Writer Feature: Why I Believe Adopting Animals Teaches Compassion

Editor’s Note: Please welcome to our writer roster, Corinne Sanders! Corinne is a University of Utah student majoring in the journalism sequence of communication and minoring in creative writing.  She lives in Salt Lake City with her dogs, Luke and Max, and cats, Bella and Jem.

I never thought I would be the kind of person to worry and care about creatures that often go unnoticed.  Sure, I always liked animals, but this had been an interest I never thought too deeply about.   Today, though, animals are what I care about the most.

I’ve stressed out far too much about the snail on the sidewalk being crushed by passing shoes.  I’ve stubbornly refused to allow anyone in my presence to kill a spider, choosing instead to swallow my fear and safely capture it to move it outside.  I’ve pulled my car to the side of the road to attempt to grab the dog running in and out of traffic, and I’ve spend too many nights worrying about the cats I see in freezing temperatures digging through the trash bins outside of my boyfriend’s apartment.

For the longest time I’ve tried to figure out what inspired this change in me, this incredible and intense caring for animals.  I thought maybe it was just learning more about the conditions some animals live in, or the awful ways some are treated.  While it is certainly true that those things have helped change and inform me, I now know that being responsible and caring for my own adopted cats and dogs, especially my golden retriever Max, has taught me the most about compassion.

Around six years ago, my mom and I decided that we wanted to adopt another dog.  We loved our adopted Labrador mix Luke, and knew he would enjoy having another dog to play with.  I’ve always loved golden retrievers and decided to do some research on breed-specific rescues.  After some time, I came across Companion Golden Retriever Rescue, an organization that takes in and adopts out dogs in Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona, and Nevada.  I emailed back and forth with them for a few weeks, trying to find the perfect fit for our pet family, when suddenly I got a call about a dog they had just rescued from the pound.

My mom and I immediately agreed to drive out to the rescue and meet the dog, Max, as well as introduce him to Luke.  He was a tall, gangly dog barely out of puppyhood and seemed very happy to meet us and spend time with Luke.  We knew we wanted him in our family as soon as we met him, and brushed off the warnings that he came from a “rough” home.  He seemed fine to us and didn’t show any signs of being afraid, so we weren’t worried about it.

It was a different story when we took Max home.  Every time I tried to step over him as he lay on the ground, he would fly into a panic and desperately try to get himself on his feet to run away from me.  When my mom took out the broom to sweep, Max would tuck his tail between his legs and dash away.  I couldn’t understand why a sweet golden retriever could be so afraid at only one year old, and realized that the people at the rescue were right about where Max came from.  From then on, I vowed to give Max all the love he was wrongly denied in his first year of life.

Max has come such a long way since then.  He no longer panics when I step over him, and loves to play and chase Luke around the house.  He is the best snuggle buddy and is always there to offer a paw when I’m down.  I know without a doubt that loving Max and caring for him has made me a better and gentler person.  I’ve heard people say that they don’t want to adopt dogs because they don’t want a dog with baggage, but I believe giving the “damaged” ones a chance can teach you the most about compassion.