Say hello to my little friend (and my big ones)

No shirt, no shoes, no problem (for my new friends anyway).  If they ran restaurants, the rules would be No Paws, No fur, No kibble...

My previous job came with several hats, most of which will likely never be worn by anyone else as the transition from being a paper driven workflow to an electronic driven workflow is in full swing.  The hat I wear now simply protects my large skull from the sun during walks...

Excellent walkers, very well behaved

Part of my new (temporary) job is to take care of Mr. Jeff's 4 wonderful K-9 family.  They range in ages from (in people years) 105 down to mid teenager.  All of them, except for the oldest are rescue dogs.  The term "rescue" dog takes on a whole new meaning here.  The value of dogs down here couldn't be more opposite than the value in the United States.  Being exposed to village life in Belize and darn near hundreds of different people, you realize that the concept of "dog food" is one difficult thing to try to explain about the good ole USA.

Here in Belize, dogs are more of an employee (a hired gun is more like it) than a pet.  These guys that I take care of are no different.  Let me introduce you to the fab 4.  To protect their identity, fictitious names will be used...

Meet Grady, she's over 15 years old and tough as nails.  She instills fear in humans by being an example of just how long God can make you live on this cursed planet.

What did you say sonny?

Grady is deaf and partially blind.  She spends her day walking around and licking my leg.  She's pretty darn spry for a 105 year old lady.  She's not shy at all when it comes to letting you know she's hungry.  She still has the juice to jump up on the couch and jack around from time to time.  I don't suggest you let her drive a car though...

Meet Grax, he's only about 6.  Grax was found on the sea starving to death (litterally) eating a dead catfish on the shore.  Mr. Jeff took in Grax and nursed him back to health but the long lasting effects of malnutrition are taking a tole on Grax's hips.

Hello?

I'm ready to take a walk

 He can take care of business, has a heck of a sniffer to alert the crew of upcoming intruders and I know that in a pinch, would lay down his life for his master.  Wonderful disposition about him, an extreme introvert but one on one a wonderful personality.

Meet Graham, big tough and furry.  When I first met Graham I wondered how a dog with such a thick coat can bear the heat of Belize.  With smarts, you can do just fine.  She loves to play and has a weird thing about her to be a number counter.  She reminds me of me when I would go into Walmart with 5 kids, you are constantly counting kids and when you come up short one or two, you go searching.  Mr. Jeff believes that she was bred here, but let go because she eats too much.  Graham was almost dead when he found her.  Believe me, she appreciates her life now and will lay hers down to protect it.

Don't make me get protective

My A/C works just fine

Graham is the brute force of the fab 4.  I have no doubt that she and Grax would do some serious damage to any intruder or assailant to Mr. Jeff, Amy or I.  And as I mentioned, if somebody comes up missing, she will come looking for you.  The first and second day that Mr. Jeff was gone was the most confusing for her.  She gets it now, but was constantly looking for him until recently.

Meet "the teenager".  We have lovingly referred to the speed master as "the teenager".  She's so much fun to have around, but just like the other two dogs, when it comes down to her "something's wrong sensor" going off, she's all about business.  She's been known to wake you up with low grunting and licking of the face.  She loves meal time and walks.

Very healthy, sneaky little gal at night

The teenager

The teenager was found by Mr. Jeff at the dump that is a couple miles away from our property.  Starving to death, Mr. Jeff made her a deal (since he was on his motorcycle) that if she would follow him home (over 4 miles away) he would nurse her back to health.  As I mentioned, Mr. Jeff is the definition of integrity and hard work.  The fruit of that labor can be seen in this black lab's wagging tail and wet sloppy licks to the face.  She bounced back and like the other 2 rescues, is extremely grateful for the life they now have and would be willing to lay theirs down to protect others.

Jackin' around

A nice reward for the morning walk

How to stay cool with a fur coat on

Shaken not stirred

 In the Bible Jesus teaches us in John Chapter 15:13 that "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."  It's been said that the dog is man's best friend.  When you run that truth through the subject scripture, it makes it easy to understand.  Make no mistake, I like the fab 4 and probably by the end I will want to take the teenager home with me.  Unfortunately, I would not lay my life down for these dogs who I know would lay theirs down for me.  We, as mankind, have been through several different dispensations of God's love toward us, all have ended in disaster.  We are in the last dispensation right now, the easiest one, the age of Grace.  All we have to do is acknowledge we need Jesus Christ and accept his free gift (a perfect sacrifice for your sins) and we have an eternity to thank Him... starting right now.