Couldn’t resist this dog tale by Eileen Mitchell.
Laura Medanich and Cliff Chang’s plans to honeymoon in Turkey were thwarted after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. And so they traveled the farthest they could within a U.S. territory – Puerto Rico. That’s where their honeymoon took an unexpected turn after they encountered a street dog in ketchup.
A few days of overpriced hotel food were enough to drive us to the KFC across the street. After enjoying a greasy feast of extra-crispy chicken, we exited and were greeted by an adorable little pit bull-beagle mix hiding in adjacent bushes. She jumped up, licking us and begging for whatever we might throw her way.
She seemed hungry and had what looked like blood on her snout. It turned out to be ketchup from fast-food packages. But the many open abrasions on her body told us she had suffered abuse living on the streets. The ketchup just enhanced her already pathetic look.
We returned inside and asked the staff about her. They stated their intention to “get rid of this problem” who was bothering customers before the district manager arrived from the United States.
We purchased a bag of dog food and a bowl for water and left it behind the hedge where she lived. But once back at the hotel, I couldn’t stop thinking about the little stray and burst into tears. Cliff tried to persuade me that we couldn’t save every homeless dog we encountered, but I insisted that this one was different. We had to save her before she was euthanized. The trouble was that we were flying to another island early the next morning.
In Vieques, we mentioned the dog to our dive master. She said it sounded like a sato, Puerto Rican slang for the thousands of feral dogs that roam the cities. There is very little hope for them, she said. She herself had saved a sato and helped us consider how we might also do so. From that moment on, time scheduled for sunning, wining and dining was now spent on the phone, making appointments and working with the airlines and various government agencies to get this dog to her new home – our home.
Our trip back from Vieques was a nervous one indeed. Would the little stray still be there? Or would she have been seized by animal control and killed? After landing in Fajardo at 4 p.m., we raced to the KFC and found her still hiding in the bushes, food and water long gone. Cliff scooped up the 27-pound mutt, and we hurried to the vet before she closed at 5 p.m. An hour later, a thorough checkup and a few blood tests declared the little sato disease-free. Then we were asked what we’d like to name her. Recalling where we had first spotted our new dog, we agreed on Extra Crispy.
In her new home in Burlingame, Crispy was nervous at first but gradually grew comfortable with our friends and family. Today she loves cuddling with her new “human” baby sister, sleeps with us in bed and joins us on family vacations. We couldn’t have asked for a more loving and devoted dog.
My husband was almost right; we can’t save every stray we encounter. But we were able to save one, our beloved Crispy, and that’s good enough for us.
For the original report go to http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/07/26/DDL71KBQ5V.DTL#ixzz1TGuZOWsf
Nice story!
By: Sandra on July 27, 2011
at 8:03 am
Beautiful story of compassionate hearts and a Crispy that will fill them with love forever!! Best of wishes and thank you for saving a beautiful 4legged friend!
By: Nicole on July 27, 2011
at 11:14 pm
Moved me to tears, thanks for sharing it, wish we read stories like this everyday
By: ET on July 28, 2011
at 3:25 pm
You guys are a blessing not to a country but to the world. I will share the story… Hope that people can learn from it… Kisses to Crispy Blessings to all of you…
By: W.C. on July 29, 2011
at 12:57 pm
She is adorable, as much of thousand of satos we have on the Island. Sato is a slang for a mix dog that we can’t identify his breed. In Puerto Rico feral dogs are simply feral, not that I can say we have lots of them. We do have abandoned animals that once were part of a family and were just released on the streets because they think (and they are 98% right) that animal is going to be euthanized in a shelter. They believe that they can survive on the streets. Some of those animals are abused by other humans and therefore does not want to be close to one. But sadly most of them are very sociable. A stray dog can be a Sato (mixed breed) or a purebred. It is true that we can’t save them all but knowing that one of them is out of the streets is what we need to keep going. My blessings to you and “un abrazo” (big hug) to Crispy. A rescuer from Puerto Rico.
By: Maritza on July 29, 2011
at 9:08 pm
Many blessings to you both for the kind hearted people you are, I too cried tears of joy like the above reader. Lots of hugs to Crispy, the new baby & to you both. Thank you for sharing such a lovely story of compassion.
By: Elaine Vega de Mercado on August 5, 2011
at 2:54 pm
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at 7:05 pm
I am happy if more Satos find homes. Laura Medanich, Crispy’s mom.
By: laura on October 27, 2011
at 1:20 am
How sweet of you to write. You are my heroine.
By: lisaparavisini on October 27, 2011
at 1:22 am