Wednesday 30 September 2009

"Venga Aqui"

I have been asked quite a bit lately...why a Mexican dog? I will try to explain. I read quite a few dog-related blogs and there is quite obviously, a bias that most dog-bloggers have. Ingrid just loves pit bulls, Michelle loves golden retrievers, etc., etc., and the list goes on. The Mexican street or beach dog is just another 'breed' that some of us have a real soft spot for... Joey, my dear friend is one of them. Any one who has traveled south of the US border must have at one point in their tropical paradise holiday, looked around and seen a heart-breaking pup in some state of neglect, illness or injury. Mexico is sadly, full of them. I know, I know, it is for the majority of the population there, a poor country with barely enough food to go around for the people, let alone the dogs. But we all help where we can and how we can. My girl Cowgirl as many of you already know was a Mexican beach dog. I had been thinking for a couple of years before meeting her that I wanted to have a Mexican dog, that I wanted to help just one of them. So, on a camping trip on the Sea of Cortez, Baja, Mexico many years ago, she wandered into my heart. One look into her face and she and I were hitched. There was no question that I had found my dog. I often thought throughout the years that we spent together that there was no way she would have ever survived in Mexico for very long on her own. She was just too sensitive and couldn't have taken all the abuse and neglect that she would have undoubtedly received. Most of the female dogs there have a real rough time of it. Their lives tend to be short and terrible. I was more than happy to have saved her. Just her, just one little dog but it made a difference...a big difference. Hence, my love affair with the Mexican mutt. I love their goofy looks. I love their street smarts. I love the look in their eyes. Even when you meet them briefly, maybe just as you pass one on a city street corner, or glance around and spy one just hanging in the shadows, my guess is that dog will look you in the eyes. So that is somewhat our story. PonyGirl came to us from "Pawsitive Match Rescue Alberta" and we are so happy that she is here.

Thursday 24 September 2009

Who's Your Daddy?

Here we are at the starting line. The beginning of what I hope will be a long and winding road. Yeah, I am feeling corny and trying to capture every single moment and really, really appreciate how fleeting the whole deal is. There is this sweet, sweet unfolding and the hints of what is to come...I can taste it. I intend to not miss a moment. I never thought about losing Cowgirl when I had her. It just wasn't an option, so I feel like a lot of the time, I took her (us) for granted. You do that, when you think you have forever. This time, though, there is an urgency in the air to pay attention. A puppy will do that for you...make you pay attention, that is. It's fun. It's engaging. It's a bridge that connects you to other people you would have possibly not even noticed before. Once again, I am out and about and chatting it up with all kinds of kindred souls. I highly recommend it. This photo is PonyGirl at the shelter in La Paz with her mum. Who knew?

Tuesday 22 September 2009

GREY... is the New Black

Here's what we know about her. She hails from La Paz, Mexico. She was born in the shelter there, but her other litter-mates all died shortly after birth. Her mother was a pure white pit bull and her father was a scoundrel of some sort. She has very long legs (and will make me a good running partner) and her eyes are a very odd color of grey-gold. She is skinny. She is very smart. She is four and half months old. She is not Cowgirl, which is a good thing. She adores us. She loves her homemade food but she lets me take it away from her without complaint. She makes direct eye contact and waits. So far the only thing she chews on is the old bone she found in the back yard. She is worming her way in and it feels good. We have named her...(ta,da)... 'PonyGirl'. I know, I know, fairly pathetic, but I have always wanted a pony. In fact, I still ask for one every Christmas and am just a teeny bit disappointed when I look outside and there isn't one there with a big bow on it. Anyway, let the games begin.

Monday 21 September 2009

Well, let me start by saying that
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Tuesday 15 September 2009

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Segue

I have these two lovelies hanging in my dining room. I remember buying the posters outside the Uffizi Museum several years ago. It was my first time in Italy and I had fallen under the spell of Italian 'imperfection' as beauty. It was the most comfortable of feelings to be surrounded by people that celebrated diversity. What I mean is that I had lived so long in a superficial, north american culture that I had forgotten myself just what constituted true beauty. For so many years I had tried to fit the mold of what I thought was beautiful and I never could quite pull it off. It took an exhausting amount of energy and it just wasn't going to happen. There, I noticed attitude & confidence, good posture & bearing, kindness & appreciation of the most common things. I remember being in awe of the 'life as art' phenomenon. I was suddenly seeing, really seeing, and from then on, I stood straighter. Finally, I had met beauty.

Friday 11 September 2009

I'll be Your Lullaby

Yesterday was a monumental day for me. I did something I haven't done for 8 months and 2 weeks. I went on my first solo street run since Cowgirl died. I have to say it was wonderful. I thought of her the entire time but I didn't cry at all. Of course, the stellar beauty of the day helped -- picture perfect sky, cool fall temp, lovely scenery. When I got to the lakeside beach where she normally would have gone in swimming, I just lay on the dock basking in the sun and feeling happy, truly happy that we had had our exceptional life together. When I think back, I am pleased to report that we did it with so much love and joy and we were so, so 'sympatico'. We had the luxury of lives joined at the hip and full to bursting. It was a good run, in more ways than one.

Sunday 6 September 2009

Miss Manners Rants and Raves

Manners and etiquette. Don't you sometimes wonder what has happened to them? Where they have gone? When did it become okay to expose all your natural inclinations and bodily functions to everyone, sometimes right off the bat? Well, I have been giving this some thought...obviously. Ladies and gentlemen, how lovely and attractive good manners are, and how sweet it is having illusions of perfection about someone. Nothing wrong with believing the object of our affection is a star. I believe in mystery and always retaining some (never, ever reveal all of yourself). There are just some things that are off limits and should remain un-shared. Come on, we are all adults here, you know its true. Sometimes, we girls can be slayed by a gentleman opening the door for us.