Whatever works!
By Kathi Hamblet 

I recently met a woman who’d been thinking about adopting a dog but was afraid to go to the SPA in case someone tried to “guilt her” into taking one that wasn’t right for her. If that strategy worked, I would be the first person to blockade the shelter door and push the “guilt buttons” myself:

“How can you walk out when you have a home for a dog and here are 50 of the most needy and helpless of God’s creatures?” I would do it in a San Miguel second, if it worked.

Just think, we could walk through the Jardín and plunk a pup in everyone’s lap. They’d smell that sweet puppy breath as its little warm body scooched down for a snooze. “Of course, if she is sucking the sleeve of your favorite sweater, it’s only because she was just weaned.” “Well, yes, I think he might be part Saint Bernard, but by the time he gets bigger he will have learned to do his business in the field next to your house.”

If we stooped to such tricks, by the time Barnie’s breath changed from “fragrance de la puppy” to the aroma of dirty socks, he would be back at the shelter looking for a new home.

No, the SPA wants to find good, forever homes for our dogs: the right homes. So maybe it would work to reverse the whole process. Instead of finding the right dog for the person, maybe I should try to find for the right person for the dog.

Okay, here goes. This is the home that Osa wants. (She prefers to be called Osita but she would be flexible on that.) A house with some space to turn around in and a big yard would be great, but if her person liked to go for long walks, she would be happy with that. If her new people wanted to hang out on the sofa all day, she would get bored unless they found her a job. She’d be willing to be their guard dog, aware that when people see her size they take a step back. She can bark at stuff, too, but her short tail may be wagging—it almost never stops. She doesn’t need someone who wants a dog to sleep in the people bed—she’d like a bed of her own. Osita knows that jumping up can scare people, so she doesn’t do it—even with smaller people who get excited when they want her to chase a ball. She also wouldn’t mind some canine friends. Big or small, boys or girls, she is not fussy about her pals, but she has not met many cats, so she is not sure if she would be happy with litter boxes and catnip around the house.

Bandito wants a home with lots of toys, stuff to carry around and to chew on and pounce on. He would really like some other animals around to play with (he likes kittens best) but he doesn’t like those really small, smelly-pants people who don’t walk very well and try to poke his eyes and pinch him. That scares him. He wants one of those families who love to play, take him places and cuddle him. He is the smartest in his puppy class and already sits (mostly) for a treat, but he would love to learn lots more.

You may be the right home for Osita or Bandito, but of course they also must be the right pet for you, too. No guilt trips here and that’s a promise.

The SPA is located at Los Pinos 7, a right turn off Calzada de la Estación. Suggested donations for adoptions begin at 300 pesos, which includes sterilization and vaccinations. Visit www.spasanmiguel.org or call 152-6124 for more information.