Sometime in early March, I took in a stray dog. His name is Tam Tam. For nights at a time, I saw him sleeping on the pavement lining the front of the stores right outside my mother's house. He was scrawny, ears riddled with dried pus. He had a putrid smell and lost almost all his fur to demodectic mange. Two-three nights in a row, I brought him food, which he ate like there's no tomorrow, until I couldn't take it anymore and took him in. This is Tam Tam on day one. This is him getting acquainted with Poochi Chow, the only other male dog in the house. The other four are females--a four-year-old matriarch and her one-year-old pups. They all take their cue after Poochi, so he had to "approve" Tam Tam first. This is Tammy boy healing. And these are the female doggies (Snowy Grace Chow, Kla'atu, Ewok, and Riley Grace Chow), stuffed full during a hot night. This is Tam Tam now, good as new, except for some scabby areas and stubborn patches of dry skin. Thankfully, what he had was readily treatable and only needed one house call from the vet. Tam Tam will have his own cage soon, which I'm sure will piss him off for three weeks. Four months from now, the females will go on heat together like clockwork, and I have yet to have Poochi neutered. So, it's going to be cage time for three weeks for the two male dogs, with walks in the afternoon and very early morning. We have nine dogs now, all of them askals (how we refer to Philippine native dogs and mongrels). Three (Kenyao, Little Girl, and Penny Pie) are in a house where my younger sister lives. Taken right off the streets of Cotabato City four/five years ago, Kenyao was a stray. She's going blind now but still in good shape, with hearing and mobility still sound. This is Kenyao, Snowy, and Little Girl. And this is Penny Pie. There's good, strong sun where I am. Have a peaceful Sunday!
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