Puppy Love

Bill and I have temporarily adopted a little puppy that was half-starved and hanging out under the cabin that is being constructed. Per our caretaker, people dump dogs along the road quite often. This guy, or girl, is probably about two months old. It has had no socialization, so it doesn’t even know how to act like a puppy.



We’ve been feeding it regularly for five days now. It seems less wobbly and in much better shape to run away from everyone now. He is so shy, if you look directly at him; he will run under the other cabin. Get within 6 feet of it and it will run. It’s frustrating. Especially since we know that without any social skills, no one is going to want this dog after we take it to the shelter. Our plan is to have patience and give it some forced puppy love and socialization. We have so little time to do this since we’re leaving in exactly a month. Chances are we are probably only fattening it up to be boa constrictor food.


We did corner it in the cabin one time. Since it ran my direction, I grabbed it. It squealed like a pig as it nipped me. Lucky for me, there have only been two reported cases of rabies in Costa Rica in the last ten years, per Bill’s Internet research.

After I washed off my very small wound. Bill carried the frozen scared pup back to our cabin, where I made a bed in a box for it out on our balcony. Bill fed it the last of our chicken and it finally had enough courage to eat. Stuck in the box, at first the pup wouldn’t even look at me. Then the pup and I had an eyeball to eyeball showdown and talk before I walked away and it ran away.

I guess socialization comes in small steps. I’m happy to say that for the last two nights, the little guy has slept in the bed we made for him, but will only do so after we turn out the lights and go to bed. It has to make sure the evil humans are always at a safe distance.

This morning I found the pup still in the box when I woke up and we had another face-to-face talk before I allowed it to bolt under the other cabin. It’s getting a little bolder, but for now, this is definitely a one-sided relationship and Bill and I are the meal ticket.