Swindled by a Stray
The dog that would put an honor student to shame
Years ago, I took a trip to Belize. I was backpacking for two weeks and insisted on avoiding the more heavily touristed routes. My faithful Lonely Planet book as my guide, I found myself on a bus to San Ignacio to swim in some caves and ride horses in the rainforest.
On my dusty, cramped, and hot bus ride to the village from the city, I noticed that I was the only white woman present. I felt a few things, but “small” was at the top of the list. The bus rolled and bumped itself to the village center, screeching to a halt and shrouding the village in diesel fumes and dust.
I disembarked and sat on a bench to gather my bearings and look over my map to find my hostel. From behind, a dog sat at my side and politely nudged my leg. She looked into my eyes like she’d been expecting me all along. The dog wore no collar, looked a bit thin, and let me pet her like she was my own. I pulled out some bread I had packed from the city that morning and shared it with her. She followed me to the hostel and I gave her a cookie as I said goodnight to her.
The next morning, she was at my hostel door waiting for me with the sweetest wiggle and wag. She followed me to breakfast, and then to the local convenience store so I could purchase her some proper dog food. I’d go do my activities for the day, and she would be waiting for me when I returned, and again in the morning, for four days.
On my last day in San Ignacio, I slowly walked to the bus stop with my canine friend, heart broken to leave her behind. We sat beside each other on the curb and I pet her with tears in my eyes. The bus rolled in on what seemed like square wheels and heaved itself to a stop in the village center. Curiously, the dog left me to stand at the door of the bus, watching intently.
Local after local walked past her, but then a white woman with blonde hair came out of the bus and the dog popped into action. She wagged her tail like she was reunited with a long lost friend. I watched in amazement, perhaps this dog knew this woman? The woman was surprised, and sat down to pull a treat from her bag to give the dog, as she pet her and talked kindly to her.
Intrigued, I approached the woman to ask if she knew the dog, to which she said no, she was just arriving to this town for the first time. She then asked if I knew the dog, who was completely enamored with her new friend and by now had forgotten me altogether. I giggled and said no, but that she was very cute.
I was not about to blow this dog’s cover.
The bus honked the last call to board, and I snagged a seat in the back row. As we pulled away, I watched the dog following the woman with her puppy eyes and sweetly wagging tail, knowing she’d be well fed for the next few days.
