I’ve seen a hundred commercials and advertisements that feature a wriggling little puppy in a Christmas stocking. Or an idyllic scene where the parents tell their young offspring “oh, look, there’s one more present” before retrieving an adorable, floppy eared canine that melts the heart. We all want to make our children’s dreams come true. And what child doesn’t want a cute puppy for Christmas? It’s heartwarming to think of all the animals given homes for the holidays, but what about those who are abandoned at an animal shelter months later? What about dogs like my Tasha?

Last night, I was looking through Tasha’s adoption paperwork, trying to see if her real date of birth was listed. I found something else that brought tears to my ears and ripped out my heart. Tasha had been abandoned at the animal shelter at Christmastime. I don’t know what Tasha’s early life was like or how she…