Watchdogs
We've had two mixed-breed dogs at our hotel for the past 5 years and we couldn't have asked for better guardians. We got them when they were barely a month old and Tom and Jerry are a mix of Alsacian (Sp?) shephard and Dominican whatever. They have kept us and our guests safe and in fact put two robbers off the hotel grounds several years ago. The last I saw of the two guys was them going over the back fence with a dog hanging on one's butt! I'll bet he couldn't sit for a while. They never came back and in fact got in a gun battle with police a week later near Rincon where one was killed. My point: even though these guys were evidently armed, they got the hell off the hotel grounds when the dogs went after them. The locals won't come on the grounds at ANY time unless we assure them the dogs are tied up.
Those of you that have visited with us know these dogs aren't viscious, but are in fact, quite friendly except to someone who doesn't belong on the property. They have a way of sensing this and rarely have ever bothered a hotel guest.
And a sad postscript to this: last week Tom was poisoned by a rat treated with tres pacitos from the rental house next door. The rat came over and into the restaurant where Tom was tied during the night and Tom killed and ate it. Tom died this past Saturday night despite a week of intense treatment by Dr. Enrique Cortes, the new vet in Las Terrenas. Those of you who live on the Samana peninsula might want to make a note of him. He is one of the best vet's I've dealt with and even has a x-ray machine (the only one on the peninsula) at his well equipped facility. I know he did his best to save the dog including having a blood sample rushed to Santo Domingo for analysis.
Nicole and I really miss Tom-Tom.