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| Puerto Rican Sato, 'Petey' |
Satos are Puerto
Rican street dogs. I’d run in to them
daily while walking purebred collie Czar along the dock in la Parguera, Puerto
Rico. One in particular was a favorite;
I called her “Petey” ala Little Rascals, and she lived longer than most. Surprising, because the poor thing was
pregnant more often than not; even Czar had a taste before he became a Soprano.
Petey had 2 puppies, the other the
spittin’ image of Czar, but it was scooped up quickly. This little fellow was gone the day after I
took the photo. The ones not so cute usually starve or are mistreated to death.
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| La Parguera, Puerto Rico |
One
day I witnessed the most criminal, heartbreaking scene which I can’t prove
other than my words. Look at this view;
it’s gorgeous, and I was lucky enough to wake up to it for a dozen years. I’d learned to keep an eye out for floating
treasures; never found the wallet full of cash, but I picked up lifejackets,
children’s toys and single Crocs, which I'd recycle.
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| La Parguera, photo Andrea Jansen |
The Captain and Czar were ashore, with the dinghy. I spotted something far out in the water; close
to that little buoy marker (barely visible) in the middle of the picture above. The tide would eventually work its magic, so
I went back to my painting. As it got
closer I saw that it wasn’t floating rubbish at all, but two dogs paddling towards
shore. I blinked and shaded my eyes;
surely their owners were in a kayak close by, but no. Just the two dogs.
From where I was
floating, they didn’t have much farther to go, except one was getting
tired. I cried as I watched the first
circling the second, encouraging it to continue; dog paddling took on a whole
new meaning to me. I am happy to say they made it to shore, but unfortunately
that was not the only time a lone dog was spotted in the water. I can’t imagine anyone being that cruel, but
then compared to Drive-By Shooting, a hand-held game a child proudly showed to
me, dumping a dog in the ocean must seem tame.
You don’t know what kind of special friend you’re missing.
I've always had dogs (and many other pets, 2 and 4 legged, and winged). I just can't understand any kind of animal cruelty. Just can't!
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