Puppy Love

Roly-poly, snuggle buns. Irresistible. Yet, it hasn’t been easy finding homes for the eight rescue puppies and their mom. My son and his girlfriend, Laura, took them in 10 weeks ago and have cared for them, fed them, cleaned up their poop, had them vaccinated and dewormed, and rescued several who fell into the pool.

                Laura and I took three of the puppies to the international school where I used to teach, invited by the Save the Strays Club in the high school. It was Spirit Week and we headed to the soccer field where the students were competing in games. As soon as some kids spotted the puppies, they rushed over to us. “Oh! Puppies!” They all wanted to pet, cuddle and snap photos of the puppies. “They’re looking for homes,” we told them. Their responses were all variations of:  “Oh, I wish I could, but we already have two dogs.” Or “My mom won’t let me.”

We walked to the other end of the field where there were some parents and teachers. More kids gathered around us and the puppies. A mom and a teacher showed interest, but nothing definite. After two hours in the hot sun and being passed around, the puppies looked as though they had enough. To reach our car, we had to walk the length of the school campus. We felt like two Pied Pipers, kids following us and the puppies, wanting to cuddle them.

Needless to say, the puppies fell into a deep sleep on the trip home, where their mommy dog was overjoyed to see them. We wondered: do dogs miss their puppies when they’re taken away?

This has been a country beleaguered by stray dogs. The congress just passed a badly-needed responsible pet owner law requiring owners to have a microchip implanted and leash their dogs while outside. The law also promotes educational programs promoting responsible pet ownership, but a change in mentality is a long way off.

In the park I often see posters with photos of lost neighborhood dogs with pleas to call the distraught owner’s phone number. Over a dozen websites exist here in the city to attempt to meet the needs of lost dogs and strays.

Caring for the puppies and their mom has been a time-consuming job for my son and Laura, but the satisfactions are have been great. The puppies follow them everywhere, wanting to be cuddled and offer love and loyalty in return.

But it’s time for each of them to go to a loving home.