I think it is about time for a new post. I told you all about my new dog Phoenix. Life with her has become rather comical. Phoenix and the cat, Bora, have yet to become best friends. The landlords rules are that the dog stay outside at all times. This creates animosity and jealousy between Bora and Phoenix. I have caught Bora lying at the front door sticking her little paws out, taunting Phoenix on the other side. I come home, and Phoenix follows me upstairs, waiting for me to unlock the door and barge through. Meanwhile, Bora is on the inside waiting for me to open the door to bust outside. This is our ritual everytime I need to open the door. Sometimes Phoenix wins and she gets to come in for a few minutes while I put my groceries inside and hunt for a treat to bribe her to go outside. Sometimes Bora wins and will race down the stairs and into the yard... With me scrambling after her. In or out, they want what the other has, which seems to be the story of life.
I recently went to town to have Bora spayed by the GSPCA. Me, three other peace corps volunteers and 5 cats made the trip to town. It was quite an adventure. End result, no babies for Bora. I read a fact while I was there: one pair of cats and their offspring can produce 420,000 cats in seven years. Now wonder there are so many strays in Guyana!
One time, I was walking Phoenix and she found herself a New York Yankees hat. Naturally, it isn't a Red Sox hat so I let her keep it as a toy. We continue on our walk and on to the store to get some groceries. I go to loop the leash around the fence. Phoenix thinks I'm taking her new toy as I lean to resecure the leash... And off she books it down the street. So here I am, chasing a dog carrying a Yankees hat in her mouth. An old toothless man is giggling behind me as I turned in shock racing down the street after her. Mind you, I am already a curiosity in my community, but add on this and it was quite a show. Good dog did run straight home though.
The other day, I had to go to town, so my friend watched my animals. She had to leave and put the keys in a hiding place. Well fast forward a few hours, I get home and the keys are gone! 50/50 we picked a bad hiding spot and someone swiped them... Or my dog found a new toy! As me, and my neighbors are looking in the yard, the biggest pig I have ever seen pushes her way through the fence in the back yard. This now poses another problem... My dog has an escape route. Note there are holes all over the fence and I am constantly blocking them with wood, bottles and even coconuts to keep her from escaping. Sometimes she does and she ends up running to my neighbors to play. So we are looking for the keys, and Bora jumps out the window onto the overhang place, and down to the ground. My other neighbors dog decides he doesn't like cats and decides to try to take a big bite. Up the tree the cat goes. Did I mention she just got spayed? Anyway, landlord had a spare and my locks are now fully changed and I am safe.
Yesterday, I come outside and my dog is GONE! I freak out because she is no where. My coconut fence blocking didn't hold up. I walk up and down the street and nothing! No Phoenix. So I go to get my bike to expand my search, and out goes the cat. NOW BOTH MY ANIMALS ARE GONE. I heard all this yelping and barking down the street. I look out, and there is Phoenix, covered in mud, racing down the street with dogs barking after her trailing behind. Oye dog. As a side note, I had given her a bath three hours before. Payback?
Fast forward 24 hours... PHOENIX and I are peacefully swinging in the hammock to the sounds of Bora meowing inside, begging to cone out. Phoenix gets up and there are these little white things all over the hammock. WORMS! She ran away and got herself infested with worms! I call the vet and she comes right over and shoots her up with all kinds of good things! Let me tell you, worms are nasty little things. Poor Phoenix was licking her butt and they just kept popping out. Enough of that. Just Deworm your pets. Side note, the vet said Phoenix is probably 7-8 months... I pegged her for 5 based on her size from when I found her. The vet reminded me she was living on her own and starving so she would be undersized. The vet looked at her teeth and said yup, 7-8 months. So based on her age, all those dogs chasing after Phoenix... We shall see what happens in a few months. Anyone reading this in Guyana potentially want a guard puppy in a few months? Note I am planning to have Phoenix spayed when GSPCA does their next round of spaying in February. Assuming she isn't already knocked up.
So it has been an eventful couple of weeks with my critters! Despite the chaos, frustrations and even nastiness of being a pet mom in Guyana, it is worth it. My cat loves to cuddle when I watch movies or read at night. She hunts for bugs and keeps them out of my life. And my dog is just hilarious and full of love. Through Bora and Phoenix, I am trying to teach and show my neighbors, community and students that these animals are good and need to be cared for and loved. I have my students constantly asking after my pets. I ask them if they have pets and they say, "yes, but yours are different". Fact is, they aren't. I picked Phoenix up as a stray, starving and covered in ticks on the side of the road in a trash heap, and Bora was a stray too. They are no different than any other animal in Guyana, except I have them vaccinated, and fed, play with them, and show them love and kindness. Their pets can be just like mine.
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