Tuesday, July 13, 2010

In Limbo

I have been without the internet since the beginning of July and will not be in a position to post anything until the end of July. My solar power regulator is toast and I'll be waiting for another one around the last week of July. Without power, I have no internet, no Skype, nothing at all. My batteries are close to dead as a result.

So, later all.

Sorry.

Friday, July 2, 2010

My Girls, the Gypsy Mutts

My two girls were soon approaching their first rut and I had decided when I adopted them that I would have them spayed. No need for them to contribute to the already large canine population around here. The cement wall is just a little over 5 feet tall. A long-legged dog can easily jump over it. Their dad is a V E R Y long-legged animal who lives really close by. So are quite a few others. I had nightmare visions of seeing one ardent male intent on mating with one or both of them. The vision was even worse when I could also imagine Queenie's reaction at seeing another fully grown dog in HER territory. . . Suffice it to say that I envisioned lots of blood-curdling growls followed by unspeakable carnage. With reason, as Mastiffs were used by Romans to fight bears. An unnecessary trauma for all concerned.

So, yesterday, with the help of Lee, a lovely lady who arrived in Tequisquiapan a little after I had, we took the gypsy mutts to San Juan del Rio to the Canine Control clinic where were spayed. We'd had torrential rain all night long just the night before and the rain hadn't really abated. It turned out to be a rather dramatic experience for the humans; Lee had a terrible time driving with many of the narrow streets covered in 3 to 4 inches of water. I sat in the back of the van holding on to them as they had slipped out of their collar and leash. A first for them as they run free on the lot. Then the girls had never driven in a vehicle or even been in town or traffic and were petrified. They wouldn't budge from the van and had to be carried out. Lee is as dedicated to animal welfare and she had as hard a time as I witnessing the pups' distress. Leaving them there was heart wrenching for me, but it had to be done. I was and still am immensely grateful to Lee for her help.

We picked them up later in the day; they were still pretty drowsy. Tina seemed the worst for wear but little by little, she improved while Mindy began crying from pain as the anaesthetics wore off. Throughout the night Mindy kept moaning and crying, even with the paediatric Tempra that the doctor had prescribed. Then came the diarrhea and vomiting. At around 2 AM they asked to go out. Tina came right back in but Mindy hid under the motor home, rigid as a statue and would not come in. No coaxing worked for over a half-hour. Despairing, I had to threaten her with the hose until she finally complied. An awful night was had by all. Fortunately, a day has only 24 hours and the night came to a close.

This morning now, with the sun showing up valiantly through a thin layer of clouds, everything appears in a better light. The girls are up and about, they ate well and are now resting as I'm writing this. I hope the rest will soon be history.

Custom Search