Getting Dogs to the Big Easy

Trust is everything in a relationship, so did shoving Blondie into a crate to be loaded on a plane bound for New Jersey then New Orleans violate that trust, I wondered as KIrt and I flew with complaining cat, Smoki and Chi-ping, who had enough to say on our flight to Orlando, that I gave her a third of a Benadryl to calm her down before she went through another soft crate.

The happy squeal Blondie let out when we picked her up at cargo told us all was forgiven. Both girls quickly urinated and we were on our way to our new home. After traveling all night we were ready to sleep for the rest of the day.


Tails were wagging as the girls sniffed through the neighborhood, good solid stools were a bonus, everything felt so good. Sometimes they would just stand and look around, taking in all the new sights and sounds. It’s quite different from the hill road we live on in Puerto Rico. It’s a busy in town neighborhood with dogs being walked on leash, which they handled so well, to say I was proud of them is an understatement. Chi-ping pulls on the leash, but Blondie walks by my side like she has done it all her life, I realize that I am her security, but it’s just nice the way she walks on lead.


The next day we had to pick up our car an hour north of the city, so we took Blondie to give Smoki and Chi-ping some bonding time. Since we’ve heard that she has gotten a cat we’re not taking any chances, so Blondie came on the road trip her first day. It seemed like the right thing to do, I didn’t want to lock Smoki in the bathroom, nor do I trust the girls alone in the house.

That night the diarrhea began, my poor Blondie had more than she could handle or maybe it was the sight of all the feral cats roaming the streets instead of dogs. She went from explosive to clear liquid during the night; giving her Pepto didn’t do much good, so I bought some Kaopectaid in the morning, all of which Blondie accepted without a fuss. She is a minimally handled street dog, taking foul medicine, all I can say is, “What a good dog!” Every couple of hours she whimpered to go out, standing by the door to leash up like an experienced city dog.


While we are dealing with Blondie’s bowels I noticed what appeared to be one of many old scratches on her legs, only this was recent. Under the scab was a festering bite, which seemed to blow up over night, her leg is huge, so I began shoving what antibiotics I had down her throat. She really doesn’t feel well, so I bought some penicillin, which is such a big shot, she cried when I gave it.


Here we are in the big easy with my poor baby, who is going through so much. The stress diarrhea is over, but if we had left her in Puerto Rico with this abscessed leg, I don’t think she would have made it.


As it is if the leg doesn’t improve by tomorrow, she’ll be seeing the vet, which we can ill afford right now, but we’ll figure it out.