[Tallulah Bee]

I moved out with my sweet baby girl in July and things were going fine. I seriously hate the woman my dog came from, but the one thing I can admit is that she breeds darn good puppies. After Tallulah got over her initial health problem when she came to live with us, she's had pretty rock-solid health since, which (from what I observe) is really not the norm for Teacup Yorkies.

My point to that was that my dog has basically NEVER needed a vet in her entire four years of life beyond the yearly checkup. Every time we go in, the vet and techs comment on how good her health is. I pride myself on having a very healthy girl.

Which is why it's been so disappointing to me thus far.

I live with four other people who, at the age of twenty-something, should be responsible enough to clean up after themselves. Alas, no. About a month and a half ago, she stepped on glass and one of her toes very nearly became infected. First trip to the vet in our new town. $75 visit. I had the money to handle it, but I'm a college kid too and that bill was at least a month's worth of food.

Zip ahead to last week. I found fleas. For 98% of her life she's lived in a wooded area and even the summers she hasn't been treated for fleas, they haven't been a problem. But I went to the vet, got her frontline, called a pest control guy...

He told us to stay out for four hours, we stayed out for six to be safe. STILL, she had a bad reaction to the pesticides and was trying to retch on Saturday last. We rushed her to the vet where they shot her up with benadryl and she's had soreness and thrown up once since then. There's one more visit, $136 out of my pocket...

So I've made the decision to return her to my mom's house until I finish the year, because it's my last year of school, and I know it's the best thing I can do for her, but I'm heartbroken. She's my baby, which I don't feel I need to explain to you guys. Obviously it's not the end of the world and it's not like I'll never see her again, but she's my everything. I packed up her things last night and she just looked at me with the saddest face as if she were asking "You don't want me anymore, mama? What did I do?"

I know it's the right choice, and it's probably dumb to get so upset, but I am.

(Sorry, I needed to go off on a tangent.)