by Mary Mobley
We had searched for weeks in January to find a kitten. Every rescue, every newspaper to find a young new born my boyfriend and I could to bring into our new home. It was the first beautiful being we would have together, graduating fresh from college, we were so excited. At that time of the year there were no kittens. Then I received the call. The call that would change my life forever. You see, ever since I was young all I ever wanted was to have a dog, but not just any dog, a Chihuahua. I loved the breed because of its beauty and size, so I could take it anywhere and everywhere with me.
“I found a puppy that I can not leave” my boyfriend said. It was Valentine’s Day and I knew he was last minute shopping at the mall. He explained it was a Toy Chihuahua and that the site of him in the pet store was heart breaking. As I listened on my hour drive from school, I contemplated the idea of a puppy. I pulled up to the apartment and I saw in my boyfriend’s eyes the longing for the creature he met. I agreed to meet the puppy he described……………..as I walked into the store I saw a picture that would have broken the heart of evil. He sat in the corner of his cage shaking and staring at all the other people in the store with puppies in their arms. I almost cried. “Can you please get that puppy?” I asked. As the girl handed him to me, I felt it, a love that breaks all knowledge, my baby.
My boyfriend and I took Domino (he was black and white) immediately. The first night together Domino was terrified and he slept in the crook of my neck, which he did for a month. I laid awake that night and thanked god for giving me a love that was so precious and swore that he would have the best life ever known to a dog. When I told my family and friends of Domino and how we met, I said we rescued him from a pet store. You see we would never buy an animal from those stores. We know the reputation. But this life needed to be rescued.
In the days that followed Domino almost died from malnutrition (from the store) and hypoglycemia, but that was almost. After that Domino traveled in my arms to new cities to visit family and go on vacation. Boarding was out of the question.
At ten months old, with Halloween and his first birthday (BOD11-11-01) approaching, I was shopping for costumes and party favors. I came home on Friday from a meeting at school, which had been reschedules from that Monday, to find Domino not at the door to greet me. I walked in the house and saw him in a squatting position and unable to walk. I scooped him up in my arms and left immediately for the vet. When I arrived, 15 minutes later, the doctor was not in but would return in two hours. This is the part of story where I will always question, did I live up to my deal with god and Domino to give him the best care possible. Should I have taken him to another vet?
The doctor performed so many tests but none turned out to have any answers. I never left the hospital though; I sat and waited as each one was performed. Six hours later it was then 6pm, the vet was closing and I decided to take the dog to an emergency hospital for 24-hour supervision. The nurses placed Domino in my arms and that was the last time I held my baby. At the hospital, a test resulted in double the level of toxins a puppy should have. The conclusion: a liver shunt. We watched over Domino with tears for 12 hours only to watch his symptoms worsen.
I never thought it would come to this. I never thought I would decide my baby’s fate. We were told that surgery was bleak and because of the weekend there was no one to perform it. We went to talk to Domino and give him the love that was meant for a lifetime together.
This is where the story ends. I don’t sleep in anymore because that is what Domino and I did. He loved to cuddle in the crook of my arm. He loved to sleep in. I can’t walk in the door and not look for him and I can’t call home after class and not still want to ask what he is doing.
I have given him to god and my stepfather who also passed away. I hope he plays in a world that exceeds all my expectations. I pray that one day we will see each other. He will forever be my baby and be my best friend……………….”I miss you a puppy named shmuppy.”