Breaking+Through

= Welcome to my Breaking Through Page = = = = = = = = = == = = = = = =  My Personal Narrative Striving to Save Canine Lives For my entire life, I have always had a dog. At the time of my birth, my parents had two dogs, Coco and Chanel. They were both toy poodles and didn’t care much for me, seeing as I was detracting from their attention. The first dog that was actually mine was Molly, a Lhaso Apso. We really didn’t have much of a choice at the humane society, I desperately wanted a dog that I could hold and put in my doll strollers and Molly was the only petit dog there. I cherished Molly when I was little. She was my baby; she slept on my pillow and ate all of my veggies under the table, just as any good dog should. Then, when she began to grow, I could no longer pick her up. I missed being able to carry and play with my companion. I pleaded my mom for another, smaller dog, she wasn’t convinced. Our next family pet was Tucker, a standard poodle, who was named after my dad’s favorite horse that pulled our carriage on Mackinac Island. Tucker was a puppy, about 8 lbs when we brought him home. I was Tucker’s most beloved person in the world. He was my protector and he attempted to snuggle with me constantly. Tucker, having grown up with only small dogs, Tucker honestly believes that he is a lap dog too. Chrobak 2 He has gotten into the habit of watch football on my dad’s lap every night. Everyone who knows Tucker would describe him as a gentle giant. Eventually, my mom caved in to my insistent begging and adopted a white toy poodle for me. I decided to name her Ivy. At this time, I was about six years old. She was the sassiest dog that I had ever met. She was constantly flirting with the boys on our street, no matter their size. She and Molly were also contending for the alpha dog spot. It was a constant rivalry between them; they would race to the food bowl and fight over the best position on my lap. Sadly, just a year ago she suffered a devastating seizure that left her unconscious, as difficult as it was for us; we decided that it would be in Ivy’s best interest to euthanize her. Gladly, I have only fond memories of Ivy, but I miss her significantly to this day. Ivy’s adoption truly changed my life. With her, came the opportunity to foster dogs. Over the course of six years, my family and I have fostered over 30 dogs, each have found the forever home that they had obviously deserved. Some dogs really do stand out more than others. I clearly remember our first foster, his name was Jack. He was an extremely high-energy black miniature poodle. Jack looked like Tucker’s twin, only smaller. Rosie, the most beautiful foster we have ever had also stands out to me. She was a chocolate standard poodle. Rosie was the first dog that I had to train before she could be adopted out. Around this time, I was about eight. Rosie suffered from abuse, thus she was terribly timid and flinched at every rapid movement. Happily, I was able to work with her and over the course of two months; we had found a loving home for her. There were many fosters that we dreadfully wanted to adopt for ourselves and a few that we actually kept. My parents fell in love with the white toy poodle, Angelina (Angie). She also suffered from cruelty, but being so small, she had no way to fight back. Angie required a lot of rehab; she endured several broken legs and a few broken ribs. She was in deplorable shape; she would flail and squeal at the slightest touch, this occurred until the second year that we had her. Angie is still alive now, but she is losing her vision and her arthritis is worsening every day. Annabelle, my baby, was also a foster until we adopted her. She is a stunning long haired Chihuahua; I get compliments on her cuteness everywhere I go. I spoil Annabelle rotten, just as I had done with Ivy. Half of my bed is devoted to Annabelle’s comfort, complete with several of her favorite cuddly blankets and a doggy bed. She has her own pillow and that is where she prefers to sleep. Annabelle proudly wears her Coach collar and Juicy Couture hoodie everyday, as did Ivy when she was still alive. My experiences with dogs have altered my life. I have known since I was eight that I would like to grow up to be a veterinary surgeon. For my whole life, I have had a special sympathy for dogs that I don’t share with humans and I would like to devote my career to care for them.

=** Francisco Jimenez **=

=  He was born in 1943 in Tlaquepaque, Mexico. Francisco emigrated with his parents to California. He spent much of his childhood moving around California with no permanent home or regular schooling; as a kid he worked in fields. He then went on to graduate from Saint Clara University, he also attended Harvard University and received a masters and Ph. D. from Columbia University. a He is now the Fay Boyle professor in Modern Languages and Literatures. His first book for young people was the award winning short story, "The Circuit," based on his childhood. In 1997, he combined this short story with others into the volume The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child, which won many awards. =