It's been hard to find a rhythm again without Tori.
I remind myself we've been lucky to have known so many of our friends for many years.
April may be adorable but she's a warrior.
Matriarch Zasu is the epitome of aging gracefully.
Henry has been with us since the beginning.
He and Xmul at sunset.
Xmul and Mo have been friends since they were puppies.
We planted a pineapple top back then and it finally bore fruit! 4 years for one little pineapple! It was really good though!
Our sweet nervous Bosha has gone back to be with her original person. She had been unable to care for her 4 years ago, but things have changed and she wanted her back. Bosha loves her and we knew she'd be happier in a calmer home. We'll keep an eye on her and make sure she stays up to date on her heart worm preventative.
Bosha heading to her new home.
Making the next clinic happen has been weighing heavily on me but I
seem to have been rendered inert by grief. Maintaining the dogs and
mustering enough enthusiasm to pacify them is all I've been able to
manage. We had hoped to have Cookie spayed then, but we couldn't wait
any longer. Many people with dogs here don't have the option of going to
a vet in the city. Another clinic is long overdue!
I can't set
the date until we've raised enough to cover costs; we aren't in a
position to cover a deficit at the moment. This time the vets will
be doing mostly females, increasing the amount of anesthesia needed -so
we need to raise at least 1200US to cover costs.
We are securing
a larger space this time around and Dra. Sandra will be bringing more
vets. The incoming mayor has voiced an interest in allocating funds for
future clinics. We hope that will happen and think that a good 'buzz'
surrounding this clinic will improve the chances that it will.
Cookie's surgery and recovery went perfectly.
If you've seen my Twitter feed (or you know us at all) you know we brought in the 2 puppies that were in a burrow down the lane.
Junebug the pup and Eddie the rooster regard each other.
Zoila spends some quality time with Monkey.
Zoila and Junebug like the beach!
They weren't so sure about the water.
We've finally started getting rain so everything is nice and green, and the mosquitoes haven't been too bad (yet). Some things don't change; hot days and early mornings are a constant, as is Stella's willfulness. She can't be trusted off the leash. Every time I forget, she reminds me!
Clever, lovely Stella.
All of the photos in this post were taken by Sean (with our sturdy, waterproof, slightly low-res camera). The salt ponds and surrounding woods have steadily been drying out.
Xmul and friends cross what's left of a pond.
On the mornings that Sean runs he goes about 8k, with 9 dogs, and takes drinking water ...for the dogs. Everybody (except Sean apparently) loves to drink out of the bottle.
Tori, Xmul, Luna and Truman have a slurp.
Xmul, Tori and Murci have a drink.
Oh, Steve. Not a thinker, but at least he's handsome.
Horrible! Frankie next to a huge turtle shell, nowhere near the beach; obviously poached, gutted and dumped.
To the beach! Tori, Linda and Twiggy.
Note the new house in the background; it is not only illegal (construction has been halted by an environmental agency for now), but also completely asinine to build so close to the water. This entitled nonsense, including the compulsion of homeowners to remove beach scrub, and install street and porch lights, does more to harm the turtles than the poachers.
Two of our biggest fans of the beach, Rufus and Linda!
PuppyG is rocking a new haircut!
Linda, PuppyG and Rufus!
King George and Xmul. George has been with us for a long time; he is worshiped and beloved by all the younger dogs.
Late in the month, the flooded roads are drying up.
Puddle jumping with Daisy,Tori, Mo, Chester (weird, he doesn't usually get wet ...maybe George knocked him in), George, and Bosha to the right.
Murci leads a happy group across land that was underwater a month ago.
The long overdue death of our washing machine means that resources are strained & surgeries have had to be postponed (an ear surgery, 4 boys to be neutered and then Twiggy's hip). On the plus side, that means no dogs recuperating and we have a fantastic new washer!
Buddy, as you may know, has brain damage from encephalitis. Long story short, over the last 9-10 months he's been making steady progress -with two mild setbacks. Eventually he was able to go on short walks, provided he was on a taut leash for guidance and had a girl dog to follow. Last week he went for a walk off of the leash -he was even running!
Since then he's gone on walks most mornings.
He only has to turn in a circle once in a while.
He's coming, he's just mid-circle.
Henry, Linda, Buddy and Tito.
Small dogs under a big sky, Henry, Buddy and Miles.
Bosha, Buddy and Tito.
I'm so strict that I make them walk grouped according to appearance (yeah, sure). Miles is bringing up the rear, as usual (he's a dawdler).
Henry, Linda, Bean, Zasu and Miles.
Gracie's pups usually go on runs, but I've missed going out with them
so I've been taking them on walks too.
Little Bean.
Me and Posey.
Eve (with Miles dawdling behind).
Eve and Zasu.
The last couple of weeks have been mercifully uneventful, early morning walks and scorching afternoons. May is my favorite month here; the water is Cancun-blue and full of fish.
Xmul and Diva sunbathe surrounded by remnants of a palm frond.
Diva makes herself comfortable.
Xmul and Linda regard each other.
Diva thinks we need a pool, but the water dish will do.
Sean puts up an awning and the dogs enjoy a new patch of shade.
Mega, Reggie and Zoot approve!
Everybody approves!
l-r Lex, Mega, Daisy and Xmul
Our brindled girls Stella and Lily.
Stella naps.
Evenings are for fun.
A Shirley series:
...would be as sweet.
I'd like to introduce you to the newest member of our family...but he doesn't have a name yet.
Ivan?Beauregard?Leroy?
Sam?
I'm long past hoping that he's lost or that I'll be able to find another home for him.
I try to stay positive here but, I have to admit, I find humans to be consistently disappointing -hamstrung by stunted imagination and conditional compassion.
Not worth the gunpowder to blow them up, as my dear Grandma used to say.
I went out to investigate some canine goings-on on the beach. Occasionally the dog of one of our distant neighbors gets left behind on walks and has to fend for herself; I hate to see her get harassed by strays, so I go out and play chaperon. This time it wasn't her and instead I broke up a dog sex party...a bitch in heat and a few determined males. That explains all the noise at night lately.
I scooped her up (really she jumped into my arms) and headed home with her suitors in tow. She'll be going to the vet to be spayed just as soon as our truck is working.
After that I don't know.
Soon after she was taken out of play the males wandered off, but for one.
He sat at the gate looking forlorn and wouldn't be run off.
He's big, scarred, covered with bite marks, ticks and fleas
and is perfectly wonderful.
I went out to see him and fell in love. Seriously unbelievable...
intact, with a bitch in heat around and yet everybody liked him immediately.
Even Bosha, the weirdest dog I've ever met
(she's our neighbor's dog and is staying here while her human is out of town.).
Bosha and Maggie
We built a pen for him to stay in at night and when the bitch is loose,
but within a day or 2 he has taken to sleeping on the upstairs porch.
He hasn't ventured inside more than a few feet; he isn't sure about those ceiling fans.
He looks like a cross between a yellow lab and a pit bull to me.
Sweet, silly and slightly cross-eyed; you couldn't wish for a nicer dog.
Well... he is a little too interested in the chickens, but we'll work on it.
Update: We're calling him Floyd. He's a sweet, fun guy -an overgrown puppy with plenty of bad habits. He also seems to have some vision trouble that we're trying to understand. He's been neutered and blood tests turned up ehrlichiosis, a common tickborne bacterial infection that would prove fatal if untreated. So, a pill a day and lots of discipline for Floyd.
Final Update 10/11: What began so well has come to a sad end. Once Floyd was comfortable his dominant/territorial tendencies came out. We soon realized he couldn't be trusted around other males or too many dogs at once. Despite our best efforts over the course of a very stressful 9 months, we had to admit defeat and have him put down; we didn't have the space, resources or manpower to safely keep him.
