After much coming and going on their part, and worrying, buying food for an empty house and chasing after runaways on mine, I finally ended up with two former street dogs to call my own: my original big guy, Chase, and his best friend, Jax (pictured here). Just when they decided to get comfortable and stay awhile, I swung ‘em a curve ball. Time to get fixed! Oh, boy!
In a town where super-skinny stray dogs and cats wander the streets and rarely live past a few years old, Coco has done a lot in recent years to reduce the amount of puppies and kittens born without homes.
Once a month, Coco Animal Rescue and Education (C.A.R.E.) holds spay and neutering clinics for dogs and cats. So last Saturday, I brought my boys downtown for their little snip, snip.
But first, we had to get them there… They were wholly uninterested in getting into the back of the truck, so I had to ride with them. But I couldn’t get them to sit down! They slid all over the place, but were determined to stand up the whole ride. They were little angels when we arrived, relaxing in the shade with their numbers, 25 and 26, posted on their heads.
For Chase, the tranquility was short. He was the only one out of all 50 dogs who didn’t get his temperature read until after being knocked out. Four professionals couldn’t hold him down! I hope that means he’ll be the toughest guard dog once I fatten him up. He was so woozy when we picked him up later, his eyes rolling to the back of his head; it took us an hour to get him out of the car at home. I knew right then that the recovery process was going to be a bit trying. But worth it of course!
In all, Chase might’ve been a bit too old (he’s 5 or 6 years old) for a clinic, but it was still a great experience to be there with everyone from town, fixing their animals. It’s so important! Chase is on some anti-inflammatories and is doing just fine. 
(The poor guy was in a lot of pain for a little bit there, and he’s had to stay in his cone after licking his stitches.) Jax? He would’ve run straight out of the clinic to go play, if I’d let him.
It was also interesting to get this surgery done in a Latin country. A lot of owners have been absolutely unwilling to castrate their male animals here. I must admit, I was quite surprised that both of my boys still had their balls post-surgery, since apparently no man, human or canine, should go without, at least not while they’re in Costa Rica. C.A.R.E. has done a lot of outreach in town, at the elementary schools and elsewhere. It’d be so great if we became a town with no scrawny strays sleeping in the middle of the streets!
Abby
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17 Comments
It never fails that I burst out laughing when I read your blog entries. Maybe its because I know you personally and have watched you assimilate to the Tica living and change your old Princess-like ways; from never wanting a dog to having 4 – 5 dogs walking with you at one time!
Chase came back!
Like plants and pictures on walls, I think dogs make a house a home.
Abbs!! I can’t believe you have puppies now! They are adorable! <3 Lola says hi to both of them!
Bless. What cute little things. Glad you got them snipped. Muy importante!
@Ayngelina He kept coming back and then going again — for days on end! I had just gotten used to it when he decided to stay for good. YAY! I can’t believe I’m making it home here… It was supposed to be only for a month or two!
Lisa and Kimmy — you guys and my mom know my secret — I haven’t always been addicted to dogs!
Diana — Yes, I HAD to do it, but I didn’t want to!!
OMG Abbs, your officially the owner of 2 male dogs, didn’t believe it till the photo of you holding the leash! LOVE it, so proud of you! See, i just knew if Max lived with us back in the day you would have loved him!
He came back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG, that’s so fabulous. I’m glad you have 2 perritos to keep you company and protect you now love. Glad their little surgery went well.
When we were wandering Buenos Aires, I got so depressed at the sight of these adorable stray dogs roaming the streets, friendly as can be. I practically wanted to stay just to adopt some of them. We could have shared (cheap) steak dinners together.
On a side note, the words “snip snip” produced a disturbing sound in my head that I never want to hear again.
@Jetpacker Yes, it’s so hard while to traveling to see all of the strays! Thailand and Borneo were the hardest for me. I’m so glad I’ve put down roots long enough to adopt two. And they’re so happy, too!
@Margo I used to swear by Keratin!! Now I have an Indian oil treatment I do. When I first got here, my hair was so rope-like that it absorbed anything. I looked a punk rock star with my green hair!
This is so great. One of the things that bothers me the most when I travel is the stray dogs. I find it so sad. In Brazil they get hit by cars all the time because they run on the highways. It is so nice to see that an organization is doing the good work necessary to help reduce the population, and I love that you have adopted these two lucky guys. How happy they must be to have you and each other.
Oh Abby, always entertaining reading about your life there sigh…… we see you soon, the girls will LOVE to play with your dogs.
Yay for dogs! And kudos to you for getting them snipped!
Awww, pups! They’re adorable. I miss having a dog.
And just like that, life is good again
Your dogs are adorable!
The first pic he looks like he’s smiling in that “I have a new home and someone to feed me now” way.
Keep up the great stories
Zoe
LOL, the “Your dog can’t wear condoms” poster cracked me up! Your doggies are cuties!
2 Trackbacks
[...] I’d rescued two precious zaguates (mutts), and I was unexpectedly faced with bringing my scrappy Costa Rican street dogs home with me to the neon jungle of Las Vegas, where I’d found a job. They didn’t make it easy – for me, or the army of neighbors who helped me. [...]
[...] My little Jax is exahaused (and coming down off drugs) after getting fixed. I was so proud of him! For the story, click here. [...]