Paradise Lost!

We no longer have “Mocha” in our lives!
Yesterday, when I went shopping at SuperMaxi, Mark took Mocha for a walk. When I came back home I asked Mark, “Where’s our ‘Mochachino’?”

“I took him back to the vet?” Mark blurted out.

“C’mon…you’re kidding…where’s Mocha?” I asked again.

“Mocha is being ‘adopted’ by another family,” Mark said with downcast eyes.

That’s when I knew… Mark wasn’t joking around.

For two days, Mocha was a part of our family. He slept at our feet, played on the balcony, stood up on his hind legs and danced when we came into the room, made us laugh with his upturned tail and puppy-like ways, slept in my arms while I read, and followed us around into every room… waiting for us to pick him up or to play.

Our apartment looks like a puppy toy factory and Mocha’s footprints are everywhere: in the kitchen, on the balcony, and in the bedroom – reminders of the cutest dog on the face of the earth!

So what happened to “paradise”?

When I left to go grocery shopping yesterday afternoon, Mocha peed all over the down comforter in our bedroom and on the white rug in the living room. That’s what puppies do when they’re being trained—right?

Actually, I thought Mocha was doing really well—for a Shih-Tzu—going “peeps and poops” on the newspaper (most of the time!) and doing his duty on walks outside by the river. Yes, of course, there were a few surprises here and there, but nothing I couldn’t handle.

Puppies aren’t perfect. People aren’t perfect. Children aren’t perfect. Parents aren’t perfect. My husband isn’t perfect. In fact, he’s “Mr. Clean.” I guess that’s why our Snowshoe cat, Bianca, was the "perfect" pet. She didn’t have to be potty trained and never had an accident. But dogs are different; they’re “human”; they make mistakes (and they’re not perfect!).

After crying myself to sleep last night and cleaning the floors today—where Mocha’s paw prints lie—I see reminders everywhere of the little puppy that captured my heart: the blue and white collar hanging in the foyer, the blue and yellow puppy bed where Mocha took naps, the puppy water bowl with blue footprints lining the edge and “Brilliant Puppy Shampoo” (used only once!).

In all fairness, my hubby has been under a tremendous amount of stress. He is flying back to the States this evening to testify in a trial (as a witness). It has been wearing on both of us for the last two years (the legal system takes a long time in America). It probably wasn’t the best time to bring a puppy into the world, but I was actually looking forward to some bonding time with Mocha while Mark was gone. But instead, I will be hanging out in my writing cave—healing from a broken heart.

Paradise is lost in the “Pombo Casa” for a little while, but it will return someday…I’m sure of it.

Until next time…hasta luego!


Consuelo y Marco

P.S. To my expat friends, if you see me around Cuenca with my dark sunglasses on while it’s raining, you’ll understand why! If you see me clinging tighter to “Fredi” – Brian and Shellie’s Shih-Tzu on Sunday mornings at Parque Calderon, you won’t have to ask questions. To those of you who were planning a puppy shower, you can put away the invitations (for now). And to the wonderful family who adopted “Mocha,” enjoy one of life’s greatest blessings. Oh, how I wish I had taken more pictures (especially of Mocha standing up on his little hind legs -- so adorable!). Oh...and...please, don't ask me to snap out of it because quite frankly, that's simply not possible.