The last time you saw me I was a wee little pup living in Maralal. Mama had to leave here for her job and I sure do remember that day. This big truck came to move all her things out of the house and then she hopped inside with me in a basket. Well. They wouldn't let her take me. She started crying like crazy and was dripping all over me. I started shaking cause I didn't know what was going on. Then she handed me to her friend Samantha that was moving into my old house and she drove away. I didn't eat for two days but then I got hungry so I started eating. I had been really sick for a couple of weeks with something Samantha and Mama called the trots. I remember a dish of food that I ate that tasted really nasty. But I was so hungry I ate it anyway and then I got better. Samantha told me it had medicine in it that day. When Father Jorge would feed all the puppies, my brother would hog all the food and bite me if I tried to eat. He was SO mean. So now that Samantha has adopted MaMa and me, we get better food and lots of it.
After two weeks, Samantha loaded me up in my basket in the middle of the night and told me we were going to my new home in Kabarnet and MAMA. What a loooooong trip. She said it would be 12 hours on matatu. That is the worst trip of my life!! So far any way cause I'm still a baby. Everybody touching me, wanting to hold me, hot, smelly and dirty. I got so nervous I peed myself in my basket. When we finally got there and I saw Mama walking down the road to me, I peed myself again but this time because I was so happy.
Our house here is very small and there are lots of hills everywhere. I'm whupped by the time we get home every day.
There are some other animals I NOW know are cows and I DO NOT like them. They are two girls and both are going to have babies. One next month and the other in September. They like to lay down right beside my gate so it is very hard for me to get around them when I am on my leash. They stare so hard at me with these black eyes, make a big noise and I know they would eat me if they could reach me. I usually crawl on my belly around them. (I said I'm getting braver! One day I will just bark at them when I get big.)
Then there are these chickens. Well I should say a mama and her baby chicks. Those baby chicks look so soft too. I really want to play with them. I tried one day. I never saw a chicken run so fast and FLY! That mama came after me and pecked me on my butt--she was sooooo fast. Boy was I scared. I ran home and definitely stay away from her. She has the nerve to trot her babies right thru my front yard every day just to see if I will come out and chase the babies. I didn't mention that I was smart too, right!
This is me in MY chair. Mama thinks it's hers but I manage to squeeze her out sometimes by acting like I dropped a bone behind the cushion. When she gets up to help me look, I stretch out into the whoooole chair. Yeah!
Everyday we walk to work. It takes about a half hour. Sometimes people who know Mama will stop and give us a ride. In a MATATU no less. After that 12 hour trip I never want to be in one of those again!!! EVER!! But like I said, I'm trying to be brave so we hop in.
I like the walk better cause I get to sniff, pee and poop along the way. I get to see who else has been on my path. From the smell of things, I eat way better than they do. There are three other BIG dogs that run around here and they are all afraid of little me. Hahahahaha! When they come near my house, I growl and chase them away. See. I can be brave. I have a really hard time with the trucks, cars and matatus though. Whenever one of them comes along, I pull on my leash like a wild dog trying to run away from a lion. I swear if Mama ever dropped that leash at that moment, she would find me in Nairobi! All that noise, nasty smoke coming out the back and horns blowing. Believe me. They NEVER have to worry about me getting out of their way.
We talk to everyone along the way, buy a paper on Tuesday and Thursday, sometimes Mama stops for a shoe shine or soda. Then we arrive at her work.
Mama forgot to take a picture of her office but it is very small with a desk and one chair. I usually lie on a towel behind her desk when I'm at work or walk around and check everything out. When people come to do business, I am very polite and don't bark or growl. If I think they might like dogs, I will go up and give a little sniff to check them out. Mama teaches everyone how to pet me. They usually laugh because I know you know dogs are not pets here. They all say I am so clean and smell so nice. I smile at that. Like Mama would have it any other way, duh.
We usually leave work around 1pm and stop at the butcher to get me some bones and Mama some dinner as she calls it. Then we stroll back through town talking to everybody, sometimes going to the supermarket or visit the dudes that drive the matatus. They all know me too and like petting me and taking pictures with me. We chat with the Mamas that sell peanuts and fruit, the policemen that are standing along the road writing tickets and sometimes plunk down for a rest at the furniture fundi that made our furniture. He has all his furniture out on the space in front of his shop so people can see it as they ride by. We pick a different chair each time and so far, none are as comfy as mine.
On the road again, walking just to the edge of town to our place. When we go through the gate at the top of the hill (Mama says that hill is a triple diamond--whatever that means) we usually stroll over to our view, plop down on a big rock and catch the breeze. My little legs are like noodles at this point and I like sniffing all the news in the breeze. This work stuff really wears you out!
