Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Lonely hut





It occurred to me after a great visit with the Maryville College J-term crew, that I haven't updated many people about HENDRIX! Well, I am no longer the proud owner of that sassy puppy, the local vet is. After Hendrix gave birth to her 6 puppies she started getting VERY sick. She had worms I just couldn't get rid of. So the vet came by to check on her and basically told me that when I leave Zambia he would take her. That was a relief because I wanted to make sure she had a good home before I left or I wouldn't be able to let her go. She got better for a while. Then all the puppies left and she started acting different. The village told me that she just missed her babies (although by the sounds of her growls at them I'm sure she was happy for them to go). For two months she had company in the puppies while I was a way at school. She was lonely now. And that wasn't good for either one of us. I also started getting REALLY busy with work and Peace Corps activities and was never at home. That meant she didn't have me or the puppies to keep her company anymore. So I decided that instead of giving her way in April, it would be better to give her away in November before thanksgiving and our provincial meetings.

To say it was hard to give her away is an under statement. It was a three day process for many reasons 1) Hendrix is super smart and I swore knew what was happening. 2) The vet was not so smart and underestimated how feisty and stubborn my dog could be. 3) Motor bikes aren't very good at transporting a big, scared puppy. Day one- She jumped out of the box we put her in countless times. She tricked us into thinking she would stay but the vet got down the road and she jumped out and started running back to my hut. She bit her first person that day...ME! Day 2- We decided to take her in a car but no one could find fuel to take her to her new home. Day 3- Success! She rode in the back seat of the car and when we got to the vet, she was her normal barking self. The vet has her brother from the same litter, his name is Rainbow, so now she has someone to play with all day! I'm sure after she bossed Rainbow around for a while they became friends.
While I'm so happy that she's happy, my hut is lonelier then ever. I don't come home after a long day and have someone waiting for me. I don't have anyone to keep me company at night which is hands down the hardest, loudest, loneliest, longest part of any day. But I don't have to worry about her anymore which is nice. I am on my own time again and can do what I need and want without worrying what will happen to her while I am gone. I miss her a lot though. We said our last good bye in November because I'm afraid that if I visit her before I leave she would try to follow me. She was such a great (and sometimes stressful) addition to my service and I'm so glad I got to spend my first year and a half with her. She was a great dog for sure and everyone started comparing their love for me to by love for Hendirx. The village has learned how much Americans love their pets and now probably think we're even crazier after watching my interactions with Hendrix. The one good thing about giving the puppies away....three of them are in my village and I get to visit them or they visit me anytime they want!




one of Hendrix's puppies we named her skunky her new name is Tiger

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