In TCI there are a lot of stray/feral dogs. They are called "potcakes," and they are their own special breed of mutt. We see them all over the island, and there are four who hang out by the center and walk with us through town (which can sometimes be a problem, because they try to protect us from everyone we see!). Obviously the stray dogs lead to stray puppies, who either just grow up in the "wild" or are taken to a shelter and adopted by families outside of TCI.
On Saturday night one of the girls on my trip found a puppy. She came home and told us all about it, but we all figured no one would ever see it again. A couple people went back the next morning to look for her, and she was still there! They asked around, and determined no one owned her. After playing with her for about an hour, she "followed them home" (or at least, that's the story we told the center director!). Christened "Nugget," the 6-8 week old puppy took up residence outside our front gate, with the strict rule that she would not be allowed inside. Here she is:
Unsurprisingly, we all started spending all of our time on the front steps so we could play with Nugget. Because she is the cutest puppy I have ever seen in my life. We gave her a big cardboard box with a towel inside, some water, and some dinner, and then left her outside for the night. Where she promptly howled and cried, keeping everyone awake and eventually escaping her box and sneaking inside. Did I mention that potcakes are wicked smart?
It was determined that we could move her box inside the center, since she's so little and the other dogs were harassing her. So we gave her a bath (which she HATED) and brought her inside. We knew we couldn't keep her, due to center rules and the fact that no one is around consistently enough to actually take care of a puppy, so one of the staff contacted Potcake Place, a potcake adoption center on Provo. So we'll send her to Provo where she'll get all her shots, and then she'll stay there a month until she's old enough to be adopted.
After a long Facebook campaign, it was determined that my family actually already HAS a dog and a cat, and we could not take in a stray potcake. Luckily, one of the other girls on the program sent the info to her parents, since they were already looking for a new dog. They Skyped last night (Nugget was present as well, obviously), and they said yes! So Nuggs is going to live a wonderful life in upstate New York, and we are all so happy!
Nugget will have to leave us tomorrow, and the center will seem very lonely without a small puppy running around our feet and sleeping in hammocks with us all the time. But she's going to get nice and healthy, and have a much better life than she would have here. We'll miss you Nuggs!
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