I’m Committed to Giving My Dog the Best Life Possible

All pets deserve to be loved, and cherished

Ilene Kuehl
Published in
4 min readSep 15, 2019

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My four-legged baby, back when he was 14 years old. Photo: Ilene Kuehl

Lately I’ve been thinking about how difficult the lives of animals are.

They could be euthanized just for coming into existence and roaming around in nature, dropped off at a shelter, where they’re picked up by a family that they don’t even know (who may or may not return them, depending on how well they “blend” in with their new pack.)

Animals don’t get to choose their family or even when they get to eat or go to the bathroom. Their owners decide everything for them. They’re on whatever schedule their humans decide to put them on, and they have no say in it.

They’re consumed for meat, their hide is used for clothing, and they often don’t have food in their stomachs or adequate shelter.

Because pets are at the mercy of whoever owns them, I think about my own dog’s life often, and try to make it the best for him.

Some people think that I’m too worried about him, but there’s a reason for it — it’s because I had to watch him suffer, before I even owned him, and it was very painful to witness.

He was running around the grass, when the lady at the pet store picked him up and started ripping the hair out of his ears with her hands (this…

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Tenderly
Tenderly

Published in Tenderly

A vegan magazine that’s hopefully devoted to delicious plants, liberated animals, and leading a radical, sustainable, joyful life

Ilene Kuehl
Ilene Kuehl

Written by Ilene Kuehl

Game writer & digital artist. I write about creativity, writing, & working in the video game industry. I 🤍 pink & vaporwave.

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