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Connectional Ministries : Outreach : Amigas del Senor

A new dog, and continued water issues

By Prairie Cutting
Aug 27, 2008, 11:36

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1. A new dog

We have a new addition to the monastery: a dog! We have been talking about wanting one for at least a year and a half. They are good for announcing visitors and scaring away wild animals - like the one that has eaten our yuca - or potential predators of chickens, which we'd like to raise.

The last evening of Beth's retreat (read her update here), Wednesday, August 13, some neighbor boys came over to visit. They had a small brown and black dog on a string, and after we'd chatted and hung out for a little while, they said they wanted to sell him. I told them that we'd be interested, but I couldn't make the descision on my own, and Beth was keeping silence until the next day. They said they could come back then, but they wanted to leave the dog with us for the night. So we tied it to a post on the porch. The poor thing yowled and howled when the boys walked away. I tried to comfort it for a while by petting and scratching him, but throughout the night he had crying fits.

The next afternoon when the retreat was over, Beth and I finally talked about the dog. The boys wanted 300 Lempiras for it, which is a lot of money around here (about $16, or three days' wages). But, we had seen another puppy sold for that amount, and it seemed this was just the opportunity we'd been waiting for. So then the boys returned, we paid them, and became first-time dog owners.

The dog is between 5 and 12 months old (the boys weren't certain), and we're guessing it's toward the latter; another visitor thought so too. They said his name was Biónico (Bionic). We weren't too sure about that name, and since there is a tradition of changing one's name when entering a monastery, we started thinking of possibilities. We figured something religious would be good. Maybe an Old Testament warrior like Goliath or David, or an apostle like Pedro or Pablo. We wanted something that would be easy to say, but didn't like all the baggage that came with the biblical names... Then Beth had the idea of using a place-name from the Bible. I said, "How about Belén?" (That's Bethlehem in Spanish.) It rolls off the tongue and even starts with the same letter as his previous name. So we tried it out, and it stuck - he was coming when called within 24 hours.

Our first big test was Monday, when we had to go to town. Back in April, the same neighbors had given us a malnourished puppy, but when we return from Limón the first Monday, he had disappeared. So with Belén, we made sure he was tied up securely, and left food and water for him, as recommended by our Honduran friends. We also decided to work only briefly at the clinic, to be able to come home as early as possible. He howled as we left, but was happily waiting for us when we got back at noon.

For the first week, as recommended, we kept him tied up almost constantly, taking him out on a rope leash to go to the bathroom, and down to the creek with us. Several nights he had bouts of howling and whining. I was losing sleep from it, and didn't know what to do. Beth had put me in charge of Belén's training and care, as I have a little more experience with dogs than she (my dad got a dog when I was in high school). I found myself a bit anxious and stressed, trying to figure out what to do with him when he cried, or had other problems. One day when we went to the creek, I let him run loose, and he went off in the woods and didn't come back when I called. So we came back to the house without him, and I was overrun with guilt. However, after a few minutes, he came trotting back happily. That was a huge relief, and gave me a boost in confidence about his progress: he had already learned that this is home.

So, now we are letting him off-leash more often. Belén is generally well-behaved (he sleeps a lot on the porch), and has a friendly disposition, we just don't know how to play with him! Beth and I practice with "Come" once or twice a day and plan to start teaching him a few more commands as well. Some of the process is figuring out exactly what we want from him - what we want him to do (yes, bark to announce visitors, no, don't jump on us when we are having prayers...). We are using every resource we have, from our memories to a little dog training book in Spanish we got. Happily, Belén seems to be a fast learner.

Another challenge is feeding him. Everyone around here says they just feed their dogs tortillas, though dog food can be purchased (not cheaply); we bought some to use as training rewards. We are feeding Belén a lot of pinol (toasted-corn porridge), but he prefers the tortillas. He's not consistent in the amount he eats either, but it is close to what one of us eats at a meal - that means making significantly more food! And, of course, he gets the bones when we have chicken or fish on Mondays.

So there is much to learn - for the dog and for us - but I am truly grateful at how quickly he's coming along. It seems he is meant to be the monastery dog, after just two weeks.

2. Ongoing Water Issues

The saga of the water continues. The rains finally came in late June, and the tank began refilling. However, there were drips all around the base from the fire damage, and they kept getting worse. We figured we were losing gallons of water every day. Finally, at the beginning of August, we talked to Mateo about coming to repair it properly (he'd done a quick fix right after the fire). We had to empty out the tank for that, and to our surprise it was nearly full. We saved some water in our wash tubs and buckets. Mateo put a nice thick layer of cement inside and out, and when next it rained, we let the tank begin to fill up.

But we noticed that the water tasted horrible, and it had white particles and a slippery feel; we guessed it was cement residue. So one morning I went in there to wash it out as best I could, using some rainwater to rinse the walls and floor. We started collecting rainwater from the downspout in buckets, and used it around the house.

But that was almost three weeks ago, and we haven't had any rain since! So now we are hauling five gallons of water a day up from the creek, and of course, bathing and washing our clothes down there. And praying, once again for rain. The most amazing part is how it is no longer a source of anxiety: so, the tank is dry and we go to the creek every day - just part of the routine.

More recent photos here!

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Invitation to Amigas del Señor - Feb. 23, 2007

Amigas del Senor has new photo website

Lost my glasses...

A new dog, and continued water issues

Beth's retreat and Novice ceremony

Our children

Garden and sewing progress, home improvement

Agricultural Progress

Financial update Jan-Mar, 2008 and Beth's trip to USA -- June 16, 2008

Visit to Plan de Flores -- June 24, 2008

Prairie Looks at Postulancy -- May 28, 2008

On the Road -- May 30, 2008

Immunization Programs -- April 18, 2008

The Fire and Miracles -- April 18, 2008

Safe Arrival Home -- Mar. 20, 2008

Water, Garden and a Campesino Family -- Mar. 8

Financial Report for 2007 -- Feb. 22, 2008

Money, Notebooks and Pencils -- Feb. 22, 2008

The Long Trip Home -- Feb. 6, 2008