All right, this will probably be a small book but here it goes:

So before I went on vacation (July), I was living in a small apartment with a friend (half rent > full rent) and had an American Eskimo dog; we had signed papers (along with my new roommate) on a townhouse the week before I left for vacation, and my two other roommates were in the process of moving into the new place while I was on vacation. I'd like to take this time to note that I paid an extra $120 for my share of the fees involved with getting this apartment to pay the pet deposit, as I had a dog. I had entrusted the dog to my original roommate, simply asking to leave her tethered in his friend's fenced-in yard (I had already cleared this with his friend), keep her fed, make sure she has water, let her in if it rains. While I was on vacation, I called and asked how the dog was, and he told me they'd lost her. Apparently he had let her have free roam of the yard (I had pointed out it looked like there were spots in the fence she could escape through before leaving for vacation, and that was why I wanted her tethered) and, sure enough, she had gotten through the fence. Figuring it wasn't worth starting a huge fight with my best friend (original roommate), I pretty much let it go with a "that f*ckin' blows." So ends Act I.

So I get back from vacation, get settled in, and my girlfriend (along with the new roommate's girlfriend) moves in after a little bit. A week later, my girlfriend gets a Beagle/Bloodhound puppy. A few weeks later, roommate #1 (the old one) texts me asking if I would be okay with him getting his old dog (a 2yr-old Boxer/Pit mix) back. I know this dog has a history of being dog-aggressive, but figure we'll keep the two dogs separate and everything will be copacetic (considering my roommate is the only one living on the first floor of the house, it shouldn't be hard, right?) Well, eventually, the two dogs meet and the Boxer/Pit seems to be doing fine with the puppy, playing gently with her and whatnot. At this point, we figure everything should be fine and just keep watch every time the two dogs are together.

Well, last Friday night both dogs (the puppy now only 10 weeks old) are playing in the living room, myself, roommate #2 (non-dog owner), and my girlfriend are the only bipeds in the house. They were both playing with a rope toy, I'm on the computer (~1' away), my roommate is sitting on the floor picking out a dvd to watch (~2' away), and my girlfriend is sitting on the couch. I look over and see the boxer/pit mid-lunge at the puppy. At this point I sort of black out, but the next thing I remember is me and my roommate holding the boxer/pit back and my girlfriend scooping up the puppy. I drag the boxer/pit back downstairs to her cage and run back upstairs to the bedroom where my girlfriend had the puppy on the bed; as soon as I got in the room I could smell blood, and it took about a minute to find a deep laceration right behind the puppy's right front leg. We take the puppy to the nearest Emergency Veterinary clinic, and all said and done, the puppy needed a drainage tube as well as 6 stitches and an overnight stay, a vet bill of just over $800. The dog still needs the drainage tube removed this week and the stitches removed next week, which means more money needs to be spent (and the drainage tube being removed isn't going to be cheap).

While I was on my way to the clinic, I text roommate #1 (the boxer/pit's owner) and tell him something needs to happen with the dog. He asks what I mean and I proceed to explain what happens and that the only thing I can think of would be to get rid of the dog (note: I didn't tell him he needs to get rid of the dog, just that that's the only thing I could think of). He proceeds to tell me I knew how the dog acted and that I should have seen it coming. His next text was asking why the 10-week old puppy didn't have to leave; I proceeded to explain that the puppy didn't attack and almost kill another dog, I paid the pet deposit (read: not him), and the puppy wasn't half-pit (generally considered a no-no to have, for those of you that don't rent apartments). He eventually agrees to get rid of the dog (again, I never told him he needed to get rid of her, just that I couldn't think of any other options; that left him completely open to thinking of other options). It's now monday and his attempts to find a good owner for the dog are limited to a facebook status including the phrase "Anybody want a dog?"

Since friday night, my girlfriend has broken into tears (and I'm not talking a sniffle here and a sniffle there) four times, stressed out about her puppy (who is doing great considering the circumstances) and finances. Roommate #1 has showed no interest in how she or her dog is (yes, that's grammatically correct) doing, and has basically had the attitude of "woe is me, I've got to get rid of my free dog that almost killed a 10-week old puppy". At this point, I feel obligated to admit that we (myself, my girlfriend, and roommate #2) left the boxer/pit out of the cage. I also feel it necessary to mention that this is a dog that, if left to owner #1's ways, would be in her 3'x4'x3' cage 8-10 hours a day and would be left outside three times a day.


Am I wrong for thinking he's acting like (to put it in plain English) a whiny little b*tch about the whole situation? He flat-out lost my dog due to negligence and (according to roommate #2's girlfriend) used the phrase "it's not my problem" regarding the situation and then acts like it's all my fault that he's going to have to give his dog to a good home? For all I know, my dog was killed by a car and I forgive him for it, but he's acting like I beat his dog to death with a pillowcase full of bricks. Again, not once has he even showed so much as a sign that he cares how my girlfriend is dealing with the situation or how the puppy is recovering. At this point we haven't even mentioned him paying the vet bill, but I kind of feel like he should be responsible for that (it being his dog that attacked the puppy and all), especially given that the dog is most likely not in compliance with the allowable pets in the apartment (if I recall correctly, they're restricted to small breeds >25lbs, and I'm fairly confident pits/pit mixes are not allowed. This dog is half pit bull and 40-50lbs) and he never informed the leasing office he has the dog. What are everyone else's thoughts on the matter? Oh, and I have 10 months until the lease expires and roommate #1 moves out. FML.



**more info on roommate #1: he has been the sole source of drama in the apartment since everyone moved in. Recently, a sign was put (by roommate #2's girlfriend, whom roommate #1 hates) on the fridge stating simply "if you didn't buy the food don't eat it". When he came home from work and saw the sign, he ripped (about half of) it off the fridge, shoved it down his pants, wiped his poop-chute with it, saying "that's what I think of that sign," and proceeded to say how much he hates her and insinuating he wanted her to get hit by a bus (roommate #1 is almost 22 years old). He's actually talked ish on her in front of roommate #2 (her boyfriend), backpedaling when roommate #2 got in his face about it. Basically, he doesn't care about anything other than himself (trust me, I've lived in the same building as him for over a year) and doesn't think before he talks.

 

He's damn lucky he is not my room mate. And you're being a рussу for putting up with this crap.

 

Like I said, I have another 10 months where I have to put up with him; at this point, I'm trying to keep things from becoming miserable for those 10 months.

At any rate, I assume you're on my side that roommate #1 is going about the situation the wrong way?

 

He's the type of person who'd use your toothbrush to clean his toilet.

 

Sadly, I could see him doing that. That's one of the reasons I'm trying to keep things from becoming too miserable.

*edit: also, forgot to mention, but this kind of shows how good he is with living with other people: he's the kind of person that listens to whatever music he wants at extremely unreasonable volumes. He has a very bass-oriented sound system in his room for the sole purpose of loudly blasting music. As I type this, the floor (I'm on the second floor, he lives in a 1st floor bedroom) is vibrating from his music. I've gone downstairs and asked him to turn the music down several times before (though not tonight. I really don't feel like talking to him right now), and the volume level goes back up to where it was before after about 20 minutes. Also, he has a tendency of talking nonstop, even if it involves interrupting someone else; it's literally impossible to have a conversation with the guy because he never lets someone else get a word in edgewise (he's also a dealer tech, so after I get done with an 8-hour day of working on cars, I get to hear about his day of working on cars, which usually involves how stupid the service department's customers are). He also does not take cues. One-word answers do not deter him from talking (if someone limited their responses to "yeah" and "mmhmm", don't you think you'd get the hint and shut up?), and he's perfectly willing to talk to the back of your head if you blatantly ignore him. /rant

 

i seem to recall that you bought a few guns... right?

 

NOw he just needs to buy a shovel, right?

 

I also have the .45 holstered on my hip most of the time when I'm in the apartment, and when it's not it's within easy reach (statistically the house would be the most dangerous place I'm at during the course of my day).

But I don't feel like going to a federal pound-me-in-the-a** prison (people who've seen Office Space might recognize the reference ) over a bad roommate.

 

We're talking about the dog, right? Not the roommate?

 

Either one. Discharging a firearm within city limits isn't usually a good idea.