You Killed My Dog
There are some things I don’t take lightly
It was March 6, 1986. I’ll never forget that date. I was driving home from work when I saw what looked like a dog lying on the side of the road. It didn’t take me long to realize it was my dog, Thunder.
I lived in the country, and although I had a couple of neighbors, I rarely saw them, which was fine with me. I was a cop and was no fan of people. It comes with the job.
I did, however, love my three dogs.
Tango was a German shepherd, and Thunder and Lightning were my two rottweilers. Tango was the oldest at five and a great dog. Thunder, three, was my first rottweiler and I had him since he was a wee pup. Lightning at one, was the new guy. They lived with me in a little house in the woods, with a river in my front yard. It was a marvelous life, and then I met Dee.
I was currently in between girlfriends when I met Dee. She was a beautiful, fun young woman who loved to read. We had that in common. I was with her for almost two years, and it took that long to find out she was a monster. She was a thief and a fraud, and I finally threw her out of my house.
That was on March 5, 1986, the day before I found Thunder alongside the road.
I was bereft about the death of my dog but also puzzled. He was a healthy, happy guy who went everywhere with me. Sudden death, while not unheard of, was unlikely, so I called my vet and asked for a necropsy.
It turns out Thunder was poisoned. I wasn’t shocked as I already had my suspicions. I suspected Dee had lured him away from the house and fed him a piece of raw meat that was laced with rat poison, which I traced to the market at the top of the road. It and a piece of beef were bought on the morning of March 6th.
Later that day, after I had buried my guy, Dee called me to see how I was doing after our fight the night before. I told her I knew she poisoned my dog, which she vigorously denied. I warned her if I ever saw her again, I would kill her. I meant it.
I was startled from a deep sleep at 2 AM. My two dogs were barking like there was no tomorrow. I had huge glass floor-to-ceiling windows in my bedroom, and I saw by the moonlight someone creeping around my yard. I grabbed my gun and slowly pulled back the sliding door. Now, the dogs were loose and headed to my shed.
I could hear more frantic barking, and I knew someone was in there.
I walked in and found Dee standing in a corner. The dogs were snapping and growling at the interloper but didn’t consider her an enemy. After all, she lived with us for two years.
Seeing the gun, Dee laughed, asking what I planned on doing with “that.”
I pulled back the hammer to draw her attention, yet she didn’t think I was serious. She began mocking me, claiming I didn’t have the ‘balls’ to pull the trigger.
My mind was a confusion of emotions. I was filled with hate for this woman who had murdered my beloved dog, but I was a cop. I couldn’t go around shooting people unless someone’s life was at risk or my life was threatened.
The monster in the shed didn’t directly threaten me, but she had killed my dog, and she knew how much I loved him.
I stood there in the dark, unblinking, as I stared through this awful woman.
“You killed my dog,” I said.
She laughed again, louder this time, and said she always hated my dog because I paid it more attention than I did her. She dared me to shoot.
Pulling the trigger didn’t take much effort. After all, the hammer was back. All I needed to do was squeeze.
So, I squeezed.
The monster fell to the floor, and standing there looking at her, I said,
“There are some things I don’t take lightly. Murdering my dog is one of those things.”
About the Author: Professor Mike spent years in law enforcement and an almost equal number of years teaching. He doesn’t like people who hurt dogs. That makes him angry.
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