Okay. Here is my dog story. This took place about 2 weeks ago.
My husband was in the US. I was here in the DR alone. The skies were darkening as I was getting ready to go to the 7 p.m. Mass. There was one thunder rumble just as I was opening the door to leave. The security guard had not yet arrived, so I decided to close all the doors and allow Caramba, my 8 month old boxer puppy to stay in the house with Nono and Cassie my 2 shih tzus. Cassie panics when there are storms. Two days ago she escaped twice under the gate trying to run away somewhere to safety.
I knew the security guard would arrive within minutes, so what could happen? (Faulty question.)
I made a bad decision.
I arrived at church, entered, and greeted all the old ladies. Just as I sat down, the thunder and lightening started up in full force. I considered leaving, but the old ladies would not understand, so instead, I wrote to a friend who said that he would go to the house and open the door for Caramba to be outside and check on the little dogs.
During the offertory, my phone vibrated. I looked. My friend wrote that he went to my house all is well. Caramba is outside.
Two minutes later, he wrote that Caramba had gone upstairs to escape. The door to my balcony was open. She jumped off the balcony onto the roof and jumped off the roof to the ground.
I thought he was joking with me, so I just sent an image of a shocked face, put the phone away, and directed my concentration on the Mass.
When I arrived home after the Mass, Caramba ran to greet me. The security guard indicated that yes, she DID jump off the roof, but she was okay.
Boxer pups are crazy. (I tried to see the event on my security camera, but the security guard insists that the lights around the house must be off at night so he can see.......thus, the camera was useless. It showed nothing.)
As Caramba followed me into the garage, I notice that she left a trail of blood - not drops of blood - a trail!
She followed me into the house, prancing around, covering my floor with blood. The security guard could not help me. He can barely speak English and panics at the least little thing. I don't know what he would do if we had an intruder.
So I called my friend the priest, Padre Benito. He said that he was on his way to pick up Padre Francisco to drive him somewhere, but he would take a minute and stop.
By now, my house looked like a murder scene.
Padre arrived, said that we needed to look where the blood is coming from. Asked if I am sure that it is not coming from "there," pointing to her behind. Nooooooo, I replied.
He said that we must lift her onto a higher surface and pointed to my new custom made mahogany table. I said let me first get a towel, please.
By now, my friend who originally came, returned to help. Caramba is big and was panicked. Padre alone could not manage her or keep her still to examine her.
We discovered that Caramba was bleeding from near her elbow on one leg. I had no bandages or gauze, so my friend drove down to the Jamao public hospital and came back with 4 gauze packets and tape. (I guess the free service applies to dogs, too.)
They wrapped the wound, cleaned up the floor and left.
The wound continued bleeding through the bandage, but by now, Caramba was exhausted and just letting the leg bleed.
The two other dogs were sleeping by the couch, so I considered allowing Caramba to sleep inside the house, not bother the other dogs, and sleep for the night on the sofa.
Then I remembered that I had a pot of chicken soup on the stove that still needed noodles. I decided to finish up the soup, eat, and then sleep on the couch.
I went to the lazy Susan, but could not locate the noodles. Around and around I twirled the shelves.
Just then a HUGE rat ran out of the lazy Susan!!!!
I am 65 years old. I have lived on the water. I have lived primitively i Africa. I have lived in a simple Dominican house. I have lived in apartments. Never ever have I had a rat in my kitchen!
At that point, I lost my appetite. I took the soup off the stove and put it in the frig. Grabbed the little dogs and went upstairs. No way was I sleeping downstairs with a rat creeping around! I left Caramba lying in her blood. Climbed into bed and prayed that Caramba would not bleed to death overnight.
Woke next morning. Caramba was on my bedroom floor sleeping. Her wrapped wound is blood soaked, but I saw her belly moving up and down. At least she was alive.
The woman who cleans for me showed up early. She said that SHE would find the rat and kill it.
She went to the shed and got a shovel. Searched the house. Found the rat. Chased it around while I screamed. Finally, cornered it on the bottom edge of the sofa. We didn't know how to kill it at that point, so I got the insect spray and we unloaded an entire can on it. Sufficiently asphyxiated by the spray, she commenced to whap the rat with the shovel until we no longer saw movement. It was bagged.
Around 5 pm the Jamao vet showed up. This guy is really nice. But he is a vet for cows, not dogs. He said that Caramba needed stitches, but his needles were all cow-size. He wasn't sure whether to sedate her or not. Wasn't sure of the dosage. Tried to anesthesize the wound, but Caramba would not lie still. Finally, a little sedation and he managed 4 stitches, although the deep 3 inch wound needed many more.
We are using some cow spray that keeps the flies away and slowly the wound is healing.
And by the way, no more rats.
Lindsey
