Rescued From Testing

轉載自Doris Day Animal Foundation

http://www.dorisdayanimalfoundation.org

我九歲了， 今年我有很好的理由慶祝我的生日，因為今年我重生了， 而且我有了一個溫暖安全的家和一個愛我的媽咪。
在我五歲之前， 我是一隻被美國聯邦藥物管理部門當作藥物試驗的狗。五歲後的四年， 我又神秘的被送到加州一間獸醫學校當作實習品。實習生不停的在我身上練習抽血， 練習術前的除毛，和練習麻醉技術。我的健康嚴重受損， 但卻只能任人宰割。 直到我的媽咪在這間學校發現了被關在籠子裡的我。她看到我眼神裡的亮光， 和我渴望脫離苦海的心。她注意到久被蹂躪的我， 她也花時間了解到真正的我。 現在我可以在毯子上睡小覺，吃烤雞， 可以學習怎麼跑步，可以不受束縛的散步 。我的媽咪再也不會讓我受罪了， 雖然我只是一條狗。

My birthday is January 23 and this year I really had good reason to celebrate. I am finally in my forever-and-ever home with my new Mom. I turned nine this year, but spent the first five years of my life with the Federal Drug Administration as a test animal. I was then mysteriously relinquished to a California community college where the veterinarian technician students used me to learn how to draw blood, pre-op shave and practiced anesthetizing me over and over again. Yes, I was a bit of a mess, but most of all I needed love to get healthy.

My big break came when one day my Mom walked by my kennel on her way to class at the college. She saw the sparkle in my eyes, the desperation in my heart and took the time to discover the real me hidden under a heavy cloak of neglect.

I now spend my days napping under heaps of blankets, dining on roasted chicken and going for long walks off leash in open space where I have finally learned how to run. When a girl rescues a dog, the dog also rescues the girl, and today we are as inseparable as possible.

後記：1950年代紅遍半邊天的 桃樂絲·黛（Doris Day） 退隱演藝圈後，居住於加州Carmel Valley， 致力保護動物，在美國設立多處動物救援中心。這隻狗狗，為其中心所救援的其中一隻狗。這隻狗狗的遭遇和平常聽到的流浪狗很不一樣， 原本貼於留言簿給我不小震撼決定貼於文章欄。我心存感謝這些無名的動物， 他們默默的付出生命，貢獻以人類為中心的世界。此篇是今年感恩節前夕的感言。