Having puppies must be similar to having kids. Little sleep, lots of poop, lots of crying. The pups are getting bigger with each day that passes. Just two days ago, they were not able to climb down the stairs. Now, Nita and Gita are doing it with ease! Zara is a still a little timid. She's definitely the runt of the litter. I love them all! It's going to be hard to decide who to keep. So far, Nita is the front-runner. She's very mischievous; just like Sparky :-)

Gigi and I have a bunch of errands to run today. The slats on her bed are broken. Questionnaires need to be photocopied. Ferry tickets to Tobago need to be purchased. Puppy vaccinations need to be scheduled. Digicel phone needs to be borrowed from Avi. And the list continues...

Yay! Puppies are going to Dr. Adam for their shots tomorrow!


Me and the pups: Gita, Zara, and Nita

Gigi and I had a long, fun, and exhausting day. I started out my Sunday morning with my soon-to-be routine of putting the puppies out, feeding them, letting them play for a bit, then bringing them in so that Sparky can go out. We were out of the house before 7 to find an open gas station. The tank was near empty and the hiking destination was quite a distance away. How fortunate that the Santa Cruz gas station recently started opening at 6am! The meeting place for the hike was Maracas, and we waited there quite some time for people coming from POS to arrive. The hike didn't commence until after 10, I would say. It was a challenging hike because the previous day's rainfall. The ending spot was Avocat Waterfall. Pretty, but nothing close to Ithaca Falls.

Gigi and I were famished after having only a Luna bar and some cookies, so it was time for a bake and shark! We went to Patsy's Bake and Shark for a change. It was pretty good. We relaxed on the beach for a couple of hours, then headed back to Santa Cruz. A trip that would usually take about 20 minutes took 2 hours because a car went over the cliff on North Coast Road... yesterday. Of course someone thought it was a good idea to remove the car at a high-traffic hour. The poor puppies were locked up all day! They were fine and recovered from their 12-hour fast.

I'm off to UWI to do some writing and DNA extractions in a bit. I'm trying to decide when I should take the little flea bags (who I've named Nita, Gita, and Zara) to Dr. Adam. Maybe tomorrow.


Gigi's first sugar cane


Avocat Waterfall

Early start to my weekend. Around 7, I put the puppies in the cage and took them for a little nature hike to the strip of grass at the back of the house. They are so cute when they frolic! I'm trying to figure out the best way to house them. If I keep them in the pet crate, they're confined to a small area. If I let them roam on the porch, I have a lot more clean up to do. Right now, they are resting on my IKEA comforter as the sound of rain soothes them into slumber.

I wanted step up a fruit stand for the birds, but the rain will leave a soggy mess. I'll wait until a little later. I hope the weather clears up for some beach time!

It's Friday!! I'm so happy for the weekend. This week wasn't too hectic, but I'm still trying to recover from having four people in the house, not having water for almost two weeks, and now the addition of three puppies! Yup! I brought home three puppies that were dropped off at Waterloo Wednesday morning. Fecal flotation results showed that they have Toxocara canis and hookworms. I saw a bunch of long, skinny worms in their poop. Thanks to Annette and Cindy at the TTSPCA! I told Annette that I had puppies in need of deworming medication. She gave me enough for two treatments for all three pups, free of charge. I'm not sure what else the little flea bags have. Oh yeah, they have fleas :-) I have them quarantined from Sparky, who doesn't have fleas but has ticks. Sigh. Mom, bring me some Frontline when you visit!

Mom's visiting from Feb 19th to the 26th. I'm so excited to see her! I miss you, Mommy.

I'm getting an assistant! Sophie, Daniel's landlord's partner's daughter (Phew!) is coming to get some veterinary experience for at least six weeks. Sophie does not know how much I need her and how great the help will be!

I'm meeting Gigi and Kishi, a Fulbright scholar, for drinks. Adios, work week. Hello, weekend!

What should I name the pups? All three are female. I was thinking about Hindi names since I found them at the Temple in the Sea site.


Sweet Puppies

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I think I saw Giardia in a calf sample today!

I'm finally, but slowly, waking up from a series of naps today, and it's now 6:30pm! My body was begging for a day to relax. Sure, I've been spending a good amount of time doing fun things, but the sun and all of the driving are definitely exhausting.

I've been thinking about my plans for the work week. Tomorrow, I will finish processing the buffalypso and cow samples. Tuesday will likely be a writing day. Wednesday, I'm off to Couva and Waterloo to attend a farm waste management seminar and administer questionnaires, respectively. Thursday, maybe a farm? And Friday, TTSPCA!

There's the possibility of going to Grand Riviere this weekend. The area is home to the Piping Guan and other cool birds!

Sarrah, Sarah, and Erin left this morning. I hope they enjoyed their time in T&T!

Two of my friends thought to send me a link to this Youtube clip:

Thanks for the sympathy!

Gigi and I spent the morning catching up and cleaning the apartment. There is still no water (none through the pipes since two weeks ago and half a tank from when the water trucks came on Wednesday). So, we're going to Maracas after I dropped of a Yellow Caracara wing I picked up from Detta to the El Socorro Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. There's a good chance that we may have dinner with Jacob and Keisha (a Fulbright Fellow) tonight. My social life has surely picked up from 2010!

A very special thanks to my Mom's class at Howard T. Herber Middle School for their thoughts and lovely artwork. Check them out!









Gigi's first bake and shark!

A scorcher in T&T today! The sun was piping hot. Gigi got started on her Trini tan with her first beach trip. We went to Macqueripe Bay, my favorite beach in Trinidad. Speaking of piping, before beaching, we went to visit Detta Buch at the WORC, Wildlife Orphange and Rehabilitation Centre. I can check off one of my many goals for my time in T&T: seeing the Trinidad Piping Guan! Detta had one at her home that was shot three times and had the pellets still lodged in its body. She is missing her right eye, but is still in good condition. The Piping Guan isn't the most beautiful bird here, but it is a rare one. It's critically endangered due to habitat destruction and hunting. I'm so thankful to Detta for letting us see it. Her work is incredible and what an amazing spirit she has!

I'm resting up to see Jersey Shore later tonight. Sammy is supposedly making up with Snooki and JWOWW. Good times. Don't judge me!


Sarrah, Sarah, and Erin jumping of the platform at Macqueripe


Checking out some radiographs with Detta


Detta and a Crested Oropendola nest


Gigi in action

My days in T&T in 2011 have been very exciting due to the visit of the Cornell vet students. I've been doing a lot more spur-of-the-moment planning which has led to many great opportunities. Take today for example. We visited the Aripo Livestock Station and met with the head of the facility. He mentioned the need for research on brucellosis and Johne's Disease in his dairy animals and asked if that would be something of interest to me. Sure! He also invited me to a conference on manure management next week. My networking skills have gotten pretty good since I've been here.

While at Aripo, we sampled from buffalypso, a strain of buffalo that is a mix of breeds. Aripo uses them for dairy, so they will be used for my cattle study. We also sampled from regular Bos taurus cattle as well. Sarrah Kaye removed some ticks from two buffalo. One was definitely R. microplus and the other is believed to be Ambylomma.

After some lunch and a quick trip home to pick up Gigi, we stopped off at El Soccorro Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. We saw all sorts of birds, turtles (and sea turtles), reptiles, you name it. We even saw same the Boat-billed Heron I saw at UWI a few months ago. The staff did an amazing job with that bird. Before, it looked sickly and scared. Today, it looked regal. I told them that I would come back to voluneteer in the near future. I'd also like to collect samples from their animals. They seemed on board with the idea!

Tomorrow should be another fun and interesting day. We are going to another wildlife clinic, except that this one is run by the foremost expert in the field: Detta Buch. She has a Trinidad Piping Guan at her rehabilitation center. It is a goal of mine to see one before I leave Trinidad. Score!!!

Exhausted again. Must end here.


Gigi with a burmese python


High-fiving my primate relative


Sampling a buffalypso


Group photo at the El Socorro Wildelife Rehabilitation Centre


Parrotsitologist! harr harr harr


Boat-billed Heron

I finally recovered from the Tobago trip today. We didn't get started until about noon. We headed to UWI with the hopes of seeing some manatee poop. Alas, Dr. Phillips was not there. The poop pick-up probably took much longer than expected. So, Sarrah, Sarah, Erin, Gigi, and I went on the Mt. St. Benedict hike. I didn't see any new birds, nor was I really looking for any (though, I did have my binoculars and bird book). The scenery was breath-taking. We hiked through a pine forest, grassland, and rainforest over the course of two hours. The view of the country from the top is stunning. Definitely a highlight of my time here in T&T. I can't wait for Daniel to experience the beauty. We also stopped by an art gallery located just down from where the trail ended where we saw a signed canvas of all of the Miss Universe participants from 1999. Random.


Hiking through a forest of ferns


Black Vulture


Pretty flower

Our final day in Tobago went quite smoothly compared to the rest of the weekend. After about 32 hours of work over two days, we were finally able to kick back by the pool and beach. Jasmine, Sarrah, and Erin did the Glassboat Boat tour, Sarah reclined in a beach chair, and I did some birding at the Bon Accord Sewage Ponds. New bird: Least Grebe. The sewage ponds were pretty! I saw repeat birds, an Anhinga, Wattled Jacunas, Common Moorhens, Little Blue Herons, Great Egrets, Grackles, and Green Herons. I then tried Then I met up with Sarah at Store Bay and took a much needed nap.

The ferry ride to Trinidad was much smoother. No crazy waves; no people vomiting around us. We got back just in time so that I could pick up Gigi and drive back to Santa Cruz to pick up Jasmine for her flight to the airport. Whew! Exhausting.


Yellow-headed Caracara


Bon Accord Sewage Ponds

Another long day at the the TSPCA. The day started off better than yesterday, basically without a hitch. We did find out early that one of the dogs didn't make it. This do escaped the kennel and bolted for the street prior to surgery. After 16+ hours and 27 spayed/neutered cats and dogs, we successfully completed the SPOTT weekend. One of the last things that happened was the bombshell that Clair dropped on the group. Chloe, the dog I mentioned in today's earlier post, died prior to surgery, likely from anesthesia. What a huge emotional downer. Readers, you must understand that the owners were very hesitant about spaying her. The daughter and mother cried during the pre-medication process and they never left her side during the 5 or so hours Chloe was at the shelter. It's really a sad situation. My heart goes out to the family.

I made a lot of great contacts today. For my one-month stint in Tobago (TBA), have obtained 3 potential apartment options. I spoke with Kelli from the Humane Society International about my research and exchanged business cards with her. I'm feeling really good about my stray work and hope that I can make even a small change before leaving T&T in July.

I...am...exhausted! Must get sleep. Enjoy some get pics from today.

Note: You're probably wondering why I look like a monster in the above photo. Well, in trying to weigh a 40lb a puppy, she tried to jump out of my arms and into her owner's car and in the process, the nails of her right paw split my lip and left two small puncture wounds on the inner side of my mouth. Oh, and I had the worst allergic reaction to a dog immediately after. I think my immune system went into overload.


Erin and Jasmine doing a spay on a kitten


Beautiful but bad dog, Star


Fetuses from a pregnant kitten


Erin eating a smoked herring sandwich


Bad dog! This girl is the cause of my Quasimodo face.

Arrgh. I fell asleep before I could start Saturday's posting! What a long day of SPOTT (Spay Programme of Trinidad and Tobago)! In all 48 dogs and cats were spayed and neutered from 8AM to 10:30pm on Saturday. This does not include the many companion animals done at another location on the island (I say companion animals because there was talk about a goat being neutered today). The day's action included an early-morning flat tire to start off the day, the miraculous arrival of veggie sandwiches for Sarrah and Sarah, cooperative veterinary care by an team of Americans, Canadians, and Trinbagonians, and the spaying of the final dog of the day, Chloe, a cute white Pompek with very Americanized dog owners (she sleeps with them).

It all gets repeated today. I'm guessing things will go a lot more smoothly since we've learned what works and what doesn't work best. I hope to take the girls to the beach for a well-deserved dip in the ocean! Time to resume sleep before my 6:30AM birding and attempt to catch one of three strays living next door. They're disrupting guests.

Two new birds on Saturday: Ruby Topaz (hummingbird) and Red-crowned Woodpecker.


Jasmine and Sarrah hard at work


Daniel (recent American ex-pat), me and Bonnie


Could Sheva be my new pup/companion for Pucky?


Rosie!