Home Coming Nightmare

Free ranging feral dogs are like flies at a picnic. Bitches breeding every heat produce pathetic and adorable puppies. People toss out young pets once they have out grown the puppy charm. Back in Puerto Rico, I’m learning to accept what I cannot control.


Welcome home. There’s a new dog on my porch hobbling on three legs. Stormy shoots out of Mike’s garage, waiting when we pull into the carport. Stormy, the first sato or street dog that Kirt and I ever met is still a fixture in the neighborhood. Stormy’s ears and muzzle bear evidence to an altercation. Before long we see Blondie in our neighbor’s yard, escape is imminent. Blondie greetings are without reserve, we are now properly welcomed home.


As a parting gift this throw away dog received a complimentary flea collar. Perhaps the injuries to his rear legs are road rash. We’ve seen dogs ejected from moving vehicles before. His right hock joint is badly infected. Sweet boy with ears folded back, licking his lips and lowly tail beating comes to us seeking petting. Markings around his eyes look like glasses giving him the appearance of a wise little owl. Owl allows us to soak his infected joint in peroxide.


Lucky Owl landed on our road after the purge. Our neighbor, Mike told us that Owl fought Stormy to stay on the hill. The space Stormy gave up was our then vacant house. We came home a few days later. For a street dog this is like winning the lottery.


When the population of street dogs becomes too dense, there’s a concerned citizen who steps up to “solve” the problem. This barbaric remedy still used world over rid our neighborhood of some wonderful animals including the beautiful Bonita.


The packs of dogs hunting in the fields are gone. Absent are the canine sentries in front of the gates. Leftovers are in the garbage cans in this neighborhood. The valley is strangely silent.


No I take that back; there is a lot of weed whacking and trimming going on, more so than usual. Our neighbor is trimming an area we’ve not seen them cleanup before, so I ask what they are planning to do with the land. The answer is “Nothing, we’re having a rat epidemic. They’re in the tall grass.”


Go figure.