“He was so little,” said Lennie. “I was jus’ playin’ with him…an’ he made like he’s gonna bite me…an’ I made like I was gonna smack him…an’…an’ I done it. An’ then he was dead. She consoled him. “Don’t you worry none. He was jus’ a mutt. You can get another one easy. The whole country is fulla mutts.”
– John Steinbeck
Of Mice and Men, Chapter 5. Lennie reveals the details of his puppy’s death to Curley’s wife.