Parchita the Puerto Rican street dog

When I first moved to Puerto Rico, I fell in love with the tropical island with beautiful beaches, mountains, and people, along with great (and cheap!) mojitos and fried pastries. One thing that surprised me was the immense amount of stray animals I found wandering the streets. While many of the people in my town feed the dogs/cats including my co-workers and myself, there is an incredibly large amount of homeless animals living in poor conditions.

Even though they are strays and sometimes scared of humans, it is hard not to fall in love with them and resist the urge to help them - which is exactly what happened to me. I fell in love with one of the dogs I fed at my office, who I have now named Parchita. She would greet me every morning when I came to work with a little bunny hop dance. She also made sure to say bye to me before I would leave for the day. She is 9 months old, extremely playful (she loves to make my arm her chew toy), and absolutely loves sausage. I do not know what she experienced while living on the street. I have spent a lot of time reaching out to trainers to better understand some of her behavior. I have seen her be extremely nervous and shake when hearing certain sounds, especially coming from outside. However, I have seen her increasingly come out of her shell and blossom into this energetic and playful pup. I know she would make a great addition to our fur family back in Miami.

Finding animals a home here is a huge challenge as many non-profit shelters are overwhelmed including ones that provide transportation outside the island. While some visitors end up taking the animals back to the US or Europe, it can be incredibly expensive. I have reached out to non-profit transport companies and those that have gotten back to me cannot take any more animals.

I am determined to bring this sweet girl back home with me as I have already fallen in love with her and her with me. I have booked a flight for her back to Miami, but would greatly appreciate any help getting my new family member to her forever home.

This is Parchita!

*UPDATE*

Parchita made her way from San Juan to Miami yesterday (March 28th). I was extremely nervous about how she would be during the check in process. She was nervous but went in the crate without issue and the person who did the security check on the crate was mindful of her being so scared.

Parchita in her crate ready (and nervous) for her flight.

We arrived in Miami around 11:30pm and Parchita was ready for pick up around midnight. Once we got to the house she received plenty of treats, water, and food.

Parchita receives treats and water before bed.

Despite being nervous, she still woke me up at around 7 am to remind me it was breakfast time. Our two dogs, Olly & Molly, have also been introduced. Molly will take some time to get used to the new family member. However, Olly was excited to meet Parchita and see what toys she brought with her.

Parchita and Olly say hello to one another.

Parchita watched Olly use one of her toys.

Parchita looks at us confused while Olly chews on one of her toys.

Her acclimation to the house seems to be moving more smoothly compared to when I first brought her to my house in Puerto Rico. It will still take some time for her to get used to her new living situation. She will need to become more aquainted with our dogs and cats, she will also need to be better at walking on a leash, and we are still in the process of potty training her.

More updates to come!