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New Year, New Cat, New Dog

Happy 2016
 

In November of 2015 we lost our two faithful canine companions - Girl and Tiny.  Girl had survived two furloughs without and the loss of two other dogs who had been her pals.   Both from doggie diseases for which there is no real cure or treatment in our part of Brazil.  Tiny had made it through our year in the States in 2014 with flying colors and was in the prime of life at 3 years old.  Both contracted canine calazar which is transmitted by sand flies.  Both had to be put down as the disease has no real viable treatment except for very expensive shots that must be repeated frequently and dogs remain carriers.

Countess the Cat showed up around the time the two dogs were in their last days.  Neither dog cared much because of the weakening effect of the sickness.  One afternoon the cat just walked right in and the dogs just watched and slightly growled.  She stuck around and we decided to keep her.


Wishbone showed up not long after that.  She was a street dog that had been sleeping under the shade of cars on our road.  One day Byron gave her some water and she followed him around all day long after that - just like the lost puppy she was.

Convincing her to stick around has been a little rough after we invited her in because she fit under and through our front fence.  After we had been fairly sure she had no owner, Byron fixed the front fence and she has been "in" and happy ever since.  She's very timid and not super active but she's content and learning our language.

She's already learned to "sit" and we are working on other basic skills.  


I never wanted a cat in Brazil.  There are many strays and I wasn't sure how we could ever keep a cat "in." We had the cat neutered right away and she stays right in our yard most of the day and never roams very far.  We also didn't want to add to the already overflowing population of strays with kittens.

Doggie Woggie is now fenced in with no route of escape so we won't worry about neutering her to the time being as money is low right now and she's safe.  We just wish she was a little more aggressive and would chase the bad cats out of the yard - not the orange cat - just all the others!

With our new pets we enter a new year.  Not sure what it will hold for us.  But God does.  I think He sent the new cat and dog and I know He will show us what and where and when for the days to come.


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