Animal Kingdom

Dogs and cats rule the streets in Wewa.

Before living here I'd see the occasional stray cat or a random meandering dog, but since living here I've come to understand that animals have a freedom in Wewa that some animals may never know. Our first couple of months here it struck me as odd when I would see a cat or two sprawled out in the middle of a road without a care in the world, reluctantly tearing themselves away from the pavement as the car inched closer. Now, it is the new normal. On walks we encounter several dogs, some just taking a stroll, others more willing to charge us and check us out. Today on my way home from church I even saw a horse sauntering down the sidewalk. Of course, he did have a rider, but it is way more fun to picture a random horse trotting down the road. In fact, I'm not ruling it out for future sightings. Oh, and don't forget the bunny.

We have a friendly pit bull who I believe lives across the street. He's a pretty color gray and will have a rest in our yard from time to time. He's never bothered us and looks awfully endearing when standing at attention on the back of our neighbor's boat as he tows it to the river. However, I have reason to believe he is a thief, albeit a thief with a conscience.

One morning last week I had to run out for about 20 minutes. I threw on a sweatshirt and some pants and figured I would grab my flip flops that were sitting on the front porch by the door. I stepped outside, looked down, and stopped short. This is what I saw:
Notice anything missing?

My first thoughts turned to my neighbor next door. Maybe Matthew was playing a trick on me? I looked over at his house, then scanned the yard. I immediately had my answer. In the middle of the yard I saw a shape, a shape that resembled my flip flop. As I slowly walked out there to view the carnage, I replayed the events of the previous night.

The jingle of a collar. The growls and rumbles of a fight. Nothing to be seen in the darkness.

Now, I don't want to point any paws - oops - fingers, at anyone, but after seeing my shoe, you be the judge:

You might wonder what the big fuss is about. It's not much of a fuss, but I'll admit I love these flip flops. They're extremely comfortable, old, guys flip flops I bought at a Nike Outlet on a shopping trip with my sister and I really do like them and I will most certainly clean them up and wear them again. One might argue that I should have been more responsible and should have brought my shoes inside. I do believe my friend across the street had a mind to leave the shoe behind, but I have learned my lesson and I will be bringing my belongings inside at night.

The moral of the story - don't mess with animals in Wewa. Even if you haven't messed with them, they may mess with you, so its best to just take care of your stuff and leave them be.

Today I am thankful for women at church who make dinner after church, eliminating the need for me to do it.