Pups. . .

OK, we are now down to one pup and her mother, as we found good homes for the other two.

Finding a good home isn't all that simple here, as most folks regard dogs (very, very few cats here) as work animals or something like that -- but definitely not pets. . . Si-si (the mother) was abandoned along with her three pups in March as the family was moving house and didn't want to take her and the newborns. (They did come back to see if any of the pups were males--they weren't--so they were all left to fend for themselves).

One of the pups, the big, burly black one, was adopted by Rolando, our night watchman. His daughters (ages 8 and 10) have fallen in love with "Osa" (that means bear in Spanish); and Jason, a good friend of ours who works for a great tour company, adopted the other with his new bride (practice for the future family). We now have one pooch left, and she is a kick. We are leaving to visit family soon, and the pup may not be here when we get back, as we are already pushing maximum density with pooches here at the hotel. However, she will be going to a good home, courtesy of the owners, if everything works out.

We are left with the runt, shown curling up to Bejuca. Bejuca isn't sure what to make of the little thing, but is generally tolerant of her.