Her hair was standing up on her back. The growl got bigger as Teli jumped to her feet. She was in full attack mode it seemed. I sat up as well.

There is a divider blocking the door from my view. First thought is that someone was hiding behind the divider. I was starting to grab my stick I keep by the bed. Teli jumped off the bed and ran into the living room, my viscous attack dog was a chicken.

I was alone with whatever it was behind the divider.

Just at that second the light in my brain lit and I realized what was happening. I laid a black scarf on top of the divider earlier today. It did not belong there.

Teli came running back in and jumped onto the bed still growling, a deep frightening growl. I bet that scarf was scared to death of Teli ready to attack it.

I grabbed the scarf and threw it down on the bed next to where she was standing. She jumped up in the air, all for feet off the bed. Frightened. Then she gave me a look like what the heck looking from the scarf then to me a few times. Then the brave dog sat down while sticking her nose into the offending piece of black cloth. All was safe and she was happily throwing the scarf into the air and playing with it.

Teli with her scarf

My guard dog saved me from the big bad scarf, that is, after she ran away in fright. She had her bad scarf and laid down again and I returned to my Kindle. All was safe and sound.

Have I mentioned lately that I love my dog Teli? (Teli wrote her own version of this story on her blog The Dominican Dog Blog)

Teli really does not like change so it was a bit of a trauma for her to take a right instead of going straight, her normal morning routine. We hit the stairs at Calle las Damas all the while she is looking at me asking “Where are we going mommy?”.

I decided to cross the bridge at the port instead of trying to walk across the road with all the traffic. I made a mistake. I ended up having to carry Teli as she was afraid of the open sides on the stairs. I did not want to take the chance that she would slip out of her collar and run into the traffic so it was best to just carry her. I realized this was a mistake half way up the long…long stairway. I am not in good shape anymore. In my younger days I could have made it up all those stairs, no problem. I need to remember that I am not living in my younger days anymore which from time to time I seem forget.

Walk-way over Malecon to the Port.

I tried to put her down on the top but she was afraid of the open railing which I knew she would be. I just did not want to take a chance of her getting frightened and bolting so I carried her across the top and down the first flight of stairs. That was it for me. She had to walk the rest of the way.

We entered Montecions Plaza and she was doing fine. I was having the problem remembering the last time we were there when Teli jumped out the 2 1/2 floor window. (This is the story – Taking the Jump From Montecinos). Then Blanco and his dad came across the street and Teli was content. Her friend was there to play with her.

We made it to the beach and she and Blanco were romping having a good ole time. Chasing and dodging each other like they love to do.

Teli and Blanco romping on the Montecinos Beach

Then Telis other friend Lula came. The three dogs were having a great time running around in the sand. Playing like they love to do.

Finally, they were starting to were out a bit. Taking a lay-down break here and there.

The dogs were slowing down a bit

I was trying to get Teli to get a little wet in the sea. She wasn’t going for it. Teli was fast at getting out of the way of the wave, I was not. So I got wet. Just my feets and shoes.

I was done after the shoes got wet and went over to the group to share my wet foot story and WAM!! The dogs that I thought were tired were still romping and Blanco crashed right into me! Normally I am aware where the dogs are because Blanco is known for her haphazard crashes, but I was so into my wet feet I was not paying attention.

Stupid me. Down I went on my butt! I am so happy it was soft sand and not pavement. It would have been a big owwie if it was cement but it was just a tiny owwie instead. I even got a scrape where the dog hit me.

Dog crash booboo

I was sitting on the sand with wet shoes, sand all over me, a booboo shin and laughing as the friends pulled me to my feet. I was a bit sandy but all was fine. I will probably be a little sore tomorrow from the fall and more sore from carrying my chicken dog up all those stairs. My poor old back cannot handle alot these days.

Now the thought..Last time Teli and I were at that beach Teli jumped out the window and fell 2 1/2 stories to the, thank goodness, the soft dirt below and only had a few scratches and was sore. This time we went to the same area I fell down and got a little boobo on my leg. Maybe that place should not be blesses with our presence any more. The Booboo Beach does not seem to like us much.

I was only gone at the most 5 minutes.

When I to the second floor I could hear her. She was waiting at the gate.

As soon as she saw me she got excited and ran into the apartment. As I steeped onto the 3rd floor she came running back out of the apartment.

Then I saw her big smile. I so love it when she smiles. I couldn’t wait to unlock the gate and greet her. She was just too cute. I was only gone for a few minutes and got a wonderful greeting.

Have I mentioned lately that I LOVE MY DOG?!

You can read about Telis’ own stories on The Dominican Dog Blog

It finally happened. They are ready for pickin’ and eatin’. Oh yeah!

I cannot reach the trees from the park. All the mangoes fall into the Marine base grounds so I got this young boy that lives somewhere around there to get me some. I gave him a large bag from the Colmado and Teli (my dog) and I waited for Jimmy to return.

He came back in about 20 minutes with a bag full of mangoes! They smelt sooo good. I gave him some money for it. He was happy and so was I.

I was told that Dominican dogs love mangoes. My Teli is a Dominican dog but she turns her nose up at them. I kept trying to give her one and she finally gave me the look telling me “Thats enough! I do not want a stupid MANGO!”

Now I had to figure out what to do with all these sticky fibrous amazing fruits. Posted on Facebook to ask friends and I took a few of their ideas.

I made mango salsa. It was really good. I would have never thought that a sweet and a spicy would go together.

I made mango ice milk ice cream and froze it.

I made mango smoothie shakes which I love with any fruit I have at the time.

I made mango bread.

Today Ill make a mango enchilada.

Who knows what tomorrow mango goodies we will come up with…

This was my breakfast – All Things Mango. By the way, that is not mango coffee. I had to put my foot down someplace.

I love the smell of fresh cut grass. I even used to have some essential oil called Fresh Cut Hay and would burn it often here because there is not much lawns that need cutting here in the Colonial City. The smell was divine. I was really enjoying it while waiting for Teli to make her business.

Then tonight when we walked that way again on the way to Telis park the smell was still lingering. I had to stop and sit on the wall. The sitting part is easy but I forgot about the getting up part as I was so into smelling the essence or cut grass. Teli and I sat there for a while until the neighborhood kids wanted to play ball and Teli doesn’t like this so I had to get up. This is when, amongst the wonderful smells and the kids looking at me, that I remembered I need something to hold on to to get up. Of course there was nothing there.

I rolled my big butt off the little short wall and rolled over onto all fours. Teli was looking at me like I was either going crazy or wanting to play. Then I worked my way up using the dogs butt to stable myself, trying not to put too much pressure on her. Finally I was up. Laughing quietly out loud to myself and Teli and taking in the last smelling on that fresh cut lawn until the next time.

I learned myself a valuable lesson, that I learned many times before but always seem to forget. When stopping to smell the fresh cut grass always make sure that there is a way to get up if I decide to sit my big ole butt on or close to the ground. Must remember the back is not happy when it has to get up from a squatting position without help. And, to try and remember to take my camera next time I go for a walk.

I got a dog, thus the Dog Blog. Her name is Inteliperra. Not inteligente, which means smart, I figured inteli – GENTE means smart person cause it says Gente which maens people. My dog is not a gente she is a perra so I called her Inteli – PERRA. Get it? For short she is just Teli.

She is smiling in this picture. Isn’t she cute?

She is the normal type of dog breed you see in the streets here in Dominican Republic. Wiry, thin, tan with the black face. They call them here Boca Negra (Black Mouth), Vida Latta (sort of lives out of a tin can which also means a mixed breed). She looks alot like a Belgin Malinois. But no matter what she is I fell in love with her after a few days of her living with me on November 3rd. Now she is my baby and she stole my heart.

She is a bit of a nervous dog. She knows how to walk on the leash and I have taught her lots of tricks. I know her other owner taught her stuff too. (She was found in a park when she was a puppy almost dead, was rescued and brought back to health and loved, then the family had to move to a smaller home and couldn’t keep her, this is how she came to live with me). She likes to hang out on the sofa when I am working and she always likes to be where I am.

I have been working with her but she is so nervous and frightened. When she gets in the fright mode she doesn’t hear anything. She just wants to get home. She is much better but she still needs lots of work and love. She doesn’t like open doors when we pass them in the street. Any sudden noise she goes crazy. The rustling of the palm trees she gets nervous. When we pass the school and she hears all the noise inside she gets nervous. She hates when there is a marching group in the street. She is afraid of the washing machine. She wont come to the living room when I have laundry hanging on the enclosed balcony. She doesn’t like waving flags. Sometimes I think she sees ghosts when she jumps at nothing. But I am working with her.

She needs to get calm so she can work her business being a tour guide here in Colonial Zone. She is working on being the mascot for the Zone. She already has her own park, Plaza Pellerano Castro, where if you want to meet her, she is usually walking around there in the evening. She has her own Colmado where she is the Mascot it is across from her park, Colmado Omar I. Common down and she will always accept 10 pesos of salami if you want to buy. Just remember, you have to ask me first before you give her a treat. She is not allowed to accept stuff from strangers unless I say its OK first.

You might also see her in her favorite place to go to the bathroom, in front of the Forteleza Ozama on Calle Las Damas. She gets to go to the bathroom in front of one of the oldest forts in the new world and on the oldest street. She also likes to walk in the church yard at the Cathedral, the oldest in the new world and the Plazoleta de los Curas because it is usually quiet there.

So if you want to keep up on the Dominican Dog, Teli. Please check her blog, The Dominican Dog blog. Also if you want to adopt your own dog please consider a shelter dog. They are such a blessing and they need so much love and will give it as well. There are many shelters here in Dominican Republic. If you want to adopt a dog here send me an email and I can direct you to many of the places here in Santo Domingo.

How can you resist this face?

Dominican Wash Machine!

Well, I did it! I bought a Dominican wash machine. I never used a semiautomatic before…wash machine that is. For those of you who don’t know what this Dominican wash machine looks like…its plastic, light weight, has a place to wash on one side and the other side is a spinner to extract the water out of the clothes. I never saw anything like it in USA!

Getting this thing delivered to my house was not as bad as I thought it would be. Using the machine was another story indeed, it was much worse than I ever could have imagined. Lucky for me the instructions were in English or I may still be trying to interpret them. I had so many dirty clothes I couldn’t wait to use my new machine.

I proceeded to unpack this fine, what I thought would be, a great and helpful purchase. Since my place was so small I figured I’d just slide it over to the sink to fill and drain it from there. I slid that baby right over to the sink. It was very light. I pulled out the hose, attached it to the back of the machine then went to hook it onto the spigot. Dumb thing didn’t fit. Now I had to think for a minute and come up with a new plan. Ah Ha! I attached the garden hose to the outside facet and drug it into the house, stuck it in the machine and commenced filling my fine plastic dream machine.

As I stood back, content, waiting for it to fill, the hose got a life of its own. It flipped right out of the tank. I was right on it! I got the floor a little wet. But hey! No Problema! The floor needed a washing anyhow. I put that wild, whipping hose right back in the tank. I wasn’t going to let it get the best of me.

With the tank filled and the soiled clothes agitating wildly in the tank, I was content. All seemed to be going well. The soap was bubbling nicely. The clothes were going to be happy clothes for being washed properly once again.

The first cycle complete I get the supplied drain hose ready so it can do its job. The hose is connected to the bottom of the machine without problems. Then I put that expandable hose in the sink. This made me have to face the next problem. Water doesn’t flow up hill. Imagine that! I always thought I was pretty smart but at that moment I knew it was not so. I set the hose down on the floor to think of what to do and to my surprise all the water started running out onto the floor. Now I was feeling really feeling stupid as the soapy water was flowing, quite rapidly I must say, out onto the floor! It took me a few seconds to think of what to do. Then it came to me, run outside and shut the water off, big dummy!

You could never imagine how much water can drain out of a hose in a few seconds! I had a small pool in my home by this time. I got my trusty bucket, that because of some strange enlightment I had the brains to buy. I put the hose inside. The bucket filled up faster than I had anticipated. I had to think fast, how to empty it, hold the hose up, and get it back into position without adding to the flooded floor. Well, let me say, I didn’t succeed in my attempt. The small pool was growing rapidly and becoming quite a large pool rapidly. As I lifted the bucket to the sink the water would spill out on the floor. I decided it was futile and just let the water flow onto the floor as it desired. Maybe this is why I see the Dominican women sweeping water out of their houses into the street all the time.

Now the water was emptied from the tank. I got out the directions and read again. They said to remove the clothes from the big tank and put them in the smaller tank. This is the water extractor or centrificar (I think that is how to spell it). I turned it on and it was spinning fast. Then water started pouring out of the machine onto the floor again. So that is what the spinny thing did. It removed the excess water. It did make the clothes quite dry. I was impressed. Much dryer than the hand wringing they were used to receiving. I was really gaining some intellegence this day for sure.

The first load was done.I made clothes clean and created a pond all at the same time. I was doing great! I swept some of the water out the door and I was ready to give it another try. Now that I was a seasoned pro and had the technique down I was ready. I had this thing all figured out, I thought. I decided not to sweep out anymore water just incase it happened again. I had to save my strength just in case there were any more mishaps.

I got the hose in the machine went out to turn on the water. The hose popped out again, but oh well, the floor was already a pond! The machine did its job again and as before it was my turn. The drain hose popped off again.

This time the neighbor was walking by my open door. She saw me on my knees in the flooded kitchen with water shooting out of the machine. I was laughing out loud to myself. She stopped and had a look of shock and amazement blended together on her face. I’m sure she was thinking what is that crazy Gringa doing. She said something, I have no clue what it was because it was all Spanish to me. She started laughing also. Then, of course, she went and got two other people to come see the Americana kneeling in a pool of bubbly water in the middle of her kitchen. They were laughing at me. I was laughing at me. Everybody laughed!

What was Sniffy doing? She heard the laughter and she always loved a good laugh. Her tail would wag and she’d get in what we called her horse shoe position. Her back end curving around almost touching her face. She really had no clue what was going on but she wanted to be involved. She came out of the back of the apartment, stopped at the edge of the pool looking very confused yet happy (she did smile). I don’t know how she knew it was the edge of the pond when she was blind. Many times she amazed me, She then decided to enter the water, slipped and fell right in. My poor blind wonder dog Sniffy. Now there is a wet dog and a wet human. People laughing at us from outside the door, and water everywhere. What a site it was.

I was feeling good. I had my first load of wash done. It was hanging on the line on the roof happily soaking up the sun and swaying in the gentile Caribbean breeze. I had a good laugh. Entertained the neighbors. Sniffy and I both had a swim in our own little pool. Sniffy got a bath since she was wet already. The water was swept out of the house, floor and patio clean.

I called the Colmado to bring me a few beers. I had to sit back and reflect on my new experience. I was proud and content. My first Dominican laundry experience and I survived. I just never realized how much water a little plastic wash machine held! I hope this doesn’t happen every time I wash or I’m going back to hand washing…it takes less time

Copyright © 2002

They both arrived in separate cars because of all the stuff I had. Good thing, it would have never fit in one car. Of course Uncle Juan had to reprimand me for being s stupid moving to DR when most Dominicans want out. But then he knew me well enough by then that I had a hard head and would do as I wished anyhow.

We got all loaded up and Carlos had the back seat all covered, don’t want to mess up his fine leather seats!. We were on our way to a big adventure.

They made arrangements for me to stay with an Aunt because she had dogs and would be OK with it. Of course first we had to stop and get a Presidente beer. Sniffys first time in a Colmado. She was right at home.

We arrived at the Aunts home and first thing she wanted to tie my baby out back with her dogs. Sniffy would never go for that. She would howl all the time she was chained up. She has never really been tied outside. She’s part of the family. Where I am she is. We discussed it for a while (which I have since learned that this is the Dominican way also, everything that one does or plans to do has to be discussed, “what if this happens”, or “maybe this might happen”, instead of just doing it and moving on. I kept telling them that I could not stay there if Sniffy had to stay outside.

So after it was dark outside, and we were still sitting there discussing where I was going to sleep, I finally got out the number for the hotel I always stayed in. I finally got them to let me use the phone after more discussion that the hotel probably wouldn’t let a dog stay there. I say just call the place and ask. Carlos decided he’d call because my Spanish wasn’t good.

The girl in the hotel remembered me and she asked the boss if I could have my dog, since it never came up before. She came back and said it was OK I just had to stay in a room in the back. Thank God for Apart Hotel Millenium! And also that I do work hard making myself be a memorable person..LOL!

Sniffy was right at home in the place. We went to the cafe and had a late night snack. Then we walked to the Colmado to say hi to some friends. Of Course drank some beer with them. Went back to the hotel, we both got our shower and went to sleep. She on her pillow and I on mine. Not sure if the hotel knew she slept in the bed too! But she is cleaner than a lot of humans I know!

We woke in the morning to Carlos calling to see if all was OK and he couldn’t take me around to look for apartments. So I started making phone calls to people I knew with cars, made arrangements to meet, got my paper and was off to look for a place for me and Sniffy to call home.

When I went to visit Sniffy the first time. I was so afraid. She was laying on the patio. Not moving. I came onto the patio she heard me. She tried to get up. I bent down and she started kissing me. Her head didn’t move much but her tongue was very active! I was so happy. Juan Antonio took pictures. I cannot post them because I do not have them here, they are in Dominican Republic.

Another thing , the veterinarian, he was so good to me. Even though I was American, and supposedly had lots of money. He knew I didn’t have much and he saw how much I loved my dog. He only charged me $600 pesos for a 3 day stay including the medicine! That was unreal. That was maybe $25 US Dollars. Unreal.

OK..back to the present. Gotta go to the Doctors. My hospital visit the other day didn’t seem to work. Something doesn’t seem right so off to the doc. Just my luck!

PAST:
My first New Year in DR was going to be great. My friend Juan Antonio came and took Sniffy and I to his home in Bani. We were going to go to the beach relax. Since I don’t have my journal with me I’ll try and remember the events as they happened but I’m sure I’ll mess up on the time line a bit, sorry.

The day before New Year’s Eve Juan Antonio came and picked Sniffy and I up in his Guagua. Sniffy loved it because she had not ridden in a car since we arrived in DR. She loved riding in cars. When I went anywhere she went with.

We went to Juans home in Bani, beautiful place. Sniffy was, of course, afraid of his cat. But she made herself right at home. She never thought of herself as a dog. She was 100% human in her mind.

Juan was going to take us to the playa for the day. So we got all organized and hopped into the Guagua. We were half way there and we got a flat tire. He was fixing it and I was hanging with Sniffy on the side of the road.

There was a house across the street. She spotted a dog and wanted to go and take a sniff. I told her she could go and she was so happy. There was no traffic in the road so she crossed the road all happy. She and the other dog spent a few minutes sniffing and she had enough.

She was crossing the road all smiles (yes, she did smile) when this jeepeta(SUV) came over the crest of the hill, moving fast. It never even slowed down or swerved. Sniffy didn’t even see it coming. She went from a split second of being all happy to being hit with the truck. And there was nothing I could do. I was screaming for her to go faster. It all seemed to be in slow motion. Even by the time Juan got up to see what I was screaming Sniffy was down and had crawled under the Gua gua. The damn jeepeta didn’t even slow or stop!

I drug Sniffy out from under the van. She was covered in blood. One side of the face was hanging off and her eye was gone. The only place that had blood was her head. The jeepeta hit her dead center. It was high of the ground so it didn’t smash her. It hit her head then she was bashed into the pavement and she went under and out the back of the truck. Not one tire hit her! Even though she was hit God was with her. It was a miracle that not 1 tire touched her. She did not have 1 broken bone. It was her head.

The man from the house across the street came running with a bucket of water and I got my towel. We wrapped her head and I held her on my lap. She just laid there. I was trying not to cry cause I didn’t want to upset her. I was talking to her and telling her I loved her.

Juan finally got the tire changed. We got her and I into the back of the van, on my lap of course. She wasn’t moving much.

We got into town and started looking for a veterinarian. There were none open since it was holiday. We drove to 3 different vets and finally he remembered a vet that had an office in his home.

We went there and the vet was home! I got Sniffy into the house and laid her down. I was covered in blood. She wasn’t moving much. Her 1 eye was gone and the other was white and swollen about 3 times its size.

After the vet started looking at her I lost it. I was shaking and almost passed out a few times. That dog was my baby. I brought her with me to live in Dominican Republic. She was about 10 years old at this time. I got her from the Humane Society when she was between 1 and 2 years old. I gave her a breed because she didn’t have one, she was a Miniature Barrel Shepard. She was a bit fat, 13 inches tall and 60 pounds. Funny looking, her back side was a little higher than her front. I worked with her a lot to get her to be friendly, to get her to listen, even to get her to bark took time. After all the work I had me a best friend. She went on vacations with me. The policy was “love me, love my dog”. She went jet skiing and boating with my friends. Even when I received an invite Sniffy was included.

Anyhow…the vet kept her. He said he fed her chicken because he saw she was a special dog. We met up with the vet later that night at the park and bought him a few beers. The next day I went to visit her and called the vet about 4 times to check on her.

We went out that night to Juan Antonios families home to celebrate New Years Eve. I tried to join in, it wasn’t easy. I just couldn’t stop worrying about my baby and feeling guilty for being out and her being in the hospital.

More later….