Bye Bye Bingo

It has been a strange, stressful few weeks around here. Between being evicted, and then not being evicted, and then being evicted again, and then house hunting and all the stress that goes along with that, and now this.

Bingo is going to the pound today. Most likely he will be euthanized, and I don't even care. I'm sad only because EJ and Four will be devastated. They cried last night when I told them he had to go, but they seemed to understand.

Here's what happened. Now don't go all PETA on me, because if you were in this situation you would do the exact same thing.

So last night I was watching television, and Bingo was sitting in the living room, sort of between me and the tv. When he sits, he is about waist high on Beastie. She walked up to him, but wasn't really looking at him. She was looking at the tv, and she put her hand out on top of his head. She was not threatening in any manner. No part of her body language was threatening, she wasn't making eye contact, and she was being gentle.

Out of nowhere, Bingo made the most ferocious sound I've ever heard out of a domestic animal, and he bit her. Not just once, but all over the hands. He just came unglued and attacked.

Now while this is happening, I'm moving faster than I've ever moved in my life, and saying things I've never said before, and Beastie is screaming and crying, and the girls are in their beds crying because they know this is bad.

Let me just tell you this. Bingo is very, very lucky that I had nothing dangerous within reach, because I would have used it on him. It was like the mother animal side of me just came out and I wasn't even human. I was just a momma defending her cub. I've never felt like that before. It was like I just blacked out and went crazy. I could have very easily killed him in that moment and not felt a single shred of regret.

Beastie's hands are pretty seriously bitten. Bingo broke the skin in several places. The bites don't require stitches, and Bingo has had all his shots so I don't need to worry about rabies or anything. But this dog has got to go. Today. Because I cannot have a dangerous, unpredictable dog in my home.

I feel bad, because I've done everything I could for him. I had him neutered and got all his medical up to date, and I've been very consistent and patient with training. He seemed to be doing so good... but then he just snapped. Beastie will turn 2 in just a few weeks, and I am going to have 2 year olds in this house for a LONG time. The Babe will be 2 in just over a year, and the new baby will be 2 in just over 2 years. That's a lot of little children with lots of opportunities for more attacks.

I guess the part that makes me need to give him up is because the attack was completely unprovoked. Beastie was doing nothing to bother him. If it had been EJ or Four bugging him or something, I wouldn't feel this way, because they are old enough to know better. But he was just sitting there, and she just gently and calmly walked up to him and placed her hand on his head. There was nothing dominant or provoking in her behavior. She didn't even really walk up to him, it was more like she was walking and he happened to be in her path so she reached out to touch him.

To me, a dog that will attack like that - and it was really an attack, not a nip - is not safe around children. And I am going to be honest when I bring him to the pound. If they put him to sleep because of it, so be it. I would almost rather see him put down, because if he isn't, I think he could be very dangerous to another family.

The girls want me to get them a puppy, because I told them we'd never get an adult dog again. You just don't know what they've been through. So I told them if we ever got another dog again, it would have to be a puppy. And we'd have to do some serious research into breeds and maybe end up with like a Lab or something. Of course, being children, they decided that meant that as soon as Bingo was gone, we'd get a Lab puppy. Um, I don't think so. I have enough problems as it is without worrying about a stupid dog. One fat, easy going chihuhauha is enough for now, thank you.