Life After Mexico

by Carolyn Drummond-Hay

Straying down my Mexican memory lane to the moment in 2016 when I visited The Ranch and asked Syd which dogs had been there the longest. She pointed to a white blur, saying he's been here 5 years. Syd tried to interest me in other long term residents but I knew which one would go home with me, in spite of being called Smokey Joe!

His name changed first to Bebe which really reflected his barking skills. He is still a baby, even at the age of nearly 13.

We moved to the outskirts of Ajijic, then again further away into the Southern part of Mexico, With us was his companion Paloma, rescued from a non-paying guard dog job. Bebe and Paloma were now a team.

Paloma managed to enjoy every minute of her freed life until the age of 14. The week after her death Bebe and I packed up and made our escape back to north of the border to get away from the cojetes. On the way, we had a tire blow out near SLP, throwing our car around to face 4 lanes of oncoming traffic, on a bridge with no shoulder. Bebe remained his calm self, trusting me to resolve the issues before heading over the border the next day.

Bebe clearly missed Paloma as much as I did so we kept our collective ears open for the right addition. A neighbor had a friend who rescued a crated breeder and had no idea how to manage her. Once again Bebe had a partner, a mini Aussie Shepherd we call Walna. She is his best friend.

Bebe and I are aging but still active and Walna runs rings around us both. We miss Syd and Matt, but not the cojetes!