But all that does not compare to the poverty I drive by on the streets every day...in a way you need to almost become numb to it, or else it will eat you alive from the inside out. It is so hard not to give money to the kids out working the street in the hot sun, or playing in traffic when they should be tucked into bed. But what really gets to me is the animals. I know some people might say its horrible to care so much about animals when humans are suffering just the same, but thats one of the reasons why I love Albert Schweitzer so much. He made it okay to care for all living things, "A man is ethical only when life, as such, is sacred to him, that of plants and animals as that of his fellow men, and when he devotes himself helpfully to all life that is in need of help". I guess what touches me most about animals is that they are so innocent, even more so than the children, who sadly have to lose their innocence very quickly. Animals, especially dogs, have been bred over tens of thousands of years to depend on humans and crave their love and attention. I wonder if dogs on the street are ever able to feel real contentment without the companionship of a human. And its not just the street dogs, its the cute little puppies in cages, being sold on the side of the road. I know most of those dogs won't be going to a good home. Dogs are something that a lot of the upper class in Nicaragua have, but I dont know why. Often times when I go to their houses the dogs are leashed or penned up in the backyard. They say they have to keep them tided up because they are too hyper and run and jump all over everything. But they just cant see that the dog is that way because it is tied up all day! It needs exercise, training and a lots of love and attention.
In my 3+ years here I have seen many cases of completely hopeless dogs and like I try and save birds that fall out of nests, I can't help but try to take care of the dogs and cats. There was this one dog next door a few years ago with puppies that we would feed every day, but I think it was too late and they all ended up dying from a disease. The puppies were shacky when they walked, like they had a neurological disorder.
The guards at Ivan's work have adopted a street dog there and called her Canela (Cinnamon). They were so excited when she became pregnant. Of course Ivan asked them, who is going to take care of all those puppies, you guys can barely feed Canela? I guess that is the common reaction here, to be happy when someone gets pregnant, even if they cannot support themselves. So Ivan is the one taking care of Canela now, buying her food so she can produce milk for her 7 puppies. Ivan has also taken up a collection in order to get Canela fixed as soon as she can leave her puppies and he is working on finding good homes to adopt the little guys as soon as they are ready. So hopefully that story has a happy ending.
We also have this dog at the end of our street. When I first saw her several months ago, I thought she was a good looking dog, looked more like a Boxer than a street dog. She had puppies and they were running around for awhile. Then we started to see this ghost of a dog walking around, the same dog, only skin and bones. It would break my heart just to look at her. I felt so bad looking away, but sometimes it was all I could do, because what could I really do? Well the other night Ivan and I saw her and decided to bring her out some food, since we have dog food now to feed Canela. Her body is thin and frail and her face so sad. Looking into her eyes made me cry. Tonight when Ivan went out to feed her he spoke to the people down the street that she supposedly "belongs to". They said she was old and had a disease. When Ivan asked how old, they said they didnt know...I am sure she is not only, just sick and very very thin. Ivan thinks they stole her, although I dont know why they would when they cant take care of her. But she is more than just a street dog because her ears are clipped, which leads me to believe that she is a pure bred and belonged to someone before. They said that she eventually killed her puppies, probably because it was wither their lives or hers, the more they nursed, the thinner she got. Ivan told them that he was going to take her in to get put down. It is so hard to "play god", but really is there a more humane option?
We also started feeding some cats in the neighborhood, well actually a cat and her two kittens. And it looks like the momma might be pregnant again. The kittens are cute, the calico one is really mean and doesnt let his sibling eat, so we have to feed her from another dish. I dont know if I should be happy he is so tough or sad that he is a bully.
Ivan found a kitten outside his office a few months ago. I was thinking about getting a pal for Luna, so I was happy that Ivan just found a kitten. She was young, eyes had just opened, but something was wrong with her eyes. We fed her some milk with a syringe and image her mom must have abandoned her because of the problems she was having with her eyes. The vet said she had a common cat disease which causes blindness and that she was in pain. He said it could be possible with a lot of treatment for her to survive, but she would be blind. We made the hard decision to put her down and shared some sad moments with the vet.
As I said, living here has its ups and downs. Its downs are usually when I let the reality of it all sink in. I much prefer the reality of my apartment, where little Luna is treated like a princess and she has no idea what a big bad world it is out there, and hopefully never will!
