And this is why I don't think I can have kids...

Tonight, I let the pugs out into the backyard, as I do every night, to do their business. It's dark back there after the sun goes down and even with the backdoor light on, it only illuminates about a 4 foot patch of yard. Needless to say, I went on with my business as usual and checked on the laundry in the garage.

I heard barking, which is normal when the neighbors' dogs are in their yards, but this sounded more hyped up so I dropped the clean clothes and went to the backdoor to call the dogs inside. They were by the back corner of the yard, but not the left side, where the neighbor dogs usually fight with them through the fence, but on the far right side, beneath the bushes.

I called them away and next thing I see is them, running like crazy and doing their little jumping advances that they do when they have the cat cornered or when they're afraid of something they think is worse than it is, which recently, was a plastic solo cup in the leaves. Anyway, my mind flashed to the lame squirrel that J saved this morning.

This morning, J noticed a squirrel in our neighbor's yard that was dragging itself along the pavement. J deduced that its back legs were broken or that he had been hit by a car. A little later he saw the neighbor's cats going after the lame squirrel. Next thing he knows that squirrel climbs up a nearby tree trunk, by its front legs! Amazing! He shooed off the cats and said, "I saved the squirrel. Or at least bought it some more time to heal up his legs." Great. As long as it's not in our yard.

Back to tonight...the commotion that ensued in the yard with the pugs made me think, "Uh-oh! They got that squirrel." I really have no idea. It was so damn dark in that corner of that yard, I couldn't tell. I head inside to get a flashlight and the water squirt bottle (which I use to startle the pugs and get them to stop whatever it is that they're doing). No sooner than do I see the two pugs wrestling in the leaves and fighting. Now normally, I wouldn't be worried, since they do wrestle from time to time, but I was greatly concerned, because if food or a toy or in this case, vermin, are involved, it can get ferocious. And it did. I finally got the dogs in the house and Regina's left cheek is covered in blood. It looks bad. I start to cry and panic. And this is why I cannot have kids. I cannot even imagine what I would do if it was my own child that was injured and bleeding. She's my dog and my baby and my stomach hurt instantly.

I put her on the sink and get some wet paper towels and start cleaning her up. I cannot tell if it's her blood or that of the squirrel or whatever it was they were obsessing about (I still don't know for sure and won't know until tomorrow, when J goes out and has a look, because you can bet your bottom dollar it won't be me...*shudder*). I clear away the blood from her blonde cheek and find two perfectly round puncture holes. I think they perfectly match Luigi's bite. Great.

I take her into the bathroom and start with the peroxide, cotton balls, cotton swabs and antibiotic ointment. I finally get it all cleaned up and stop the blood. I let her back into the living room where she proceeds to roll, face first, into her bed. And then Luigi jumps all over her. And I am just trying to separate them! I get them away from each other. Of course, she's bleeding again. So round two with the peroxide and ointment. They settle down and I get back to the laundry I abandoned 30 minutes earlier. As I come back in, I see Regina peeing on the carpet! Great. This is why I let them out in the yard in the first place. UGH!

I am exhausted. My stomach is in knots. I have a headache and feel nauseous. How do mothers do it? Seriously.