As I was walking past the medical center on Guadalupe Street on my way to class, I realized I needed to drop my puppy off at my apartment. I was already late, and left with no choice but to take the bus. So I put my little lady in my schoolbag and rushed to the 672 Metro Bus station. I made a narrow slit in the zipper to ensure that she could breathe.

However, since my bag was too stuffy and congested as it was filled with textbooks, my puppy moaned, growled and scratched my bag all the time. “Oh gosh, my bag would be torn into pieces,” I said to myself. The passenger sitting beside me remained silent, but I saw him looking constantly — and curiously — into my bag.

As the bus stopped, we were both poised at the exit, ready to get out. He said what amounted to his only sentence to me: “It’s illegal to put your baby child in your bag. I will sue you.”