Dear Mojo, Our story definitely starts on a sour note, but every detail is worth telling. When I was nine I had pestered our mom for months to get me a puppy until the day finally came where she caved in. The whole family piled into the car and drove to the place where we would meet you for the first time. When we arrived at your temporary home I was confused. I didn't see dozens of cute puppies behind glass, instead I saw tons of old dogs in cages. I was disappointed to say the least "Mom what is this!?" I said. "There are no puppies here and you promised me a puppy!". Our mom then explained to me that we were in an animal shelter, a place where dogs of all ages came to when they don't have a home. I still wasn't interested since i saw no fluffy puppies running around but she convinced me to look around with her. we walked for a while until we got to your cage. You were a short and chubby boston terrier. I hate to say it mojo.. but I was not satisfied when I first saw you. "Mom that dog is too fat!!!" I whined and whined until mom got someone to get you out of your cage so we could play with you. well, you were
It wasn't long before you grew on me. You had a personality like no other. From your extreme loyalty to dad to your love for food of any kind you were always bringing laughter. You completely made our family whole. you absolutely adored car rides and insisted on jumping in the car any time you saw an open door. You looked totally adorable in the little outfits mom would put you in but you really had a knack for taking them off within 3 minutes or less. your weird licking never stopped either. whether it was my face or my feet you found complete bliss in licking them. you were never a bad dog and you never ran away. truly, the only bad thing you ever did was incessantly bark at the door (i guess you didn't know how loud or long you were barking for because to be frank you couldn't hear it) which is something I absolutely hated at the time, but now I miss it more than anything. The house is way too quiet without you. I miss your huge soft ears and your hilarious sneeze. I miss the sounds of your little black and white nails clicking across the floor.I miss your cute little underbite, which by the way also made for some razor sharp teeth that bit me once or twice when I got too close to your food. One thing I don't miss is the happiness you brought our family because that happiness is still here and it will never fade. We will never ever forget about you, Mojo.
You were considered the lucky one, lucky to have found a home when statistically the 9 other dogs in your situation didn't. But at the end of the day I really am the lucky one to have felt your love and to have been able to love you right back.Thank You Mojo for being the Best old, deaf, fat dog and best friend that I could have ever asked for.
much love, your sister sage
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Throughout the formation of this blog I have come across a variety of artifacts relating to animal adoption. Although these artifacts are very different in form, a majority of them share a tone of sadness. I personally became tired of these routine artifacts. I went on a search for something that was different. In reality, the idea of animals without homes is tragic, and it seemed to me that was the only way it could be portrayed. My thoughts were proven wrong when I came across a video that gave me a different type of feeling than the others: Happiness.
Wait... did that kitten just speak?..
,The Animal Humane Society, an organization that aids companion animals in need, has a YouTube channel where they post videos to inspire people to do something to help shelter animals from adoption to volunteering. One of their videos titled “I want..” is an ad promoting the adoption of cats. The video shows cats of all shapes and sizes saying one thing they want. Yes, that’s right, the cats in this video are talking. The things the cats want range from a warm belly to sleep on to things as simple as love. Once the cats are done sharing their want’s, The Animal Humane Society shares with us that in the year 2010 over 30,000 companion animals came to their shelters. Out of that 30,000, 20,000 of them were felines. The video ends with AHS asking for viewers to team up with them by helping to find homes for these animals.
The major argumentative tool used in this video is choice. In Thank You For Arguing, Jay Heinrich explains that choice deals with issues that regard the future. The Animal Humane Society gives the audience a choice; Either help some of the 20,000 felines in their midst find a home, or to do nothing.
The AHS is using choice in this video like a child who dropped their delicious lollipop on the ground. Imagine this: You’re babysitting an adorable little girl whose source of happiness at the moment is a cherry blow pop. Everything is going perfect but the world is turned upside down within seconds when the little one drops her candy right on the ground. Cries erupt from the once joyous little girl, and you can’t help but feel bad. She didn’t do anything to deserve the loss of that lollipop. The continuous cries snap you back to reality, and now you must make a choice. You can either ignore the girl’s mourning and attempt to soothe her for the rest of the day, or you can take the trip to the gas station down the street and buy a new treat for her. You’re feeling lazy and think to yourself “This will pass eventually, besides her mom will be home soon and then it won’t be my problem anymore.” although that would be the easy way out, the trip to the convenient store is obviously the right thing to do. After watching the video, the easy thing to do would be to continue browsing the internet and act as if you never say the video, but after seeing how innocent the cats are you know the right thing to do is find more information on how to help. By using choice, the Animal Humane Society forces us to make a decision. The right choice is made blatantly obvious: take action.
trust than an organization like the AHS that has been around since 1878? This organization makes us believe that they have the tools to accomplish the goal of finding a home for animals.
Let’s pretend that your best friend decides to run for president. Although you would totally trust them with your life and you guys agree on everything, you definitely wouldn't trust her with the lives of millions of Americans. The American Humane society has been perfecting their craft for over a decade. They chose to speak out on animal adoption because they know exactly how to handle it. The use of practical wisdom is entirely necessary in a situation like this. In order for an audience to take action after watching the video, they first must trust who put it together.
This kind of ethos can be observed on the streets of major cities. You’re walking down the block on a busy city day when you see and man on the curb with a sign that says “Homeless, anything helps. God bless.” and you immediately turn in the other direction to save yourself from the water works that would follow if you were to get any closer. On your detour you come across a women playing the most beautiful music you've ever heard and you stop to listen. Before you leave you put a five in her tip jar.
The American Human Society chooses to play beautiful music instead of holding up a heart breaking sign. If the AHS were to have made their video sad many viewers would have been lost because of it. The joy of the video draws viewers in and inclines them to take action by the end. Pathos is a very tool important when it comes to getting an audience to take action and the AHS plays it just the right way.
Much too often are Ads on this subject matter downright sad and make us feel guilty in some way. Ads that induce joy and laughter are few and far between. The topic of homeless pets is defenitley not one to be taken lightly, but the AHS has given the situation a rather light tone by bringing such happiness through a very deep subject. The true meaning of this video isn't lost at all through the tone, instead it is enhanced.
We can't forget how sweet and fun these animals are and the argumentative tools that the AHS has used make it impossible to ignore. Readers, we must do our part to keep the happiness behind shelter animals alive. It's as simple as sharing the link to the video above. Remember, a smile can go a long way, whether it's on a humans face or animated on a cats face. As if coming to the conclusion that you were ready to take on the responsibility of adopting a pet wasn't enough, now you must choose from thousands of animals which one is right for you. This process can be overwhelming, sad, and scary. If only there was a way you could get a sneak peek at some of the pets online so you don't feel burdened to get to know every dog and cat you see when you go to your local shelter. Luckily for you, the adoption game has changed. With the help of twenty first century technology, the ASPCA has brought to us 'pet of the week'.
If you still aren't persuaded to buy one of the pets of the week, you can filter out the exact pet for you from your local shelter on the adopt section of the ASPCA's website. There are so many shelter animals to choose from and I promise you, if you're ready, a pet is waiting to run, jump, or crawl into your loving arms.
As a college freshman myself I feel extremely targeted by Parsons blog post. To me high school was not just a test prep service, but instead a place where I realized my academic strengths and weaknesses which I knew would help me in my further academic endeavors. If High school was only a test preparation service, as Parson described it, all incoming college students would fail miserably due to a lack of listening, writing, and communication skills along with many others.
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