His Name is Rio!
Charlie and Tessa behind us in Canada as we started anew in Panama.
We got them when they were 5 weeks old and moving to Central America was not even a blip on the radar. Charlie was a patient, loving saint of a dog and Tessa was the boss...of Charlie and Darren....she and I had our battles and I assured her that there would only be one alpha bitch in the household and it was NOT going to be her. After a year, she gave in and decided if she could not be top dog, she would be my dog..lol. I love big dogs; I could never get into little dogs except for Corgis.
Fast forward 10 years. We knew that these dogs would not acclimate well to a tropical climate; they both hate the heat and love snow, unlike me! They were both starting to show their age but otherwise healthy. We had agonizing talks about what to do. Fortunately, their Aunty Jocey, Uncle Jared and cousin, Jarvis said that they could go live with them in Calgary. Jocey is my step-daughter and both dogs love her immensely. Jarvis is their big black 2 yr old puppy who needed some friends at home. We were so relieved and thankful. But the fact they were going to have a wonderful life in Calgary did not mitigate the grief we both felt at leaving them. The night we left for the airport, I made it to the car before breaking completely down, sobbing. Darren was crying, "We don't have to move! We can stay here!" But, yes, we did have to go. And we swore, "No more dogs...EVER!" And we meant it.
So we landed, got settled in and were quite enjoying our relatively free lifestyle. Yes, I got Ali, but he was part of the plan. We could sleep in, go to the beach and didn't have to worry about having to be home for the dogs. There are so many dogs in need of a good home here; but I contented myself with volunteering at the Spay / Neuter Clinic put on every month by Amigos des Animales.
I ride most Saturdays with two friends; after we have drinks and play Scrabble. Saturday, February 3 was no different. I had a few and staggered down the hill to our place only to have Darren meet me with , "Do you know what to do about a stray dog?". Huh? The fog in my brain cleared a bit. "What stray dog?". "There is one hiding behind a rock in the river. I think it only has one eye. It is really scared!" HUH?? No fog now; I grabbed a hot dog and, fully clothed, headed into the river. At first I thought he had gone; "I don't see him!", I yelled. Then I saw the rock seem to move.
He was the same color as the rock. If he had not moved, we would never have seen him. He was terrified, and indeed, looked like he had only one eye, but, that was just because his hair was so matted and stuck to his head. He was shaking like a leaf as he tried to become one with the rock. I sat down on another rock close to him and held out the hot dog. The next thing I knew, I had my arms full of a pathetic, skinny waif of a dog. He looked up at me. Oh Shit! I knew this dog wasn't going anywhere. The Universe had put a needy dog in our river. I have learned not to argue with powerful signs. He came from the river; no brainer; his name was Rio!
He was a mess. Fleas, matted hair, full of sticks, leaves and burrs. We think he survived on food from our refuse pit, so who knows how long he had been there. His breed was....most definitely not pedigreed..lol..and his bottom teeth were crooked, giving him a little, permanent smile. We could not even guess at his age, but his teeth looked like those of a young dog. I was smitten; Darren groaned, rolled his eyes and swore...and then was in love.
First things first! I headed into town to get dog food, a bed, collar, leash, worm, flea and tick pills. He was making himself at home and, as I was the bearer of the hot dog, attached himself to me. We didn't sleep that night. He slept at on the floor by our bed. The next morning Rio supervised Darren's exercises and got to meet his much bigger brother, Ali. He definitely was not used to going in the truck and was afraid to be picked up. Both of those things are no longer applicable!
I posted his picture on the Boquete Community site asking for a dog groomer. Roberto at The Dog Spot was the recommendation and he could take Rio right away. I was like a mama leaving her baby at day care the first time. The transformation was miraculous!
Rio was beginning to understand that his life was radically changing. We still could not quite figure out his story. He did not act like an abused or neglected dog. He loved people. He was house broken. So he must have run away or gotten lost. An appointment with Dr. Sammy, the small animal vet in David, was next. Blood work showed no tick fever; just a few worms, so he got all his shots, worm pills and a clean bill of health. His age was over 1 year and under 2 years. Yep, we now had a dog. I guess we really did not have a choice. Who could look in those big, adoring eyes and give him up. I was in love with a very small dog with a huge heart!
So our life adapted to having a dog again. No more sleeping beside the bed, the new Rio learned very quickly that the place to be was ON the bed spread horizontally between Darren and I. We have a great doggy camp we can take him to when we go away; the lady that runs it is awesome! She calls Rio her "Shadow" because he follows her everywhere. He LOVES going in the truck; can't keep him out once the door opens. In fact, he quickly caught on that the truck goes up the driveway, so any hopes we had of being able to leave him home, alone were quickly dashed when our neighbors found him trotting up the road one day when we had gone visiting. A beautiful, custom made 4' x 6"x 8' chain link pen solved that particular problem when we are going somewhere he can't go
Then I got a msg in Spanish on Facebook. A woman saw the picture on the Community site and said he was her mother-in-law's dog, CJ, that had been lost for a month. My heart sank. I asked some pertinent questions and she described him right down to his crooked teeth. Darren swore again...for a different reason this time. We loved our little guy. But we agreed to take him to Boquete so they could see him. He certainly did not the name CJ so maybe he wasn't their's. He was.
The lady owned his mom and dad and Rio was bouncing with joy to see them. For some reason they had given him to some people in our area 20kms away from Boquete and he had run away. Rio was huge compared to his parents and they were as shaggy as he had been, but I could tell that this lady loved her dogs. So I held the leash out to her trying not to cry. They were saying something in Spanish to me, but nothing was sinking in. Then the words "Para usted solo! No mas personnes! Solo usted!" started to sink in; they were giving Rio to us! Only us! No more people! Then we all started crying. What started out as a very sad day turned into a joyous one! He was coming home with us for good!
 |
| Rio with his mom and dad |
 |
| Snuggling after surgery |
He survived the loss of his "dignity"; our nerves survived a small dog obsessed with licking where his nuts used to be.
The Universe knew we were not complete without a dog to love. I believe with all my heart that Rio was sent to us; we needed him as much he needed us. He fills our days with laughter; he is a playful, funny, quirky little dog who adores us. Tessa and Charlie had each other; Rio only has us. When he looks at us, the love shines out of his eyes. He is so smart, and hangs on my every word as if he is trying his damndest to understand. His favorite words are, "Let's go....get Ali, in the truck, for a walk, to bed!" because he knows that means that he will get to do something with us. Darren has to lock him in the house when I go riding or he will follow me. Too many large dogs around here to let him do that! he does not like the heat (brutal since the end of January) so sleeps most of the day, but when it cools off at night, he plays and pounces and keeps us entertained. So my belief in the Universe has been reinforced again. Since we started this whole Panama adventure, I have been amazed at how things have fallen into place seemingly by chance. I don't believe in chance; I believe we are where we are supposed to be and things will unfold as the Universe dictates. Rio is proof!
Comments
Post a Comment