Austin360 blogs > Globe-Jotting > Archives > 2009 > July > 11 > Entry
Pet peeved
I tried to be a puppy owner. I lasted two weeks. Much booing was involved.
They warned me, oh, they warned me. Get a dog, not a puppy. A puppy is like a demon toddler that barks and chews and paws, whines and pees and poops and tries to kill you with all its power. Sometimes they breathe fire and take off limbs.
The puppy almost hospitalized me. The nervous kind of hospital, the “Sling Blade” kind of hospital. I tried. I tried hard. Put everything into it, did everything right. I was a champion daddy. Baths, vet visit, playing with other doggies, meeting people, top-grade puppy kibbel topped with gourmet salmon oil and treats and toys and blankets.
She loved to gnaw on things. Including my raw hide soul. The teeth marks linger.
A hundred excuses for no more puppy. But that’s its own brand of whining. I found her a great new place, a friend’s home that features acreage and real estate and, best, another dog pal to play with.
I don’t feel so bad anymore. But saying goodbye rent me in two, much the way she did to my old pair of Adidas.
Only one cure for losing a pet. Get another. I’ve returned to rats. Smaller, calmer and funny in their own puppy-ratty ways. Also: frequently caged.
She’s Tina and I can already tell she’s full of a thousand vibrant stories, some charming, others maddening, a few heartbreaking. Something like life.
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By stevear
July 15, 2009 11:16 AM | Link to this
Champion daddy’s don’t give their kids away. You deserve credit for finding the dog a home; but at least you tried for two whole weeks, right? You didn’t dig deep enough to give this meander a bite; why do you read so much philosophy but remain unable to truly worship? Or is it you still can’t love?