I was Cruella’s Godmother

This is a very sad story, so brace yourself.

Two of my students, Haruyo and Hajime, a cute and groovy couple living in Brooklyn, bought a little longhair chihuahua puppy. The puppy was flown out from Minneapolis and H & H met her at the airport.

Haruyo told me she was looking for a good name for the puppy. I started to suggest Mexican-sounding names — Carmen, Maria, Frida, etc. I suggested Lolita (cute for a puppy, right?).

Then Haruyo told me she liked gothic, bondage-y stuff, and could I find a name that fit that “mood”?

How about “Cruella”? I said.

They named the puppy Cruella!

They quickly became attached to her, to her tiny little silken self, but they were worried because she had no energy, she just slept and when she woke up she would shiver and shiver.

One day she seemed in especially bad condition, so they took her to the pet hospital. The hospital staff laughed when Haruyo told them the puppy’s name.

Cruella didn’t last the night. The vet said she had hydroencephalitis.

The next day, Haruyo and Hajime took her to a secret place in Prospect Park and buried her beneath a beautiful tree. Cruella had not yet had her shots, so she had never been outside in a place where she could run freely.

Hajime says, now she can run around and play as much as she likes.

RIP, dear Cruella…