1
Kimberlee W arnstaff
ENG 105
Essay 1
9/27/17
On M arch 1 7, 2 006, my world came crashing down i n a matter o f three h ours or so. T hat
day started o ut a mazing, a s I woke up to find t hat m y d og, Kitty, h ad a litter of p uppies.
Everyone i n m y house w as e xtremely happy a s we n ow had t wo litters, o ne l itter hitting r ight
under a week old and t he o ther l itter j ust b orn. B oth w ere a ccidental, but if these p uppies were to
end u p anything like their p arents, they w ere going to b e v ery intelligent. T hese dogs weren't just
family p ets; t hese d ogs were hunting dogs. M y family and I would t ake them out e very night a nd
work them. T hese d ogs k new w hen t hey c ould play a nd w hen it w as t ime to d o their j ob, a job
they were unbelievably good at. W e h ad g otten K itty a nd Lucky a s pups, and t hey w ere around
three years old w hen tragedy hit. I had never imagined l osing them, b ut t hat w as all a bout t o
change. That day we all wanted t o s tay home a nd l ook a fter the pups, but i t w as a F riday
morning, a nd my sister a nd I h ad s chool, a nd m y b rother had an appointment. We all g ot ready t o
start o ur day.
On this particular d ay at school i t w as n ice enough that t he w indows w ere open l etting in
fresh air, but w ith t he breeze o f f resh air c ame a smell of heavy s moke. After a n hour or so of t he
windows being o pen the w hole r oom started to take on the s mell o f smoke a nd m y t eacher s hut
the window. A t t his p oint, I could s ee a c loud o f smoke in t he s ky. I can r emember sitting i n my
chair and a sking the t eacher where it was c oming f rom, a nd I c an remember h er saying it w as
someone just burning leaves. A little while a fter that she had left t he r oom leaving a classroom
full of third graders to o ur i magination.
2
Kimberlee W arnstaff
ENG 105
Essay 1
9/27/17
There were a group o f b oys w ho were p racticing s top-drop-and-roll, i n case you know the
fire g ot t o the s chool. I can remember u s all "hiding" under o ur d esk from our t eacher something
we d id often, because when she w ould come in and s he'd act a s if s he c ouldn't see a ny of us, but
when s he came back s he l ooked d ifferent. S he looked as if she w as a bout to cry, and s he t old m e
my d ad w as here t o p ick m e up, I w as extremely excited b ecause I thought I got t o go home early
to s ee t he puppies.
My teacher w alked m e t o t he office w here I sat w ith m y s ister until my d ad came to get
us. He l ooked w eird too, b ut a gain I w as t oo excited about going home t o pay a ttention. H e
walked u s outside and I can r emember h im l ooking at us a nd s aying "something bad h appened."
I h ad no i dea what c ould h ave happened. We w ere all really quiet a s we went t o walk h ome, b ut
we got about a block away and h e stopped a nd told us that our h ouse h ad caught fire, a nd all of
our b elongings w ere gone. I remember the first t hing I asked w as "what a bout t he dogs?"
I r emember him t rying t o explain that t he f ire department couldn't go in, w hen they g ot there,
that t hey had to wait f or more f irefighters. I r emember h im t elling me that they d idn't m ake it. I
remember r unning, I d on't k now w here I was g oing to d o w hen I got there, b ut I was hoping it
was a j oke. I r emember s eeing m y m om in tears a nd t he f iremen s till trying to p ut o ut the fire. I
remember them g etting i t o ut and going in and bring out t he lifeless body o f o ur lab Howie, and
then our l ab L ucky her puppies came out n ext, a nd l ast b ut n ot l east k itty and h er p uppies. I f ell
apart. I remember my f amily f alling a part.
3
Kimberlee W arnstaff
ENG 105
Essay 1
9/27/17
The only dog that d idn't come o ut of t he h ouse w as o ur golden retriever tank, m y d ad h ad
put Tank outside, we were still physically with us but mentally he was n ever the same. I c an still
hear the f iremen a pologize t o m y m om for the loss of o ur f amily pets and I remember him
explaining t hat h e could h ear them, h e c ould hear t hem whining and h e explained t hat h e t ried t o
comfort them and l et t hem know f rom o utside it w as okay. I c ould hear him s ay t hat they did not
suffer v ery l ong, t hat the s moke was t oo much and it s uffocated t hem quickly. I r emember g oing
and s itting i n o ur car and watching people s how up w ith food a nd clothes. I r emember t he h otel
in Wapello calling and t elling u s w e c ould stay there for the night until we f igured s omething
out.
We e nded up l iving i n that h otel f or a week until we f ound a h ouse. The h otel r oom was small
and i t m ade m e miss my h ome e ven more.
T hree days a fter m y h ouse h ad c aught f ire and the f iremen d ecided it was s afe e nough
we w ere a ble t o d o a w alkthrough. Everything i n t he house was black and y ou c ouldn't r eally get
past the s mell o f smoke. My family a nd I walked r oom to room, I'm not s ure w hy because i t tore
us a part, e ven more, t o actually s ee our things g one. I had o ne doll i n my r oom that was sitting i n
a c hair that l ooks a s if i t was hardly t ouched by t he f ire. S he h ad b lack m akes on h er f ace where
you c ould see it had g otten h ot but n othing that a ffected t he doll, b ut b ecause of t he smoke smell,
I c ouldn't t ake her w ith m e. The o nly t hings w e w ere a ble t o t ake o ut o f t he h ouse w ere a pocket
watch that belonged to my g reat g randpa and an old silver c oin.
4
Kimberlee Warnstaff
ENG 1 05
Essay 1
9/27/17
My h ouse fire h as made m e who I a m b ecause it has taught me to a ppreciate t he little
thing, i t has taught me that f amily m atters a nd to not s tress the little stuff, i tems can b e replaced,
Family cannot be. L osing m y d ogs made me appreciate them m ore, s ince my h ouse f ire I have
rescued o ver f ifty d ogs, r anging from all shapes, sizes, and ages. E very dog I bring in is given a
fresh start a nd a loving h ome, a nd a re trained to do w hat t heir breed is meant t o d o. B ring in dogs
and t raining t hem h elps m e t o remember m y dogs t hat p assed in m y h ouse f ire. When m y dogs
were i n m y h ouse that b urnt down they didn't have a chance to get o ut, or anyone to help them.
When I b ring i n t hey a ll h ave a fair chance, they don't get left b ehind. M y d ogs are part of w ho I
am because w ithout t hem I wouldn't be h ere. M y h ouse f ire m akes me who I am because i f i t
wouldn't h ave happened I w ouldn't d o w hat I d o a nd I wouldn't be going i nto the c areer t hat I am.
Losing my dogs m ade m e w ho I am because I know t hat not all p eople are good and n ot all
people deserve to have d ogs. I t made m e h ow I a m because n ow I s peak up w hen p eople a re
hurting animals. It made me w ho I am b ecause I have no problem t aking an animal b eing
mistreated from i ts c rappy h ome. M y house fire made it p ossible to bring i n dogs a nd g ive t hem
a s econd c hance. My h ouse f ire w as a h orrible, h orrible t hing that I w ould never ever w ish o n
another p erson but w ithout my h ouse f ire we w ould h ave n ever m oved to our f armhouse, a nd I
would have never been a ble t o bring i n the dogs I have. I f I c ould go b ack the only t hing I would
change i s m y dogs not b eing i n the house when i t went up i n flames.
All o f t hese t hings h ave c reated m y identity a nd made me w ho I a m t oo, I 'm happy w ith
who I am n ow a nd I'm happy with t he person I have g rown up t o b e. I help people and animals.
5
Kimberlee W arnstaff
ENG 105
Essay 1
9/27/17
I'm compassionate a nd caring, I love h ard and fast, a nd I w ant t o s ave e verything I possibly c an
and I b reak m y o wn heart a l ot. I trust too easily, and I care m ore t han I should, I g ive s econd
chances a nd I have more p atience t han anyone e lse i n my family. I am w ho I a m and I 'm p roud
of that, though I'm not c ompletely s ure who I am exactly yet, not knowing e xactly w ho I a m,
gives me room t o b ecome s omething great.