The Playground: A war zone of words.

                                                                                                                                           

Since the beginning of the human race, bullying has existed, erupted and evolved. It has escalated from hitting each other with clubs, to sending hurtful (and often illiterate) text messages. No human of today would deny saying hurtful things to someone at one point in their life, yet they deny it is bullying. I will not talk about the physical version of bullying, but the more frequent verbal type.

From a very young age, I was told ''Sticks and stones may break my bones; but words will never hurt me.''

I had been taught that I should not take anything to heart, and to stand up for myself at all times. That, like most things, had been much easier said than done. 

Whilst trying to find ourselves, our guard is let down and our confidence levels hit an all-time low. We are easier targets because we have the motivation to find ourselves, while our bullies hide from themselves. The truth is, bullies are cowards! 

According to Beatbullying statistics, 42% of children truant from school because of bullying. Most children wake up terrified of facing their bullies, and wishing they hadn't woken up at all. 

Words are the most hurtful thing of all. Words have the power to make you feel anger, sadness, pain. The vast majority of bullying is verbal, and has a huge effect on the victims of verbal abuse. As I walk through the school courtyard, I hear and see bullying at least twice. Some of it is physical, some of it is verbal. The playground is a mere war zone of words, stripping down every child and baring their souls to the world.

In my personal experience, I know that facing someone who does everything in their power to make you feel like nothing is the hardest thing to do. I know that when you have been bullied for a while, it makes you feel numb. Eventually, the bully wins and makes you feel exactly what they want you to feel: like you're nothing. Let me assure everyone, being a victim of bullying certainly does not make you nothing. If anything, it makes you strong, mature human beings. 

My advice, as a former victim of bullying, is this: Do not be an ostrich and bury your head in the sand. Don't sit back, take the abuse, and hope it will all go away. It won't, unless you do something about it. Tell your parents, your siblings, your teachers. Make sure your voice is heard. Take a stand against bullying!

Binfield Dog Rescue; Making a Difference.

Jeremy, a cross breed.

Frank, a Labrador cross.

Lolly, a Staffie cross.

Daisy and Bruno, Labradors.

After recently completing my Work Experience at Binfield Dog Rescue, my understanding and view of life has changed a lot. Working in a place where you see pain in every dog's eyes will bring forth emotion, empathy and sympathy not only for the dogs, but for the owners Katherine and Brian Johnson. Brian and Katherine practically save the lives of dogs day after day by simply taking them in, as strays and/or survivors of abuse. 

Binfield Dog Rescue is particularly known for the amount of Staffordshire Bull Terriers and Rottweilers that are taken there, as council pounds do not want to re-home dogs such as these themselves. Before jumping to the conclusion that these two breeds are dangerous, I would like to assure you that this is nonsense, and all of the Rottweilers and Staffordshire Bull Terriers I have met have been friendly, gentle and brilliant pets. 

Working at the rescue, I met many wonderful dogs, all of them with a different story. Many Staffordshire Bull Terriers are used as fighting dogs, which is illegal. It broke my heart to see the scars on some of them, and to hear about those who had been abused or abandoned. What broke my heart even more was the fact that they were still loving, gentle animals after everything they'd been through.

One dog that really stole my heart was a cross breed named Jeremy. While the other dogs were barking loudly enough for the next town to hear, Jeremy was sitting quietly in his kennel, staring at me with such sad eyes I nearly cried. I decided to take him for a walk, and immediately connected with him. He was so good on the lead, and would occasionally nuzzle my hand for reassurance. Every day, he would remember me and his ears would prick up, wagging his tail in what I would assume was happiness. 

On my last day at Work Experience, I had to say goodbye to Jeremy. I walked in to his kennel and sat beside him, and he leant in to me. I looked at him and began to talk to him like a person, and only when I said ''I love you Jeremy, and I promise someone will adopt you and you'll be okay'' did he turn his head. He looked right in to my eyes when I said that, and I knew he understood.

I still work there every other Saturday, looking after the dogs I'd bonded with and the new ones, too. A dog is the greatest friend any person could have, and I strongly advise you to go down to Binfield Dog Rescue and  meet some of the wonderful dogs they hold there. All the money given to pay for a dog is a donation, so by adopting a dog from Binfield, you're changing his/her life and the other's too. 

Binfield Dog Rescue is an amazing place, and makes a difference to so many dog's lives. http://binfield.dogrescues.org/