Imagine Her Eyes: A Look at a Dog

Imagine the sweetest dog you’ve ever met. She loves cuddling and giving slobbery kisses. She’ll play with the neighborhood kids, and curl up with you at the end of the day. She looks at you with her big brown eyes and always gets a treat for just that.

Now picture those big brown eyes, confused and lonely, looking at you through a cage in an animal shelter. Same dog, same love, same kisses, but this dog has no home. No one to call her humans. No one to give cuddles and kisses. That’s the reality of a shelter dog.

How could anyone say no?

I’m here to tell about my experiences working in two shelters for the past year, in hopes of opening up more eyes to the great animals that end up in shelters — many of which still need homes and love, some of whom will never get that. I want to tell you the good, the bad, the ugly, and the beautiful. It’s not always a happy time working at a shelter, but it can be the most rewarding experience of your life.

My name is Kaitlin, and I’m a senior at the University of Michigan. I began volunteering a little over a year ago at my local animal shelter, and it has been the best decision I’ve made in my 21 years alive. I’m not going to school to be a vet, or vet tech, or anything related to animals. I’m actually an English major. But I’m as passionate about these beautiful animals as I am about my writing.

Follow my blog if you love animals, if you’re afraid of them, or even if you think you already know everything there is to know about furry creatures. It’s about time I brought my two passions together, and I’d like you to come along for the journey.