Imagine following in the paws a helpless newborn stray puppy true along Dead Dog Beach leading him into the ruins of an old pier of Play de Guayan'es known as Sato Beach.
Sato means "street dog". Located on the southeastern side of Puerto Rico stret...
As per the law, Puerto Rico, which is an unincorporated territory of the United States, in partnership with the U.S., mandates that "all dogs must be vaccinated within 4 days of arrival at the final destination but no more than 10.
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Original Rabies Vaccination Certificate from Puerto Rico
Vaccinations are vital to good health; with them comes a few side effects, namely deep lethargy and laziness. Diving deeper into my unpredictable dreams, deja-vu set in as my body swayed into the rhythm of 1-foot soft waves. There I stood on soft sand staring thoughtfully at the horizon of Playa Lucia, my head slowly in disobedience to my thoughts dragging me down to view the ebb and flow of soft waves rolling over me.
Occasionally, a small moon jellyfish's tentacle would graze over my paws leaving a subtle sting. Naturally, my mouth lobbed towards my paw as my nose lunged into the saltwater licking the sting away. Learning to blow bubbles under water while nursing the sting of distress soothed my tired soul for a second. My head lowered again as my teeth clenched the seaweed, nibbled and twisted, circling around and around like a ceiling fan as my paws pressed into soft sand creating swirling impressions.
The water erased the malleable prints as my paws reappeared, rotating several limitless motions before I flopped down and made a splash into into a soft coat of dark chocolate colored fur complemented by the wriggling rolls of warm familiar siblings. Breathing slowly, inhaling, exhaling, 4-square breathing, over and over, rolling my eyes back to enjoy deep solid sleep, all the while, ebbing and flowing, air in and out, over and over...
Only eleven minutes and elapsed as warm dreams turned into sore discomfort. I slightly wriggled to cool off. Still lagging, in and out of slumber, I heard noises - more precisely, yelps and barking - as the final nod of sleep was interrupted. My crusted eyes fought to open slowly as my head moved low, left and right to gain my bearings.
It was then that I found myself back in my cage as my brain recognized our location. Quickly my portable home was being carefully moved into the shelter where I was tucked into a quiet corner until I fully regained consciousness.
A few hours had passed as I stumbled to my feet then quickly flopped down due to the soreness and discomfort. Other crates were lined up next to me against the wall. We could see each other's wet noses lifting into the air taking in deep cleansing breaths to capture exactly which friends were in our current neighborhood. My heart skipped-a- beat when I saw that my little black and white spotted friend and I were beside each other! Our noses met as our bodies danced and our steps uncontrollably moved close enough to be attached to one another. Mani, as I called him, attempted to heal the temporary lump at the injection site to no avail. I, in turn, licked his eyes and nose returning the exchange.
Our "homes" were brought to a fenced-in dog park of a sort in the back of the rescue and our doors were clicked open as an invitation to step out into a safe gated area for a breath of fresh air and socialization.
At first, the only gates allowed to be opened were those of quiet temperament dogs who needed to approach as comfort allowed. Many of us tip-toed out onto the concrete and with wagging tails each greeted interchangeably with happiness.
Thought fresh food was being placed into our bowls, the effects of our vaccinations kept us from eating as ravenous as we typically would have. We trotted up and down a 50-foot-long chain-link fence until our energy was spent, which only took about 45 minutes. As the sun was setting, the volunteer lead us to our beds, and we resorted to an inherited bedtime ritual circling into a snuggly position for a sleepy sendoff.
We found happiness in one another and in our safe habitat allowing us time to bravely take a chance to be ourselves and reflect on what was new, authentic and real.
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Our new friends at Amigos de los Animales
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