Love

Yesterday, while on our way driving home from the bank, Boyfriend suddenly said, “We have to stop.” I was so confused, until I looked up from my purse and saw traffic slowly weaving around a tiny puppy in the middle of a very busy intersection in our old neighborhood of Koreatown. (Yes, Koreatown. Imagine moving to an area of LA called Koreatown, without knowing. That’s a story for another day.)

We pulled into a mini apartment building driveway and put on the four-way flashers and Boyfriend, along with about 4 other concerned citizens, tried to lure the terrified puppy to the curb and onto the sidewalk while I attempted to locate the number for Animal Control. I had left my Blackberry at home. (Warning: here is a prime example of how my Blackberry could have saved the day.) Instead of using the GPS to locate a nearby animal hospital, or using the browser to locate the number for animal control, I was forced to use an old-school Razr to call 911 in hopes of being directed to someone that could help.

I called 911 in Los Angeles to save a puppy. Re-thinking that now it sounds kind of over the top crazy, but there was the life of a puppy in stake here! After one ring I got an operator, “Please hold.” I “please hold”ed for 5 minutes. Five? What if I hadn’t been calling about about a puppy, but rather a life or death situation regarding a person? When the operator returned, she connected me to the LAPD. After holding another 5 minutes, I was disconnected at which point I called 911 again (for the third time in my entire life) and was again connected to the LAPD.

Once someone from the LAPD got on the line, they told me I must call Animal Control (obviously) and then connected me. As it would turn out, Animal Control doesn’t respond to animal emergencies on the weekends. Excuse me? Do animals cease to be homeless on the weekends? Does the stray animal problem in Los Angeles just go to sleep Fridays at 5pm? “Ah, I’m punchin’ out for the day, see you Monday you mangy, rabid mutts!” What gives?
At this point, Boyfriend and a couple others had gotten the little guy out of the street. Looking at him up close he appeared to have an eye infection and was possibly blind. I would have loved to carry it to an animal hospital, but was obviously not going to risk touching a sick puppy and possibly contracting something dangerous. I was really angry at this point. I had already called 911 twice and had not gotten anywhere and it makes me so angry to realize that no one was taking my call seriously.

I realize this is a huge city with actual emergencies and that one dog out of the hundreds without homes is not obviously at the top of the agenda on a Saturday afternoon. But honestly? How can this guy call himself an officer for the LAPD and direct me to animal control when he knew they do not operate on Saturdays? I called the officer at the LAPD back to ask what I should do, and he assured me that “this sort of thing happens all the time,” and that” Animal Control does a lot to help, but can not catch every stray pet on the streets of LA.” I’m not a fucking moron. I know all that. What I can not understand is why the LAPD would send me on a wild goose chase. Apparently they didn’t know that I’m the type to not just take it lying down, because he was surprised to speak to me again. No good came out of the situation.
I was defeated. We got back in the car and tried to convince ourselves that the puppy had others trying to help, and that hopefully something would happen for him. We came home and told Roommate what had happened.

“A stray dog isn’t really a 911 emergency…”
My head exploded. And I lost it.
I hope I never have to rely on the LAPD or anyone from 911 to save my life, because if I do, I will surely die. It is appalling that I spent an hour of my life trying in vain to save a poor, abandoned puppy. Granted, if a situation arose where an officer was unable to make it to the scene of a crime because he had gone to save a dog from traffic, there would be a problem. I’m not a moron to think that the puppy was the most important crisis happening in LA at that given moment, but stray animals are a problem in this city, and despite any arguments to the contrary, do affect people.
Aside from the heartbreaking possibly of this animal being hit by traffic, the animal was clearly disoriented, malnourished and in need of medical care. He wasn’t just a hazard to himself, but a health hazard to children. For this reason ALONE, my efforts should have been met with far more concern.
And it’s pretty disheartening to consider that if an agency like Animal Control, or lobbyists for animal welfare can’t fix the problem, obviously I can’t. I had to walk away, completely defeated. I did everything I could think of doing, and it was useless. That’s the worst feeling in the world.

On the last day before Christmas, I hurried to go to the supermarket to buy theremaining of the gift I didn't manage to buy earlier.
When I saw all the people there, I started to complain tomyself,"It is going to take forever here and I still have so many other places to go.Christmas really is getting more and more annoying every year.How I wish I could just lie down, go to sleep and only wake up after it..."
Nonetheless, I made my way to the toy section, and there I started to curse the prices, wondering if after all kids really pla ywith such expensive toys.

While looking in the toy section, I noticed a small boy of about 5 years old, pressing a doll against his chest. He kept on touching the hair of the doll and looked so sad. I wondered who was this doll for. Then the little boy turned to the old woman next to him, "Granny, are you sure I don't have enough money?"

The old lady replied, "You know that you don't have enough money to buy this doll, my dear."

Then she asked him to stay here for 5 minutes while she went to look around. She left quickly. The little boy was still holding the doll in his hand.

Finally, I started to walk toward him and I asked him who did he want to give this doll to."It is the doll that my sister loved most and wanted so much for this Christmas. She was so sure that Santa Claus would bring it to her."

I replied to him that may be Santa Claus will bring it to her, after all, and not to worry. But he replied to me sadly.
"No, Santa Claus can not bring it to her where she is now. I have to give the doll to my mother so that she can give it to her when she goes there."

His eyes were so sad while saying this.
"My sister has gone to be with God. Daddy says that Mummy will also go to see God very soon, so I thought that she could bring the doll with her to give it to my sister."