Minnows Legacy
This is a story of a little starving puppy’s impact on a little island.
We befriended a starving puppy that had maybe a week to live when we were tourists visiting the island. Minnow was not a very good beggar, but she was about the most pathetic or should we say effective “looker” you have ever seen.
After feeding her Vienna Sausages for three days we decided if we did not do something she would soon be dead. Fortunately forMinnow, we had chosen to stay with Carlito at Carlito’s Sunrise Paradise on the beach side of the island. It may just be that Carlito has the biggest heart of anyone on the island. So, of course, we took advantage of that and “coerced” him into adopting little Minnow sight unseen. We promised to be good step parents from afar and participate financially in her care whenever it was needed.
When Carlito saw that Minnow was a female he was concerned about the very real possibility of many years and many new puppies to take care of. We agreed on the spot to either bring a veterinarian to the island to spay Minnow or take Minnow off the island to be spayed.
Long story short, that idea started us on the path to our first free spay, neuter, worm and mange treatment clinic in 2008. Which of course then led to the same in 2009, 10, 11, 12, 13 14, 15 and 2016. We also made donations of $3,200 to the school building fund, 30 bags of cement to finish the school floor when they ran short, volunteer days and over #250lbs of school supplies, baseball equipment and books donated to the kids. All of this came about because of a little starving puppy that would have been dead who was now named Minnow.
Oh yeah, one other thing, Minnow might be the best traveled dog ever that still lives on Little Corn. You see, Minnow got Mange, not the scabby kind just the kind that makes a dog lose its hair, in her case, ALL her hair. They called her the “purple” dog she was so sunburned .In an emergency dog rescue mission, we flew to Little Island from Colorado, took her on the panga, into a cab, onto an airplane and on to Granada where she was sequestered in a “spa” where she received mange treatment for the next three months. She then returned to the island in her now fur covered glory with the veterinarian volunteers when they came for our first clinic in 2008.
Thanks to Carlito’s generosity and kind heart, littleMinnow found a home and became the catalyst that has made Little Corn Island a respite in the sea of Central American mangy dog sadness. When you come, you will see the friendliest, healthiest domestic and non domestic dogs you may have ever seen in similar travels. All due to a little dog named Minnow.
Be sure to drop by Carlito’s Place for the best fried chicken on the island and a cold beer and introduce yourself to both Carlito and Minnow. Thank Carlito for his kind heart and give Minnow a pet, we think you will be glad you did.
We are sponsoring ongoing free clinics, if you feel so inclined to contribute, just let us know.
Minnow update: Minnow now lives with a loving family in San Fransisco. She has a great dog sister (Yin Yang) and is continuing to live an amazing life!