I should have known better than to upset an already angry pup, but my younger self must have been expecting a positive reaction to my kind actions. Thinking back to my previous house pets, the most memorable would definitely have been my Pekingese – Chihuahua crossbreed, Boogie. Although adorable, he was feisty and distrusting; let’s not forget that his bite was far worse than his bark, I would know. The only person he allowed within a two feet radius of him was my stepdad.

Of course, I did not take this into consideration before I, all too willingly, went in to caress him after his daily walk. Little did I know then that he was extremely exhausted and fairly agitated, I was only a kid who wanted my pet to feel a tad better. Before I had the chance to save myself from immediate pain, my fingers grazed his cream colored fur just before he attacked my hand without hesitation. I instantly felt a sharp pain in the palm of my hand, throbbing was all I could feel after the pain numbed. Soon enough he was caught in the act and released my aching hand. I could have sworn I was seeing stars. It was so excruciating, while I was panicking about the whole ordeal, I recall my mother yelling frantically in the background.

“Get me a bandage! Quickly!” She shrieked, clearly upset with the happenings.

My mum never did like the dog much and this situation definitely did not improve her opinion. Luckily she assisted me during that awful crisis otherwise I could have gotten infected—yuck! From that day on, I knew better than to mess with such a hostile puppy.