by Shabba the JubJub
(with the help from Anna Fagundes and Nondum the Korbat)

My name is Shabba and I am an adopted JubJub. I have all the pleasure of the world in telling this. I was thrown into the adoption by my first owner, a young girl of fourteen. She said to Ms. Worley at the Neopian Pound that she was tired of me, and she left me to starve. I yelled and screamed, but she just left me there. I never felt that lonely before. I don't recommend the experience to anyone, it's terrible.

The first days in the pound are the worst. You are fed, but you don't feel like eating. You want to talk, but there's no one to listen to you. All the other pets are crying or simply slumping, waiting for someone kind enough to pick them up. Some are actually left to starve, and they lay in the corner of their rooms sleeping all day and all night, waiting for the "final moment." I can't remember it without crying.

The folks at the pound wish nothing but the very best to us. They display us for the owners so they can choose one to be their pet. I was relieved to see my best friend, Orleans, being taken by a boy. He was almost dying and that wonderful boy saved him. But the time passed by and new pets were arriving and no one seemed to look at me. I started to cry day and night, refusing food and drink, not wanting to go on display. I was convinced to go on display one morning by the kind Blumaroo that runs the adoption pound.

There I went, still crying, hoping someone would actually look at me. Well, someone looked. A young girl taking a Kacheek by the hand, a Zafara on the other, and one Korbat at the shoulder stopped by, looked and smiled.

"What do you think, folks?" she asked, looking at me.

"Nondum? Flora? What do you think of him, Mushu?"

"He seems to be nice," the Kacheek said.

"Yeah. And he's a JubJub. They bring good luck," the Korbat spoke, coming closer to me and winking at me.

"You convinced me, folks. I think I'll take this JubJub, sir. What's his name?"

"Shabba," the Blumaroo said, all smiles.

The Blumaroo took me to a room and signed all the papers. I was someone's pet yet again. I couldn't believe my luck - I was finally taken and that was the best feeling in the world.

The Korbat's name was Nondum. I said that was a weird name and he replied that mine wasn't that simple either. Then he laughed and I laughed with him. How great it is to laugh! You just don't know! I have now two brothers and a sister - Nondum the Korbat, RedMushu (a Zafara that was also adopted) and FloraGallagher the Kacheek. We are now living at a small pad near the Marketplace. Anna (my new owner) works as a quest treasure hunter and a Korbat keeper. As I'm the youngest of the family, I'm supposed to study hard to for the Battledome and Flora (she's a Level 2, while everybody else is level 1 here) helps me with that a lot of things I don't know yet. She forces me to read all the books that Anna brings with her every night and she studies with me. Mushu takes care of the house and us. Nondum hunts food and objects from the markets. The other day, he brought some stuff from the Space Station and nobody had the guts to eat it - not even me!

Last week I went with the family to the Mystery Island, a place I have only heard of from spoiled pets that were left behind in the pound. I really enjoyed the place. Nondum and I went on a tour around the island and we brought some presents to Flora and Mushu. We also bought some nice fruits, but Mushu ate them all on the boat back to Neopia. Next week, if we behave (that means if Mushu stops teasing Flora's hair in the morning and if Nondum doesn't bite our neighbours and if I read more books ), Anna said she will take us to a theme park. I just can't wait for it - I have never been to a park before.

I am glad I survived the depression of the Neopian Pound, but sometimes I stop and think of all my friends that are still there, waiting for a kind soul to take them out of there. So I ask all the people in Neopia - if you have a pet, adopt another one. The fees are reasonable and you save a pet from shame. And before you take a pet, be sure you can take care of it. Prevent a pet from suffering what I have suffered.