A lot of people have asked why we didn't bring our beloved cats to Mexico and it wasn't an easy decision to make, but Mexico is not the best place for indoor cats. Here it is difficult to have indoor cats because many of the windows here do not have screens and with the weather down here, you need to have your windows and doors open most days. We were afraid that our cats (who love to try and sneak out) would get out and be lost forever. Also, Pumpkin is 16 years old and I was really afraid of making him traveling this far and Vinnie has been his buddy for almost 11 so I didn't want to separate them. My mom graciously took them in and I really appreciate it because I know how much my sister and her love them. It is comforting to know that they are being spoiled as they are pretty much accustomed. Ryan, Dave's brother, who is staying in our house, kept Bourbon at home.
When we got here, I was missing my four-legged friends. I thought getting a fish would help with some of that need for a pet, but that just didn't cut it. We thought about getting a dog for a couple weeks and decided we thought that if we were going to get one we better get one now before the baby comes so that it could acclimate to the family and so we could acclimate to it. At my first Newcomers meeting, they had a table set up for the group M.A.I.N. (Mexico Animals in Need). Through this group, they help two rescue groups in Mexico City, one of which is called 'Happy Dogs'. One day while checking the posts on the Newcomers Yahoo group, there was a post for a newly rescued dog named 'Lobo'. He was a black lab with beautiful blue eyes. I fell in love with his picture and description. So we contacted 'Happy Dogs' and received an email back almost immediately.
We decided to go check out Lobo at Happy Dogs on the Saturday of Dave's long weekend. We printed up the extremely detailed directions and were very thankful for the time that was spent in writing out those directions. 'Happy Dogs' is only a few exits away from our exit, but the climb up the mountain that took us awhile. When we first got there, I was a little weary of how the dogs would behave and how Claire would react. Claire's recent exposure to dogs is to Ringo, Uncle Ryan's very hyper Puggle. Ringo likes to chew on Claire's clothes and use her as a springboard so she hasn't been all that keen about dogs lately. 'Happy Dogs' houses around 40 dogs and even though they were not all outside, there were still many dogs that came to greet us.
When we walked in the gate, not one dog jumped on us. They were so friendly and calm, all of them! Christine, the owner of 'Happy Dogs' said that most of the dogs just got back from their two hour walk up in the mountains. We started manuevering through all the dogs and trying to get a good look at them. When you start petting one dog, another one comes up and very politely paws at you so that you will pet them too. When you stop petting the one you were to pet another one, that dog starts pawing at you.
We found Lobo off to the side. He was very shy, but also extremely sweet. With one glance at him, I knew he was just not going to be right. He was very big. Here in Mexico, a large dog wouldn't matter so much, but thinking ahead to when we have to go home, a large dog would just not fit in our tiny Ferndale home.
Now, if you know me, you know that I can't just walk away because the one dog that we thought we were going to get wasn't exactly right (and let me tell you the guilt I felt about not taking Lobo). So I started looking around at the other dogs. Most of them were larger dogs. Christine suggested a puppy so that the puppy and Claire could grow up together. I really did not want a puppy because, like Claire, my most recent exposure to a puppy was Ringo. I did not want to go through the biting, potty training, and all the other extra things that come along with a puppy, but I did agree with Christine and puppies are irresistible.
There were three puppies there. Two from one litter who were two months old and another one that looked like part Husky that was three to four months old. I loved the Husky puppy. It was black with the markings over the eyes like a Husky. He was super cute, but one look at his paws and I knew we would be getting a large dog! I turned my attention back to the other two. Their mom, Candy, was also at 'Happy Dogs'. She looked like a Saint Bernard, but only the size of a medium sized dog. I was holding one of the puppies and she just slept in my arms. She was so sweet. She also had the better markings of the two. I looked at Dave and he knew it was all over. We decided to take her!
On the way home, our new puppy cried and cried, maybe I should say she wailed. I kept thinking to myself, "What did I do?" and that it was going to be a LONG night. As soon as we got in the car, we started talking about names and before we even got to the bottom of the mountain, Dave came up with the name "Dulce". Dulce, pronounced Dool-say, means sweet or candy in Spanish and we thought it was appropriate considering her mother's name was Candy. We stopped at the pet store on the way home and picked up a bag of dog food and two dog dishes. We obviously weren't prepared for a new dog. We got home and fed her, then got everyone ready for bed.
We fashioned up a box with a blanket and two warm water bottles in it for Dulce's bed. We put her in it and climbed into bed and the whining started! Again, the thought of "What did I do?" crept into my head. Well, obviously the box wasn't going to work. I told Dave to just let her out of the box and put the blanket on the floor. Well, that did it. She curled up on the blanket and slept there the until about 2 in the morning. Dave let her out to go potty and she came back in and went back to sleep on her blanket and slept until morning. I knew right then, that we were going to be dealing with a spoiled puppy!
The first couple of days she whined a bit, but she was very sweet, cuddly and calm. That lasted about two days! After the whining subsided, the full puppy in her came out! She started biting ankles and wanting to chew on pretty much everything, although I must say that it could be worse. She seems to be most nippy in the morning when you have bare feet or ankles and she can be diverted with a toy...eventually. She's still not as hyper as Ringo and she is still cuddly and sweet, just not when your ankle or hands are her focus. (Sorry Uncle Ryan for the Ringo digs, but that little bugger has some energy!)
Dulce has fit in pretty well. She's had her ups and downs and is still not 100% potty trained, but she is getting there. She is smart enough to know that she only goes potty in one spot of the yard and also smart enough to know that one blanket is not enough to lay on, she needs a comfy, squishy pillow or she whines. She loves to play fetch and race around the yard and bushes. She does not love to go for walks on the leash. In fact, she doesn't even budge. She seems to adore Claire, even though the feeling is not always mutual. In Claire's defense, she has ruined two of her kick balls and often takes off with her toys from her rice box, including some of the rice, but I figure it's excellent practice for Claire with the upcoming little sister!
Although, there are still days I think, "What did I do?", overall, we are pleased with our spoiled rotten puppy and hope she grows, with behavior, not in size, quickly. We can't wait for everyone to meet her in person.
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