How To Waste Money

Porque Choppe was rescued from a puppy mill. She'd been born there. As soon as she was old enough to produce puppies, she was bred and from then on, cranked out back to back litters until she nearly died of pancreatitis brought on by malnutrition and stress. The owner dropped her at the pound to be euthanized for free. In all of her four years, she'd not once been outside to play, lived her life in a little box in a warehouse filled with other dogs. Then she came to my house where she has only gone outdoors on a leash since my back yard was insecurely fenced. Now, finally, the fence has been repaired/replaced/newly gated. Yesterday I took her outside to her new play area, unsnapped the leash, stepped back. She remained in place looking at me. I stepped away and made encouraging noises. Little Porque looked around puzzled. She looked from herself to me and back again, blinking. She wondered how I could be over by the garage while she was in the middle of the yard. I sat down. Carefully Porque Choppe worked her way over to the gate, looking around, worried. Since the gate is set down, a step below driveway level, she couldn't see out to the street, so she stood on her back legs and walked around that way until she found a spot from which she could see cars going by. With her back to the yard, she stood by the gate woofing at passersby. $550.00 for a play space for a chihuahua that does not understand play.

Again early this morning I took her out, unsnapped the leash, sat on the wall by the garage. Tiny little Porque looks extra small by herself out in the middle of the yard. She just stood in place, worried about dew on the grass. She shivered in the 85 degree air. Looked at me, her little face begging me to pick her up and rescue her from all that outsideness. I most definitely wasted that $550.00. Could have blown it all kinds of ways that would be more fun, like I could have bought a lot more fabric not to use for anything in particular. I could have spent it usefully to pay someone to come in and clean my garage. But no, I had to provide a play yard for a chihuahua whose idea of a good time is to sit on me while I type. Oh, well, the fence looks nice.