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A post shared by Ushna Shah (@ushnashah) on Dec 17, 2018 at 3:35am PST

Two years ago today, I brought my dog home.

We had just lost our toy poodle, Marilyn, to whom my mom was really attached.

I went to the pet store to buy some dog food for the other two dogs, and the vet tried selling me some cute little Maltese puppies. I wasn’t interested in a new puppy, nor did I want to fund a breeding business, but I saw Tweety in a cage—quiet, head down. I asked what her deal was.

She was three years old and had been moved from pet store to pet store. She was clearly abused and lived in a cold cage. She was taken out of her cage once a day to do business and was given one can of dog food a day.

The pet store owner agreed to sell her to me at a price nobody else would pay. He clearly showed how animals are used as business—a profitable one at that.

I called my mother—who did not want another dog—and told her Tweety’s backstory. Mama, being one of the biggest animal lovers I know, sighed and then laughed.

Tweety was coming home.

Tweety was given her first warm bath, soft bedding, home food, and cuddles. She was in shock and didn’t know what to do with all this love. Ever since then, she has been my mother’s shadow, following her everywhere.

Tweety’s abused past creates some problems, for sure. She attacks the pit bull, as well as the other toy poodle, and she growls when men come close. But, we took her in promising to love her and give her a new life, and, well, it’s been worth it.

Rescue and adopt. It’s worth it.

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