Perfect Puppy Patty

by Scott

We met Patty as we walked down the beach in Esterillos Oeste, Costa Rica. She was super sweet and followed us everywhere for the next few days. She'd try to come in the truck with us when we went to bed. She'd sleep under the truck so that she could greet us first thing in the morning. We'd go for a run on the beach, and she'd follow, lead, go off on a tangent, and return for more. She went nutty when we came across a family of white-faced monkeys. Her "barking" sounded more like a plea for the monkeys to come down and play. When I paddled out to surf, she'd try to swim after me. While I was in the water, she'd play soccer with the local boys--crouching low to defend her goal and using her nose to header the ball back. She was clearly someone's pet. She was healthy, spayed, and had a collar. What was the deal?

Patty would close her eyes and go into a trance when I rubbed her throat.

Well, the deal was that Patty's owner had recently gone to jail. He might even get deported. Patty was clearly looking for a new pack, and thought she found one with us. We worried about leaving her, but Brett (see previous post) assured us that there would be a waiting list to adopt her if her owner didn't return. Still, it was hard. When we left, Patty followed us for 2 pot-holed miles out to the highway. When I opened the door to give her a last pat on the head, she jumped up on my lap. She soooo wanted to be our dog. And despite Heather's allergies, our tight living quarters, increased border crossing hassles, and general aversion to responsibility of any kind, we were seriously talking about how we could make it work.

Finally, on the verge of tears, I put her back down, waited for traffic to clear, and gunned it down the highway. I knew she'd follow for a bit, but I thought she'd give up quickly. She didn't. As she faded from view in the mirror, she was sprinting down the middle of the highway. It was one of those images I'll never forget. It's amazing the bond we formed in such a short time.

Bad picture, but look how happy she was to finally make it inside the truck.

I was shook up for the rest of the day, kicking myself for not taking her back to Brett's and tying her up until we were gone. What if she'd been hit by a car? We immediately emailed Brett to ask if he would let us know as soon as she made it back. The following day, we were relieved to hear that she was safe and sound. We hope her owner gets deported so that she can upgrade owners--hopefully in the same town so we can see her when we return. However, if she's still homeless, we just might have to succumb to fate.