As I write this I am still in shock that we rescued a puppy – ‘Cinta’ who is now a special part of the family. I am in shock because I have been allergic to dogs and cats all my life and Liam is very scared of dogs. The kids have always known that they will never be able to have a pet dog or cat – sad I know! But living Bali makes us do strange things…..
So how did this happen?
Well, it started out a few days ago when we were driving to school and at the top of our gang we spotted a very cute puppy walking around lost and alone. Unfortunately this is common in Bali as there are many stray dogs.
For a couple more days we saw the same puppy wondering around but didn’t think to do anything.
Then on Saturday morning Trent said he was going to go up the street to buy some eggs for breakfast. Back with the eggs he said the same puppy was still there and she looked very sick. He asked some locals if she belonged to anyone and they said she is an orphan street dog. So before we had breakfast Trent is asking “Should I just bring her to the house and see if we can help her?”
How could I say no?
The next minute we are all giving her a bath and Trent and our lovely housekeeper are taking off SO many ticks from her tiny body – poor thing!
Next I am googling the nearest Vet and minutes later we are walking with her to a Vet about 10 minutes from home to desperately get her checked out. Liam and Demi were asking what will happen after she is examined and Trent and I just said ‘we will see’ knowing there was nowhere for her to go and we already realised we need to help and keep her.
Now I am filling out paperwork at the Vet (a foreign and uncomfortable place for me and Liam!) about the puppy and writing her ‘home’ details. The Vet doesn’t bat an eyelid about how we found her because it is an extremely common story for street dogs being rescued. She thinks she is about 2 months old but many people think even less than that.
At the Vet we are thinking up of names and Liam came up with Cinta (pronounced with a CH – Chinta) which means ‘love’ in Bahasa Indoensian. We instantly knew it was the right name!
Our Cinta is VERY cute! We are learning how to look after a puppy and how to train her. She loves lots of cuddles, playing ball and of course sleeping around our feet. Unfortunately she isn’t in the best health still so we are visiting the Vet and giving her some medicine.
So far my allergies are OK because I have been receiving desensitisation medication for many years and I am washing my hands after playing with her. Living in Bali in general has made my allergies go away for now. Liam enjoys playing with her but is still scared of dogs. Hopefully as she grows and jumps a little to play he will feel more comfortable around other dogs. Time will tell!
The Balinese who are Hindus believe in karma and say Cinta must have been good in her past life to have found a family to care for her.
We look forward to enjoying Cinta and seeing her grow big and strong. I am sure you will see her pop up in many photos in the future! OK I have already gone photo crazy as you can see below!
