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| Dream A Little Dream ... |
06/24/02 - I’m harboring a menace to society ... yep, that’s her, 61 lbs. and not quite a year old. And yes, she’s a pitbull, not all pitbull, a pitbull mix. I love my dog. I call it my dog as the Animal Control Officers say it’s my dog since The Kid is not yet 18 (close, but no cigar). Almost a year ago this dog was smuggled into my house by The Kid. It took me more than a week to figure out we had an addition to the family, hey what’s one more? And at that time the dog was not much bigger than a rabbit. And the dog stole my heart. That’s the weird part. I never felt that way about a dog before. I never had a dog as a kid or since, never even wanted one ... until this dog. The dog was given to my son by his girlfriend who lives around the block. And from the time we got the dog she has been visiting the girlfriend on a daily basis, her home away from home. I have done everything possible to bring this dog up right. She has all her shots (including rabies), she’s been fixed, she has a license, we walk her, she’s around people and other dogs and she gets along with our two cats ... we haven’t trained her to be ferocious. No, I don’t do ferocious. But, in the last couple of months, the dog has developed a little behavior problem. If the front door is open for more than 5 seconds the dog will dart outside and head for The Girlfriend’s house around the corner. And, along it’s way it allegedly chases the neighborhood cats and “charges” those in it’s path. That’s what the Animal Control Officers tell me. It hasn’t happened often, 3 times I think. And all three times The Girlfriend, or her father, has taken the dog in as soon as they realized what was going on. But not before a “whistle blower” has called Animal Control. I swear that “whistle blower” has the Animal Control’s number in speed dial. The last time it happened it was maybe 5 minutes before I realized the dog was missing. I put on my shoes, grabbed the leash we keep by the door and as I hit the street, Animal Control was already there. Of course it doesn’t help that the Police Dept. is only a couple of blocks away. OK, I realize pit bulls don’t have good reputations. I myself can’t believe I’ve fallen in love with a pit bull. But look at her, for goodness sake, her name is Coco. So we’ve had our three strikes now, I guess. The Officer said the next time it happens, Coco will be impounded with a $100 fee to get her out. Of course I would feel terrible if Coco ever hurt anyone. I’m a responsible person, never gotten a traffic ticket even. I’ve talked to the kids, gone over the drill for if the dog gets out. I’ve even talked to Coco asking her not to do that again. She looked at me with those beautiful eyes which seemed to show real remorse. Then she climbed into my lap ... ugh, do you know what it’s like to have a 61 lb. animal climb into your lap? I can’t resist her. Hopefully we’ll be able to keep her. So much for a relaxing summer. Oh well, we’re only a few days into it. I’ve still got my optimistic attitude. And I live by words my mother taught me ... This too shall pass ... |
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