Running head: STARK AJ CLANCY

Stark AJ Clancy Cayla Baldus & Cody Clancy College o !u"age Co#$osition % &li'a(eth Anderson No)e#(er 1*th+ ,-1.

Stark Clancy Stark AJ Clancy % elt nostalgic as Cody hel$ed #e cra# the last o #y clothes into #y suitcase/ 0hen % ca#e ho#e ro# no1 on+ % 1ould (e a guest/ %t #ade #e sad that % 1ouldn2t ha)e co ee e)ery #orning 1ith #y #o# or see the stars at night/ The uncertainty o 1hat 1as to co#e le1 through the air+ though it 1as ne)er said aloud/ %t didn2t need to (e/ This 1as ha$$ening/ 0e

1ere going to #o)e out o our $arents2 houses+ $re$ared to dri)e hours a1ay to 1here 1e 1ould soon call ho#e/ % 1as an adult no1+ and though % drea#t o this #o#ent since high school+ no1 it 1as a reality/ Although the ret ulness haunted #e+ % 1as e3cited4 % 1as #o)ing in 1ith #y (est riend+ and ready to start the ne3t cha$ter o #y li e/ The thought o rent+ utilities+ ca(le (ills+ tuition+ (ooks+ and groceries did go through #y #ind4 (ut % didn2t 1ant to think a(out that/ 0e 1ere (oth lea)ing things (ehind 1e kne1 1e 1ould #iss4 Cody2s (rother 1ho# he 1as close to+ and #y #o# 1ho 1as #y su$$ort syste#/ Both o us+ ho1e)er+ 1ere really going to #iss our dogs+ 5inny and Becca/ Cody and % are (oth dog lo)ers+ and 1e kne1 1e couldn2t li)e 1ithout one/ 6ur #others shot do1n the idea o getting a dog e)ery ti#e it 1as (rought u$+ (ut 1e still ended u$ at the nearest rescue shelter/ !es$ite the circu#stances 1e 1ere under+ elation shot through our (odies/ Cody and % held hands tightly as 1e o$ened the door to do'ens o yel$ing+ e3cited dogs/ %t 1as ti#e to $ick a ne1 #e#(er o our a#ily/ The irst dog that caught our eye 1as a , year old 1rinkly shar7$ei (y the na#e o "ickles/ 8$on looking at her lo)a(le 1rinkles through the cage+ 1e 1ere already delighted/ 0e leashed her and 1alked her out into the grassy yard+ still #oist 1ith #orning de1/ 9er s#ile started to $ush a1ay the in)iting 1rinkles o her ace+ and i##ediately #elted our hearts/ 0e 1ere ully con)inced that "ickles 1as our dog/ Neither o us 1anted to decide right a1ay though4 1e 1anted to see our o$tions/ 0alking do1n the halls o endless7(arking dogs+ 1e

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sa1 an adora(le (ro1n and crea# colored $u$4 i##ediately 1e gra((ed the leash and took her out+ en:oying her $lay ul de#eanor/ 0e ro#$ed 1ith her or a long ti#e+ laughing the 1hole 1ay4 it 1asn2t long until Cody looked at #e 1ith a ;uestioning ace+ and 1e decided she 1as not our dog/ 0ith the res$onsi(ilities 1e 1ere soon to ace+ 1e 1ouldn2t ha)e the ti#e to care or her+ she 1as :ust too #uch to handle/ Again+ 1e took out another dog na#ed <aria+ and 1hat a great dog she 1as4 sat 1hen 1e told her+ lay do1n as she 1as told+ she 1as o(edient in e)ery 1ay/ 8n ortunately+ she 1as == $ounds+ and sure to e)entually e3ceed (eyond >- $ounds/ 6ur a$art#ent co#$le3 1e 1ere #o)ing into allo1ed dogs+ (ut 1ere strict on the ?no dogs o)er >$ounds2 rule/ <aria 1as sure to gro1+ there ore 1e couldn2t ha)e her/ By no1+ Cody and % 1ere in the nose(leeds o the kennel+ 1ondering i the shelter could $ossi(ly house our ideal $u$/ The t1o o us 1alked do1n the dirty hall and e)entually ca#e to the end o the steel7(arred enced dogs/ A t1o oot slender #utt looked u$ at us/ 9e 1as the only dog not (arking+ :ust ga'ing u$ longingly/ 0e 1ere still ;uite con)inced on "ickles the shar7$ei+ (ut or so#e reason this little guy char#ed us/ Ske$tical+ (ecause he 1as > years old+ 1e thought he #ight ha)e health $ro(le#s4 (ut still 1anted to gi)e hi# a chance/ Stark had (een there or = #onths+ and to (e (lunt+ he 1as on death ro1/ 9e 1as the chea$est dog a#ong the cro1ded+ narro1 halls o kennels they 1ere housing/ 0e got the leash and o$ened u$ his chain link door/ 8$on lea)ing his concrete cell+ he trotted along the resh a ternoon grass to1ard the ga'e(o/ Stark 1as a short dog+ #ostly (lack+ 1ith so#e golden s$ots+ (ut des$ite only (eing si3 years old+ he had s$rinkles o grey $o1dering his snout/ The three o us sat do1n in the ga'e(o and the dirty+ shedding Stark rested his head u$on Cody2s la$+ his eyes illed 1ith ho$e+ and his tail 1agging eagerly at the thought that 1e could (e the ones 1ho sa)ed hi#/ At this #o#ent+ there 1as no dou(t in our #ind4 this 1as our (oy+ our clearance $u$$y/

Stark Clancy <onths 1ent (y in our ne1 a$art#ent+ school got di icult+ 1ork 1as (usy+ and #oney 1as tight/ Cody and % 1ere (oth stressed (eyond (elie / %t 1as sa e to say that 1e 1ere not

ada$ting 1ell to our ne1 li)ing situations/ 0e had no riends+ (ut no ti#e to #ake riends either/ 0e had no ti#e to do the things 1e en:oyed/ % 1ould chuckle to #ysel so#eti#es a(out ho1 rough % thought % used to ha)e it/ %t ca#e to the $oint that it 1as :ust too #uch and % couldn2t handle it/ % ca#e ho#e and colla$sed on the (ed and started crying/ Seconds later+ % elt so#ething rest on #y chest/ Stark looked u$ at #e+ not nudging and (egging or attention like he al1ays did4 :ust lied on #y chest and co# orted #e/ % learned so#ething that day 1hile % 1as crying uncontrolla(ly on #y (ed+ that % had a riend 1ho lo)ed #e #ore than anything else in the 1orld+ and although he 1as our7legged and co)ered 1ith ur+ he al1ays $ut a s#ile on #y ace/ % reali'ed that there is a lot 1e could learn ro# our dog+ and as oolish as it #ight sound+ % learned ro# Stark/ As the $ressures o adulthood gre1 or Cody and #e+ % 1atched Stark/ The irst thing % learned4 stretch+ rela3+ and take a na$+ you do ha)e the ti#e/ Curl u$+ and (lock out e)erything out or a little 1hile/ %n these cases+ you #ight ind that 1hen you 1ake u$+ things aren2t so o)er1hel#ing a ter all/ Cody and % (egan #aking ti#e or oursel)es+ and (oth gre1 as a cou$le/ Stark could (e a real $ain so#eti#es+ 1e scolded hi# ti#e a ter ti#e4 and on countless occasions+ he 1ould co1er a1ay and ignore us in en#ity+ ho1e)er+ he al1ays orga)e us/ No #atter ho1 dread ul 1e 1ere to hi# at ti#es+ Stark ne)er held a grudge/ This is hard to i#agine or a dog that once li)ed or i)e year in terri(le conditions+ 1ith o1ners 1ho (eat hi#/ A ter all this scru y little dog had (een through+ you 1ould think he 1ould ne)er orgi)e+ (ut he did4 al1ays/ Aro# that $oint on+ 1e handled our $ro(le#s like Stark4 1e 1ould argue+ stor# a1ay in ani#osity+ (ut e)entually orgi)e+ and not hold a grudge/ As 1e gre1+ our dog taught us again to

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sho1 lo)e in little 1ays/ 0e started cele(rating ti#e together+ and (eing grate ul o the #o#ents 1e had/ %t2s unny to think that a dog can teach $eo$le a(out relationshi$s+ (ut they really can/ Li)ing in a ne1 $lace #eant that 1e had to #ake ne1 riends/ This 1as ne)er so#ething that Cody or % e3celled in/ 0e 1ere an odd (unch+ and #ost $eo$le $re erred to kee$ their distance/ % had ar#s co)ered 1ith scars that #ade $eo$le unco# orta(le to (e around #e+ and Cody had the 1orst social skills you could $ossi(ly i#agine/ 0e in)ited $eo$le o)er on #ulti$le occasions+ (ut ne)er recei)ed a call (ack ro# any o our $otential guests/ 0e couldn2t see 1hy they sa1 us ho1 they did/ 0e (oth thought to oursel)es+ ?1e should try to (e #ore like the# so 1e could ha)e so#e kind o social interaction2/ As a cou$le+ 1e 1ere lost/ <y attitude changed one rigid+ 1indy day 1hile % had Stark out+ % 1atched hi# rolic around looking like an a(solute goo (all+ (ut to hi# it see#ed like it 1as the (est day o his li e/ 0hile o(ser)ing hi#+ % thought to #ysel + ?<ay(e % should li)e e)eryday like it could (e the (est day o #y li e+ #ay(e % should dance+ rolic and (e #ysel + regardless o 1hat other $eo$le think2/ &n:oy li e+ lo)e the little things+ and kee$ s#iling no #atter 1hat/ <onths a ter Cody and % #o)ed+ 1e 1ere still ad:usting to our ne1 li e+ and took e)erything one day at a ti#e/ 0e s#ashed our heads against ta(les+ (ut 1e still had to $ull oursel)es out o (ed/ 0e (oth had eight hours o 1ork to do+ t1o $a$ers+ a la( $ractical+ and a grou$ $ro:ect that no one else $artici$ated in4 lea)ing us 1ith the res$onsi(ility o an e3a# the ne3t day 1ith a #icroorganis# 1e had to o(ser)e/ 6n to$ o all o that+ our ca(le (ill 1as due this 1eek/ Cody and % 1ere de$leted o unds+ (ut thank ully 1e could still #ake ends #eet/ At the closure o each stress ul day 1e lied do1n to go to (ed+ Stark2s little (ody slinked (et1een us+ #aking sure 1e kne1 that 1e 1ere lo)ed+ and he 1ould kee$ us sa e/ As his (reathing gre1 hea)y+ Stark Anthony 1ould dose o to slee$/ Stark2s li e 1as illed 1ith lo)e

Stark Clancy and he 1as keen to return it to us4 he #akes sure to nudge us all the ti#e 77 he is #ost de initely

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1ithout ;uestion the #ost nudgy+ cuddly dog in e3istence+ Starky (oy is al1ays there to #ake us s#ile+ and laugh until our ri(s hurt/ No #atter i 1e ailed an e3a#+ elt as i 1e #ade e)eryone 1e kne1 1as disa$$ointed+ and it see#ed that the day couldn2t get any 1orse+ he 1as al1ays there/ 9e 1ould greet us at the door+ o the 1alls 1ith e3cite#ent+ no #atter ho1 long you ha)e (een gone+ or ho1 (ad your day 1as+ he 1as there/ Stark Anthony Ja#es Clancy is our (est riend/ Stark has taught us to cele(rate+ dance+ kee$ s#iling+ rela3+ orgi)e+ and a(o)e all+ to lo)e 1ithout li#its/ !ogs are $ersonal ha$$iness #achines+ and our #odel is a #utt na#ed Stark/

"hotoStory: http://photopeach.com/album/qb06hd
"i3ton: http://www.pixton.com/schools/group/190253/comic/ofrsusx0