Adopt This Dog, Part 3

Last Thursday I was driving down to launch my boat at Blue Beach and right before I got to the ramp this tiny puppy came running out of the mangroves. Someone had just abandoned her down there that morning. I knew that's what happend since she was totally clean and didn't even have dirty paws. If she was born wild she would have been filthy and covered with fleas. This was totally heartbreaking. I scooped her up off the road and told my anglers that we'd be having an extra passenger on our charter that morning. She drank half a bottle of water and fell asleep under my boat's steering console. She didn't wake up again until we got back to the beach five hours later.

What really drives me crazy is that someone chose to drive this dog down a five mile dirt road and leave it at a beach when they could have drove her down a two mile paved road and left her at the Humane Society instead. I will never understand the mentality of some people.

When I did take her to the shelter later that day, Aleida, the manager, told me that they really didn't have room for her. They're overwhelmed down here with puppies right now. I couldn't keep her since I'm already watching another rescue dog until his owner moves in next month and I'm out of the house for much of the day. At least the dog I'm currently fostering is housebroken. When I brought this little girl home she immediatly peed on my kitchen floor, as most six-week old puppies will do. That's not something I can deal with right now.

My Plan B was simple. I'd hit the bars with her for a few nights and someone will eventually fall in love. I figured I'd be the center of attention for a while, maybe get some drinks bought for me since I had a cute puppy, and I'd find a tourist that would take her home by the weekend. My Happy Hour plan lasted exactly three minutes.

I walked into Al's Mar Azul and the wonderful Kristin, who had just moved to Vieques from Boston, came right over and wanted to hold her for a little while. Done! Instant love at first sight and a happy ending for a dog that was abandoned just that morning. God Bless Kristen and her new baby girl.

Unfortunately, this is the exception, and not the rule down here. No one can resist a helpless puppy. An older dog, maybe needing a little medical attention, is a different story. Those situations almost never end well, especially on small islands in the Caribbean. Fortunately, Vieques is different.

Our stray animals, at least the ones that get to the shelter, are beyond fortunate. They actually have a chance at life thanks to a few underpaid staff and angelic volunteers. The Vieques Humane Society does so much with so little, and if you're coming to the island for a visit, please stop in and see them. Give them a donation, or better yet take a dog home, and I'll give you a free fishing trip.