Transitions

Looking back on 2018, I am happy and grateful for the adventures and obstacles that we experienced."Grace a Dios"(as our Tico neighbors say), the obstacles were minor and nothing insurmountable.This first year was full of interesting, learning experiences that help us grow into our wonderful life. Integral to our happiness was the life energy of Salty.

His puppy exuberance and naughtiness was always a source of laughter and occasional frustration. We learned not to leave anything of chewable value within "Salty reach," On the morning of the last day of 2018, I let Salty out of the door around 6 am as was our habit. I hoped, after he did his "business" that he'd stick around the property. Lately, he'd go up to his sisters and play with them for a bit. His sisters and mother (his hunting pack) were on "lock down." Instead he'd amuse himself and sniff around the forest on his own. As an 8 month old male, his testosterone was really kicking in and we had plans to have him neutered this week. Over the months, we tried to keep him restrained. He was like Houdini in his success in escaping from his collar. His blood hound instinct prompted him to take tours of the jungle forest alone that led him further away and deeper into places where the wild critters live.

Around 7 am, we could hear his baying off in the distance. The baying turned to yelps of distress and quickly to screams of terror. I prayed that it wasn't Salty. Around 10 minutes later, we heard his yelp from downstairs. M went down to find him sitting on the terrace in a pool of blood. There were deep slashes on his neck and near his heart and many other cuts. Our neighbor Jorge is very experienced in tending to wounded dogs and he triaged Salty. While cleaning his wounds with an iodine solution, Jorge determined that none of the wounds had severed veins. Salty was shaking and probably in shock. Each time that Jorge moved him around, Salty yelped in pain.

M and I decided to take him to a vet and Jorge has a friend who is a kind and good vet in Paso Canoas. The ride into Paso is about 50 minutes long and partly on very bumpy dirt roads. I tried to hold him to brace against the jostling. However, it was an additional painful experience for Salty. Dr. German is gentle and uses alternative therapies like acupuncture instead of drugs for anesthetic. He closed up all of Salty's wounds with 42 stitches. He said that one of the punctures came within millimeters of Salty's heart. Salty was semi unconscious when we loaded him in the back of the 4WD. Dr. German saying that Salty would be out for a couple of hours.

Salty lay on his bed all afternoon making a few yelps. By midnight, he still hadn't budged. M slept beside him and stroked his head when he cried out in pain. In the early morning, I tried to drip some water into his mouth. When he finally did get up, his body was wracked in pain, he collapsed and stopped breathing. M and I sat there, not quite believing. We gently pushed his chest in hopes of reviving him. Within a few minutes, our incomprehension recognized the reality.

With the sun cresting the tops of the trees and the heat of the day rising, we had the hard task of placing our little buddy into the ground. We decided on a little knoll just above the banana grove. While we were digging, a beautiful butterfly landed on the tip of my shovel. We believe it was Salty's spirit telling us that he was happy and free to roam.

Life in the jungle can be unforgiving. Salty was a bright and bold dog that lived the life of his breeding. He stayed with us for a little while and we are grateful.