5C's Que Pasa

Sunday we went over to Casa Flor to see our girl and her babies only to find that she was leaving and coming back at will.  We were bringing her some food, scrambled eggs with tiny bits of smoked salmon.  She was sitting outside of the gate and when she saw us she went crazy jumping all around us.  We let her inside the compound, no one else was there.  It appears that she was able to jump off the deck into the sand but had not yet figured out how to get back inside.  She ate my food very quickly and drank water once we had filled the containers ( they were empty ).  She then went up to see her babies.  Her ability to do stairs had improved.

I had forgotten my camera at Linda and Kevin’s the night prior.  However we did not have much time to take photos as it ended up being an active day.

We left her feeding the pups and went for our walk.  Shortly after getting back to the RV, Alberto, the waiter from the restaurant, came to tell us that the owner was actively trying to catch our girl and to take her away and kill her.  We begged him to please give us two days as it was the weekend and we would only be able to check with the shelters the next day which was Monday.  Could he please beg with his boss on our behalf.  So I went back to Casa Flor and finally someone was there.  I explained to them that Princess was in danger of being killed and to please keep her close.  She is a beach dog and scraps from the restaurant tables appeal to her.  I could tell that she was hungry yet again.  I noted that the kibble was not being eaten and the cans of fish I had left had not been opened.  Turns out that only one person in the complex had a can opener.  So we got a can of tuna opened and I mixed it with my finger ( don’t ask ) and put it down and she ate 3/4 of a large bowl.  Once we refilled her water dish I knew that she would not be going out again that evening.

Monday we had the RV tech coming to do work that we requested way back last August.  He was to arrive at 10AM.  At 11:30AM we got a text that the shelter ( which is no kill ) had only one space left and we had to get the dog there by 2PM or later in the day between 4 and 7 PM.   So we planned to pick up the Mom and her kids at 1PM.  The RV tech never arrived until 12:15.  We explained the situation and left him to do his thing.

So the pups were there ready to be loaded into the car but Princess was gone.  She had gone on a walkabout. It was too late  to try and find her and get to Mazatlan by 2PM, so we said we would see about doing this later in the afternoon.

Back at the RV we were about to be told that our inverter was on its last breathe. If it dies we would lose all power and there was no way to bypass the inverter. So we would lose all the food in our fridge and have no power at all.

Colin got on the phone to try and find a new circuit board.  Eric was going to check on it the next day.  It has been ordered but it is at least a 10 day process to get it through Mexican customs, etc.  Meanwhile we are supposed to be leaving on a road trip on Monday.  Should we stay to keep an eye on our power situation.  We have decided to have a fellow RVer come in twice per day to check if we still have power.  If the inverter totally dies than a battery booster will have to be attached to our batteries in order to provide some power to the RV.  So we will leave as planned.  At this point Eric decided to use his compressor and blow out the inverter in case dust was the cause of the problem.  Well something went wrong and the RV got full of dust!  Meanwhile the clock was ticking to get the dogs to the shelter.  Colin could not leave at this point.  We tried to get someone else to take them in, no go.  Now we were on the phone to someone in San Diego to be sure that the inverter part Colin had found was the correct one for our RV.  Back and forth.  To say that we were stressed was an understatement.  Finally we decided that Colin would go with Julie from Casa Flor to take the dogs in and he left at 5PM.  If we didn’t get them there by 7PM we might miss the only empty slot in the shelter.  I was to stay behind with Eric.  My heart sank when Colin left.  I was unable to say adios to my girl.

The puppies in the same bin that they had arrived in at Casa Flor. In the two days there I think they have gotten fatter.  Adios pups.

I was crying missing my girl so I headed out to the road behind the RV park as I knew Colin would have to come back this way before heading to Mazatlan.  He stopped and I opened the back door to hug her and say goodbye.  Her eyes were glazed and she was stressed. She did not appear to recognize me.  Colin later told me that she did not want to leave the balcony, her second home with the pups.  He had to carry her down the stairs and into the car.  I cried saying goodbye to her as I am crying now as I type this.

I got to watch the sunset but my heart was heavy.

Eric kept working. Here he is measuring something for the radiator.

My mind was on Colin and the dogs.

Colin had to carry Princess out of the car and into the shelter. She did walk in the cage to follow her babies.  She is sniffing the kibble in the cage.  She will never ever run free on the beach again and is destined to only have kibble as food.  If it were me I would feel that I was in jail.

The last photo Colin took as he left.  She was feeding her pups but she looks oh so very very sad.

Thank you for your kind comments.  The shelter is the same one that Colin and I had taken the things that had belonged to our girls last March.  Click here for that post.  It is a no kill shelter and they will keep her there for years if need be.  They do ask for a donation when you bring a dog in.  I was able to raise 2500 pesos/133.00USD/165.00CAD, including our own donation and those of RVers and friends within 2 days and that will be enough to spay Princess when the time is right for that.  Meanwhile all of them will be checked by a vet and treated as necessary including deworming and shots.  Princess will also receive calcium and vitamins.  When the pups are adopted the new owner must pay to have the puppy spayed.  The shelter takes the pup to a vet and the new owner picks the puppy up at the vet, so they will all be spayed at some point.

Thank you to Geno from Ohio for commenting for the first time.  I am unable to reply to each of your comments.  This is a difficult time for me.  I am torn but this is not the time for us to take on another dog.  We are still mourning our girls, it is time for us to after 20 years of dog ownership to spread our wings and to travel.

Hasta manana.

No idea what happened to Friday as there are no photos to document the day and the sunset was just a regular everyday type 😉   Great for most but ho hum for me.  Colin was supposed to follow Princess to her den but she took off ahead of her usual schedule.  Our plan was to feed her Saturday morning and then follow her.  However Julie who lives in a four plex/Casa Flor up the beach saw her first and fed her and then the dog decided to head back to the pups right away so Julie followed her.  We got a phone call about 9:30AM.  Puppies found.

When Julie found the dog earlier she had put a collar on her then came home and called us.  So we quickly got a few things together like a bin, a tarp and food, picked Julie up and headed to the area.  The dog came to me because of our bond so it was easy to leash her.

The den was half under a fallen tree and surrounded by tall weeds full of burrs.  The den was very small, she must have run out of time.  She had to lay on top of the pups to feed.  If you look closely you can see a few of them.

They still did not have their eyes open but they were big.

Julie moved them out one by one.

We thought that there were only five but we found one more at the back of the den.

Once the puppies were in the box, Mom went back into the den and moved as far away as she could from us.   She did not want to leave her home.  She would not come so Colin had to pull her out with force.

Then she refused to walk so Colin had to carry her to the car and then put her inside.  She closed her eyes and leaned her head on his shoulder.

I quickly got into the car to try and comfort her.  As you can see she was stressed.  The pups were in the blue bin behind her and they were whimpering.

Julie had agreed to let the pups stay at her place on the top floor on a balcony.  The RV park would not let me have them along with a loose beach dog.  Colin had to pick her up and carry her inside.  Once on the ground she would not walk so he carried her up to the second level.

We had thought to bring dog food and water dishes as well as a pork shank bone with some left over rice that had been donated for her.

It was the perfect method to calm her down and distract her from her surroundings.  The pups are just behind her.  We used the bin to cut the wind coming up from the beach.

So we have four girls and two boys.  Papa must have been a big guy.

After she ate she moved closer to her babies.

Just a few minutes later she stretched out and started to feed.  Note the towel under her head.  I am the most nurturing dog owner ever.  It was nice to see her have space to stretch out and to relax.

Once she her eyes began to close we left quietly so as to not upset her.

But somehow she knew we were leaving.  She did settle down again.

I would never have left her side but we had plans to visit friends at their new condo on the malecon.  Great view.

Not to mention the gorgeous sunset.

Oh and the handsome men.

It was the perfect way to de-stress from the day.

While Colin and Kevin played, us girls chatted in the other room just catching up on life.

Linda and I eventually moved into the music room where she joined in creating some great sounds.  Next time I will bring my maracas to play.  It was a great end to a long day.

We left the Isla early Thursday morning to meet long time friends for breakfast.  Best breakfast ever at Allegro Caffe in Mazatlan.  Great smoked salmon Eggs Benedict not to mention the best decaf brewed coffee I have ever had.

Interesting street art.

Bella is a well know artist in Canada and we both enjoyed this ‘wall’ art.

Colin liked how my blouse colors went with the background.

Anyone need to have their blood pressure checked?

Adios Bella and Carl. What a fun morning. See you soon.

After a few errands we were ready to head back, to the Isla. This pulmonia was running on a propane tank.

On the street repairs.

After we changed we headed to the beach. Not too far past RV2 we saw our girl following a lady walking her dog.  Turns out it was Allison, a blog reader whom I helped get a spot here for a week before they moved further south.  She said that the dog just appeared out of nowhere in about the same area we thought that she was disappearing off the beach.  After cuddles and some water she headed off to the restaurant to beg.  We kept walking and  replenished the kibble and added fresh water to the bucket at the far end of the beach.  We still have no idea if she is the one eating the kibble.  We can only hope

Peggy and her husband Robin had been here about a year longer than us.

A while back ago they moved to Maui from the US mainland but often came back to the Isla to visit for a few weeks most years.  Peggy was a true animal lover and above all she loved the Isla.

Her RV family here on the Isla were devastated to learn of her sudden and unexpected death this last fall.  Colin played soft background music at her beach front memorial.

Adios sweet Peggy.  “Your life was a blessing.  Your memory a treasure.  You are loved beyond words.  And missed beyond measure”.  Aloha!

Wednesday about 4PM we spotted our girl in the restaurant next to the RV Park just next to the memorial location.  I had brought our dog food and water with us to the celebration of life so we had it with us.  Princess was as happy to see us as we were her.  She ate quite a bit of kibble and drank a good deal of water.  She sat with us for a few minutes and after a final cuddle she headed back to the restaurant.  She is very independent.  A waiter come out shortly thereafter and asked about us caring for her.  He asked if we would take her back home with us.  He then proceeded to tell us a very sad story.

Just outside the restaurant.  The black dog belongs to the owner of the restaurant and is not emaciated but wanted to eat our food.

I think that his timing may be a bit off but he says that about a month ago two pregnant dogs were dropped off onto the beach.  He claimed that they looked like sisters.  The first dog had her pups in the restaurant.  There were eight of them.  The owner was most upset about this.  Meanwhile the waiter was trying to find someone to care for the babies and the mom.  Two days later he came to work to find that the restaurant owner had come in and put the eight babies in a plastic bag and put them and the mom in the back of his truck and dropped them off somewhere on the Isla in the middle of a field far away from everything.  An inhumane death sentence.  Sometimes that is how things are done here in Mexico 😥

Alberto, the waiter told us that when the owner was away, he allowed our girl to come in and beg at the tables.  She particularly loves chicken bones and tortillas and anything else she can get.  He actually knew her morning and afternoon schedule which has helped us to meet up with her.

So we knew that she had a good meal with us that afternoon and got some extra begging at the tables.

Our final site-ing of her Wednesday afternoon.

Fortunately we knew she had been well fed this day as the next day, Thursday, we were off to Mazatlan early in the morning.

The end of a long day.  A Princess ship heads out into the sunset.