Domino Almost Swims with the Fishes

3 days.

That's the length of time a pup named Domino had a carefree, exciting and wonderful life.

My roommate bought a 4-month-old puppy on an "impulse purchase" on her way home from Vegas this past weekend. I was introduced to Domino on Sunday and wrote about the pup Monday as part of the one year anniversary of my blog, PASSION = TRUTH.

It's Wednesday. And Domino is at the vet's, bit by my roommate's other dog this morning while both dogs were being supervised by my roommate's 6-year-old son.

Say I told you so, Martie.

My last words to my roommate before she left the house Tuesday night and I stayed home to watch the kid - and the puppy: "NO - there is no way I'm letting the boy play with the puppy alone without you here. I am not supervising the boy and the dog together. The puppy will stay in its cage."

Famous last words.

Apparently the boy threw dog food near both dogs and that's how the puppy got bit. We'll never know what REALLY happened. The boy certainly can't be relied upon as a witness. Earlier the night before I had both dogs together in a controlled situation and they were fine. The older dog growled a smidgeon (as if irritated) but it was nothing out of the ordinary. The point is - I was there watching.

a.) A puppy is not something you buy on "impulse", like a candy bar or Chapstick.

b.) When your hand's "are full" already, why are you bringing a puppy into the house? Because it's cute, I know. I think puppies are cute as hell. I think babies are cute (baby Grace in Tunjunga, for example). I think it would be interesting to have sex with a high class hooker one day - just to say I did (and write about it). That doesn't mean I have sex irresponsibly just to have a child - or with high class hookers...just because it's a fun thing to do.

c.) When you already have one dog that's a pit-lab mix and very territorial, you have to strongly consider how you introduce another dog into the mix (even if that dog is a pit-lab mix, or so she was told), if you're going to bring a puppy into said environment anyway.

d.) You don't leave the puppy or both dogs alone with a 6-year-old who just a few days ago scratched the shit out of your SUV with his "nails" (uh-huh) - a child that would make me suspicious of entrusting him with a pet rock. Let me rephrase that - NOT suspicious, but QUITE CERTAIN I wouldn't leave him with a pet rock.

ALL points I explicitly made and repeated to my roommate, but - alas, to no avail. It's not my house. I've never owned a dog. What do I know? When I asked how the dog was, my roommate said to me, "Do you care?". For the record, I do care. Enough to make the arguments above; enough to voice my opinion that this particular home is NO HOME for a puppy; enough that I threatened to call the human society in lieu of potential problems I could forsee happening.

Course I exaggerate the situation. I'm a curmudgeon. I complain. I'm angry. I'm bitter. I need to smile. And now cute Domino has a broken nose, a gash above its eye that has swollen, who knows what future medical issues and who knows what psychological damage (but that's a whole nuther can of worms) and her high-pitched screams of pain and fright from this morning are still ringing in my ears. (By the way, I saw nothing because I was indisposed in the bathroom.).

And boy - how I hated to be right. Hang in there, Domino. "Life will get better." It's my mantra these days.

UPDATE: While talking to my roommate last night, she said it's all her fault this incident occurred - not her son's, and that once Domino comes home everything will be fine. She'll keep an eye on everyone - the big dog, the puppy and her son. As an aside (as she walked away from me), she said it wasn't cool that I left the house yesterday morning with the big dog locked in the bathroom and the coffee on. ???? The neighbor was there when I left. Has nothing to do with anything. Stupid.)