Journal Entry #1: My Quest
November 17, 2015
Dear Diary,
Today was a good day. It was day number 83 on my quest to get to the United States. I didn’t know what it was going to take, but I knew it was going to be tough. I mean, nothing worth having isn’t worth earning, right?! I spotted her early in the afternoon…she kept ordering margaritas at a local beach bar and then would stare off into the ocean like she was lonely and needed my love. I felt the size of her heart. I couldn’t be certain, but I knew my plan was to lay by her feet all day and then use my charming good looks to eventually make her feel like taking me home to the U.S. was the best idea. I thought maybe the tequila would help sway her decisions and get me off this Godforsaken beach where I have to fight for scraps of food. I mean, I need food…and love…and I was desperate.
Evening was approaching in my hometown of Puerto Vallarta, and I was beginning to think my plan wasn’t working. I was already accepting that this would be another night of trying to find scraps of food and maybe even fight with other homeless dogs for survival. Ugh…I couldn’t do that much longer. I ran down the beach and sat pondering, looking far off into the ocean. But I knew she was the angel that would save me…I found her and she needed me. I just knew it. So I didn’t give up. I wouldn’t leave her side again.
And then it happened.
She gave in. Soon I was following her down the cobblestone streets of old town Puerto Vallarta. We ended up at a place where some human inspected me and put some pointy things in my body. It wasn’t too bad so I just chilled and trusted her. And then I got put in some enclosure that I could see other dogs…but I’m not quite sure why we were all there and they all looked confused. But whatever, I’m not here to make friends and they are all yelling right now anyway…kind of annoying when I’m trying to write. Anyway, she made sure they fed me before she left, which was cool. But where exactly am I? I’m definitely not in the U.S. yet. What have I done? And where is she? I miss her already and hope she comes back soon.
Saludos,
Tito
Mommy’s Memoir
Entry #1: “LIFE IS SHORT AND THE WORLD IS WIDE.”
November 17, 2015
Dear Diary,
A lot of people ask how hard it was to get Tito back to the States. But really, it wasn’t as hard as everyone thinks! I took him to the vet in Mexico for all of his shots and paperwork for getting into the United States. I bought a kennel for him to ride in the cargo of the airplane, and just showed the airlines Tito’s paperwork. I also had to change airlines to Alaskan Airlines, which caters well to dog owners, but did cost me a pretty penny. And then I just braced myself for what I would have to deal with at the airport in the states, which turned out to be pretty much nothing. I just showed TSA my paperwork (in Spanish, haha) at my layover in Seattle and claimed I was coming back into the States with a live animal. And then, Tito was in The United States of America!
Tito’s original name that my friends and I came up with on the beach was “Sandobal,” respectively for his very large sandy man parts on the beach, ha! I changed it shortly after I got home because I wanted a shorter name and thought Tito fit him perfectly. He loves Tito, but every once in awhile when he’s a bad boy I yell “Tito Sandobal!” and he knows he’s in big trouble.
On another note, this trip to Mexico was a “breakup” trip for me. This was pretty common for me. When Sara goes through a breakup, Sara boards a plane to another country. I mean, what better way to move on from something in your life than to see how big and beautiful this world really is! Although this was just a quick trip nearby, it became one of the most memorable and life changing getaways for me ever.
Sara
