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The Last Time The last time I remember shooting an animal was with my son. We were in our back yard, and I saw a chipmunk moving around off in the distance. Now, there are tons of chipmunks and squirrels and raccoons near our house, the chipmunks mess everything up, eat everything in sight, they’re like rats. So I pulled out my rifle, aimed at that vermin at the edge of my property line. Shot it. Killed it. My son, no more than twelve or thirteen at the time, was halfway toward the chipmunk, walking through the yard. And he just stood there. When I walked up to him, he turned around and looked at me and asked, “Why?” And I had no answer. I couldn’t give him one. And that was the last time I shot an animal. Copyright Janet Kuypers. All rights reserved. No material may be reprinted without express permission.