a new friend

well, it took us a little longer than usual, but we have a new four legged friend who has joined our family. costa rica doesn’t seem to have as much of a problem with strays as mexico, but there are still plenty of pooches who need help. our landlady claudia told us about another lady called tanya who is running a one woman rescue operation for cats and dogs in the area. she used to have a couple of volunteers who were helping her, but they all quit and she’s been flying solo ever since. tanya has no less than nine dogs and three cats at her house and is understandably overwhelmed. brenda had a chat with her last week and tanya told her she had a very sweet dog (number ten!) that would be perfect to foster.

his name is “blackie”, which isn’t our favourite name, but it is what it is. he is eight months old, and is absolutely adorable. we had to keep him tied up for most of the first few days, as he ran away twice and brenda had to go and find him. he’s been sticking close since, although yesterday evening he went walkabout and didn’t return until this morning, looking very tired. that’s cool though – i think its nice for dogs to have the freedom to come and go as they please, knowing that they always have a place to return to.

IMG_0019i really hope that we can find him a permanent home here. he is so well behaved, walks like a champion, and has a very relaxed, easy going temperament. we would totally keep him if we weren’t jumping around all over the place! nayou, who is normally very wary of dogs, loves him. he’ll take blackie for walks and play with him, which is definitely not his normal reaction to dogs. blackie seems to get that nayou is a little human and is very gentle with him.

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inquiries from anywhere in the world are welcome. if you are thinking about getting a dog, or know of anyone who is, let them know about blackie. this is one awesome canine!