As you may or may not know, I have had three dogs in Kazakhstan. First there was Oliver, later Shoshka and after I lost them I got the dog I own now, Ioo.
Oh, and the two puppies that are currently curled up in my lap asleep.
My neighbor kids have apparently decided that since I am the only human being they know crazy enough to live with a dog (ew dirty!), my home is now also a home for all things wiggly, furry and cute.
There of course is a problem with this (in case you haven’t grasped that yet). In Kazakhstan, land of the strays, puppies are pretty much constant fixtures. What’s worse is the abuse they take- kicks, rocks, even being thrown against walls and buildings. And of course they’re all thin, malnourished and dirty.
The bottom line is this: I can’t save them all.
Training, walking, feeding and giving attention to one dog is hard enough. Add in the fact that I’m traveling all over the place, and have to find someone in a dog-kicking-is-shcool culture to watch her, it’s really a bit of a headache. I do it, and gladly- I wouldn’t change a thing, but it’s still a difficult thing.
But here’s the deal. I take in these puppies for a night. I wash them up with anti-lice shampoo, I give them nutrient packed foods like meat and milk, and I give them a de-worming pill and a puppy vitamin. The next day they’ll go out with me on the way to school and I’ll leave them near the dump, where they will have the best chance of finding food.
I personally believe that the world will provide for me to the extent that I am willing to provide for others. I’s like the old proverb, ‘You get out what you put in.’
I wonder what sort of dividends puppies pay.
