Rescued Puppies

Half frozen, half starved, the two little puppies huddled together in the bottom of a canvas bag at the bottom of a dumpster.  It's in the middle of winter here, and they wouldn't have lasted long.  Thankfully, they were strong enough to keep whimpering, because the owner of a local gym heard them when she threw out her garbage.  She fished them out, cleaned them up, and took them to the vet. Here in Montevideo, there is almost always a vet within walking distance.  The vet figured they were only 4.5 weeks old, too young to be away from their mother but old enough to survive if cared for.

I had just told my friend we were looking for a guard dog/pet and didn't mind if it wasn't a pure breed.  That night the owner of the gym posted this photo of the dogs she found, and my friend forwarded it to me. 

rescued puppies

Mark and I thought about it, prayed about it, and went to see the dogs.  They were in a cardboard box at the gym, behind the receptionist's desk, huddled in some "lost and found" sweaters and sweat pants. Josh was with us and said he wanted the black and brown one.  But when I called later to commit to adopting the puppy, the black and brown one had already been promised to someone else.  

But, the little golden one was adorable, too.  We didn't give the kids an answer to the obvious question, and while they were in school, Mark and I went to pick her up.  Then we went by the school to pick up the youngest two kids.  Julia and Isaiah climbed in the backseat and were so surprised and happy to find a puppy curled up in a box waiting for them.  These kiddos have had to leave behind so much, and at times look so sad when remembering someone or something "back in the states."  It gave me deep joy to see their excitement at loving this little lost pup.  I think sometimes they feel lost, too.

Flechita's first day in her new home

The last few weeks of deworming the dumpster puppy has been well worth all the laughs at her antics and "awww"s over her cuteness.  Puppies are fun.  And that's coming from a cat lover.

As a family, we came up with a list of names and then voted.  The name "Flecha," pronounced "flay-cha," Spanish for "arrow," garnered more votes than names like Zoe and Canela.  Flechita is mostly house trained now and is almost done with her vaccinations.  It's been a great opportunity to expand my Spanish vocabulary at the vet, too.   Tonight while I have been typing this post, Isaiah fell asleep on the floor in front of the heater with his puppy.