Paul and I both love animals. When we lived on 10 acres in Washington State we had a variety of animals.
We had chickens, of course. I even sold movable chicken houses that I imported from England for a while.
We had ducks on our pond.
We had rabbits.
We had birds – Pionus Maya and Amazon Tiko.
We had pygmy goats Lexus and Wrangler.
We had a miniature donkey, Sweet Pea.
We had various cats over the years.
But the most important animals to us have always been our dogs. Our first dog together was Lucy. She came from the shelter and has been with us nine years. She is mellow and gets along with anyone and everyone.
After Lucy, we got Angus. He was a scottish terrier, and like all terriers, he had personality to spare. He and Lucy were great pals. Unfortunately, he got lymphoma, and died after a year and a half of chemo.
But before Angus died, Henry joined our pack. He was a gift from my boss (too long a story to tell here), a schnauzer-poodle mix (a schnoodle) and came to us at about 10 weeks old. Lucy and Angus taught him the rules, and we were actually very glad we already had another dog when Angus passed away.
They had a lot of property to run around, critters to chase, deer to watch, and fresh garden peas and beans to eat! With so much property we wondered how they’d do when we moved to Mazatlán and had a city life instead of a country life.
We started working with them ahead of time so that they walked well on a leash. (Since we had so much property we hadn’t really walked them much.) We took them to city parks and tried to teach them to be relaxed with people walking all around them. It took a bit of time.
The drive down was no problem. We had read that driving is a nice way for dogs to move since their nature is that the pack migrates together.
They obviously love their walk every day. It’s important for them to get out and see the world, smell new smells, and have challenges each day. Now that they live in the city more people drop by to visit or come to the door so there are always new things happening.
We’ve got a good vet and groomer and are happy with the care they receive. We can buy their Frontline Plus a number of places, and I have compared the price to NOB and it is about the same. High quality dog food is not so easy to find here in Mazatlán, though.
The heat in the summer affects them just as it affects us. They are less active, lie on the cool tile, and enjoy ice cubes in their water dish. All in all, they are doing great. I think the only thing they don’t like is that there are fireworks for every occasion here. But you know what? They just want to be with Paul and me, and wherever we are, they are happy.
Brenda
February 8, 2009Boy, we could have some conversations about animals together. On our 10 acres we also had a miniature donkey, 2 miniature goats, 2 potbelly pigs, guinea hens, bantam roosters, horse, cow/calf, cats,and dogs. Good thing we didn’t get talking about all of those when we had coffee or we would still be there lol.
Steve Cotton
February 8, 2009Nancy — Thank you for the dog update. I have been wondering about them. I know that every dog reacts differently, but it helps to ease my mind about dragging Jiggs south. But I cannot leave him behind. He is getting to the point where he follows me from room to room. Maybe he senses a big move is in the making.
Larry
February 8, 2009Nancy – Check out Exceed dog food at Sam’s and read through the ingredients. It’s almost as good as the gourmet food our dogs got up north for about the same price. Not a bunch of preserviatives. And with less filler it means a lot less waste. Even from the 80 pound Lab. And not a hint of her allergies since she started eating it.
Larry Lambert
Mindy
February 8, 2009What a great post. I lived much more of a city life in San Francisco and Oregon, and have moved to Mexico to get more on the land. I have wanted to get chickens since I got here. (but then my 4 year old son eats about 4 eggs each day) I made the trip to Mexico with my very large cat and have inherited another. I cannot wait to see what pet we get next. (except the huge spiders my son brings in the house all the time!)
Jonna
February 8, 2009Love seeing all the animals but the miniature donkey is my favorite. I’ve wanted one of those for a long time, we see them at times driving through Mexico and always joke that we could just open the door of the RV and pull one inside.
CancunCanuck
February 9, 2009Awww, nice post, love the mini goats! I grew up on a farm, this post brought back some great memories. Been a looong time since I’ve lived in the great wide open, but I still love to have my animals around me!
islagringo
February 9, 2009I want to join you and Brenda for coffee! The tales we could tell. I miss having a dog(s!) in my life. Someday. Someday.
Nancy
February 9, 2009Brenda, we needed to save a topic for next time, I think. I look forward to hearing about your menagerie.
Steve, Dogs always know.
Larry, We have been buying the Exceed and our lab still has allergy problems with it. But it’s the best we’ve found.
Mindy, I love that you are growing vegies in Mexico. I wish somebody would do a P-patch project here, I’d be there in a heartbeat!
Jonna, Sweet Pea was as wonderful as you can imagine. She’s he haw every time we opened the back door, saying hello. She would even let the goats ride on her back! Here’s a link to a picture: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nandarpat/2539762009/in/set-72157605368114901/
Cancun, Yes, we need our critters, don’t we?
IslaGringo, Let’s make a date, I would love it.
Billie
February 10, 2009It is a know fact among dogs that if you are sitting on your people’s feet or curled up next to them, then you are safe from fireworks.