A Lonely Dog

I was beginning to get disenchanted with this tour. We didn't spend enough time with the birds, and we were left with way too much time at the mercies of merchants hawking all manner of jewelry, clothing, and toys. Here at the beach, the merchants were everywhere. It didn't help that I was wearing new clothing and carrying a Princess-logo bag, which fairly-screamed 'rich American tourist'.

So, I trudged south along the beach, until I felt menaced by the ATVs roaring everywhere. Then I trudged north, until I reached the end of the beach, and crossed over the narrow jetty between the beach and the ship channel. That was fine, but I got nervous when I spotted a loose dog nearby. So I returned to the Molokay outdoor restaurant to wait for the half hour before we would leave.

At the restaurant, I noticed a small, tied-up dog (sort of a bichon frisee - white, with curly hair). The dog looked lonely, even despondent, and a bit dirty. The dog had spilled it's water dish, and the wet sand was matting its belly. Nevertheless, the dog began wagging its tail as I approached.

So, I started playing with the dog. The dog's sharp teeth and playful biting tendency revealed that it was young - maybe six months old.

It turned out that the dog had not been abandoned. Its owner was a man in his 50's, a cook hard-at-work in the restaurant, and well-within sight. The cook saw, and approved of, my playing with the dog. Indeed, when I tried to cut a stick from a plant in order to use that to play with the dog, the cook came over and offered his knife in the effort. The dog was named Nube (Cloud) and was five months old. Dogs that age need lots of attention and human interaction. The cook couldn't provide that attention 24/7, and didn't mind that I helped.

Great time! The simple things in life are the best. I think playing with this dog was the most-enjoyable experience of the entire Mexican trip.