I really did my best to please

And live up to the name of “Pearl.”

I would have given anything

To hear them say, just once, “Good Girl!”

But...

No matter what I did, they’d scold

And beat my body black and blue

Then tie me up, out in the cold

Bruised and scared, I took my cue

I slipped the leash and leapt the fence

My heart was pounding like a drum

Scared and lonely, no defence

Fear of what life would become

I fed from bins, slept under cars

No shelter from the wind or rain

I hung around outside the bars

In hope some sanctuary I’d gain

But then the man came from the pound

And caught me with his metal trap

It felt so tight around my neck

As I lay choking on the strap

He threw me in an iron crate

And left me there, so wet, so cold

The gas chamber is now my fate

My vision fades, my future told.

 American artist, Mark Barone is now hard at work, painting 5,500 portraits of abandoned dogs, killed in shelters and pounds across America, to raise awareness about their plight, and to promote adoption. You can see these paintings on the wall on the website. (Link below) When he is finished, these paintings will reside in a museum. It is hoped that this campaign will continue to raise awareness and reach out world-wide.

http://anactofdog.org/An_Act_of_Dog/Home.html