for the night, little did I know that I was not alone.

In the middle of the night around 1:00, I assumed I heard a deep growl around me. I leaped into the air and landed on my feet. I couldn't make out the figure that was making that noise, but I did not want to wait around to see what it was. Off I went sprinting through the woods again thinking about how Brady and I used to race through the woods trying to catch one another. I had stopped paying attention to where I was going and sooner than later I was stuck in a deep hole in the middle of the woods. The sky was a faded shade of purple that was dense and dark. The only piece of light was the moon, but it was so hard to see due to the tall green leafy pines that surrounded me. I had no idea how to get out so I waited and waited until it was light out. When the sun finally arose I could see that there was a way for me to get out, but every time I would try and get up I would fall back down. What was happening I wondered, and then I realized I had enraged my paw with stabbing pain, just like I had when I was a small pup. I had no idea what I was going to do because the first time I had my mother to help me but this time I was all alone with no one to help me. I sat in that hole for days waiting until I was able to stand and walk on my paw. I finally was able to walk on my paw but there was still pain but I had to get out of this hole and get food and water. 

I got out and went straight to find a river because I knew that if I did not get water then I was not going to be able to find food. I walked around for a while and I had found nothing I was about to give up when I heard the sound of the water “swoosh splash swoosh splash swoosh splash” I followed that sound until I was practically in the water. I inhaled the water and it was so refreshing. In the water, I caught a large fish stuffed with deliciousness. I shoved everything in my mouth. The fish tasted like heaven. It was so salty and fresh. After my delightful meal, I headed off in the opposite direction that I had come from attempting to escape from the ravening beast that was coming for me.

A couple of months later I was happy I had found a nice cave for me to sleep in. I was happy and content until I heard a loud booming noise that sent shivers down my spine. I hopped out of my cave and ran for my life. Suddenly I was being pushed down to the ground by a powerful source, I whipped my head around only to see the gigantic yellow-toothed beast that had been chasing me. I whimpered and tried to push the beast off me but I was not able to escape the horrific animal that was staring back at me. I wiggled and fought my way out of the beast's body when I saw it in full sight. It was not a beast but a wolf. The wolf attacked me and bit my leg and upper back. There was a lot of blood but I set myself free from the wolf’s grasp and ran as fast as I could away from the wolf, but I was limping, my leg was killing me with stabbing pains that almost made me faint. I did not and would not let my leg drag me down. I ran and ran and the next thing I know there are cars zooming past me “ zoom zoom zoom”. I sat there and waited for the cars to stop but they never did and I turned around and the wolf was slowly approaching me so I jumped into the highway. I maneuvered around cars jumping and running, I had almost made it across when “boom” I was hit by a fast-moving car. I saw people hopping out of the car and racing towards me to help but that is all I remember because after that I passed out.

 I woke up in a steel metal cage with a warm bed and blanket, and two bowls one for food and the other for water. There were dog barks all around me but I did not care because I knew they could not get to me. I layed there in peace until “click” I jumped out of bed and hid in a dark corner wondering what that noise was “thump thump thump” went the sound of a person's shoes. A tall person showed up at my cage. I did not move. “Here, pretty girl,” the woman said in a kind voice. I slowly walked towards her, she opened the cage door and put a leash around my neck. My leg was still in extreme pain and I walked into a big white room with a table and equipment next to it. I was then put on the table and a few moments later I was fast asleep.

 When I awoke the following morning I was no longer feeling sharp stabbing pains in my leg. I assumed that they had just given me some medicine to help me with the pain which they did but they also disinfected the cut and stitched it up to help it heal faster. A couple of weeks later I had some visitors. It was the people I saw the day that I got hit, it was the family that hit me. I backed up into a corner and crouched down “ It's ok puppy you are safe” said the little girl, I still did not move. The woman who had taken me into the white room and who had been taking care of me walked into the cage with me and petted me lightly. It was nice. The woman walked me out into a big fenced-in field and let me off-leash. I was free again. It felt so good to be outside and off-leash. I ran around like a crazy animal, my feet lifting so high above the ground and my tail swaying back and forth at rapid speed. I spotted the family I ran over to them and let them touch me, and that is when I knew I had found my forever home. We went back inside and I went back into my cage and slept knowing that I was going to leave this place soon. 

Five or six days later I was let out of my cage and was put into a room with my new family. When they were signing the paperwork the little girl came up to me and said “Hi my name is Willow and your name is Sailor, and you are going to be coming home with us and I am going to give you all the love and attention you want”.  I went up to her and attacked her with kisses she giggled and on the inside, I giggled too. After all the paperwork was signed I was taken out of the building and into a blue car, where I hopped in and was put in the back. Willow hopped in the back with me and buckled herself in. I layed down and rested my head on her leg and that is how it stayed for the rest of the ride home. 

When we got to the house it was dark blue with a black roof and white shutters. I jumped out of the car and ran into the huge yard that was all mine. We went inside and Willow showed me my bed and then showed me how to get upstairs and into her room where she slept, but I smelt a familiar smell. I walked around the hall and got to a room with a closed door. I wined at it and scratched the door. Willow walked up and opened the door. I was surprised to see that Brady was inside. It was Brady I sprinted to him and tackled him. I was so happy to see him and he was happy to see me. We ran down the stairs and he showed me how to use the doggy door and go into the fenced backyard. We ran around and around for hours, delighted to see each other. At around 5:00 we were called inside for dinner. The woman placed down two bowls, one for me and one for Brady. We ate together for the first time in a year and I was happy. Days, weeks, months passed and I got adjusted to my new life in a home and the family that came with it. Now we are back in the present time. I am snuggled up on the couch with Brady by my side and Willow laying in front of me reading a book. I now sleep with Willow and Brady on her bed and when we wake up in the morning we run downstairs and Willow chucks the ball outside for us to chase after, then we go inside and eat while she changes for school. When she leaves for school Brady and I spend hours resting and playing with each other. When Willow gets home we meet her at the end of the driveway and walk back to the house with her. We sit by her feet while she does her homework and then we play and play until dinner time, and then we go to sleep. Now that is all I have to say but who knows what will happen next but what I do know is that I will be prepared for all of it.