Chuchos...part 2

Chuchos. Just when you think you have them figured out, they flip it on you. If you refer to one of my first blogs, I declared my undying dislike for Guatemalan dogs after a near death (ok, a slight exaggeration) experience with a couple particularly ferocious ones in Santa Maria Cauque. In my town, over the past 14 months, I've come to a conclusion. Chuchos, aka the dogs of Guatemala that claim no real home and just wander the street, are not the bad ones. These dogs are basically in just survival mode, scavenging what they can to get by and can even provide an occasional laugh when they are seen stuck together after a little baby chucho making-always with an incredibly guilty look on their faces as they stroll along attached end to end. The dogs that are the real culprits in Guatemala are the ones which are actually owned by people, who keep them close to the house and often on very short chains so that when they are released they are very aggressive and want to attack anything that moves. Guatemalans encourage their dogs to be aggressive as a deterrent to intruders, but the dogs will attack anyone who happens to pass within 50 yards of the house. These dogs are the ones who need to be eliminated. 

With that said, since about last September, I've had a couple of local chuchos that scavenge around my house. One of them, who Katie named Mama Bear, showed up with a huge wound on her back, what looked like a possible machete wound. This wouldn't be completely out of the question; Guatemalans can be pretty cruel to animals, especially dogs that they don't want around. When Mama Bear had this wound, she also had some super saggy milkers hanging down-a single mother who was being abused. She was a pretty sympathetic figure and I started giving her my leftovers. Soon enough, one of her puppies started coming around with her and she was christened Blacky by me-Katie's a bit more creative than I am. 

Majestic Mama Bear. 

Blacky licking her chops. 

Well, Mama Bear and Blacky have been hanging around ever since, eating my leftovers and chasing off other dogs that come around. I've discovered that chuchos will eat bananas, avocados, oatmeal and almost anything you put in front of them. They've become my buddies and lately have started to let me pet them. They don't understand fetch and whenever I throw food for them to catch in their mouth it usually just bounces off their nose. They mostly just want to lie back and have their bellies rubbed. They're good to have around though and have forever altered my view of chuchos for the better. 

Cows in Need

Vacas. Ganados. Toros. These are just a few of the words used to refer to cattle. In my town, many people have cattle. They raise them mainly for their milk. During this time of year, after the corn harvest ends in November, all the cows are brought back from Tierra Caliente (Hot Land) an area about an hour from my town where the cattle spend the rainy season. Tierra Caliente is quite a bit lower than my town, which is at about 7100 feet elevation, and when it is dry there is not much for the cattle to eat. 

Therefore, they are brought here and put to pasture in the corn fields and anywhere else there is food available. Last year, this meant my garden-a couple of cows knocked down my fence and ate my entire garden of kale, peas, beets, carrots, Swiss chard and squash right before I was able to harvest. It was frustrating and while the cows were the perpetrators of this crime, the blame really falls on the people who own the cows. They don't give them enough to eat and the cows lack the minerals they need. 

Since these cows are lacking in nutrition and during the dry season need as much as help as they can get, I have been encouraging the people in my town to give their cattle vitamin injections and antiparasite medicine. The majority of them are afraid to inject a cow, so beginning last year I became the local vitamin administrator. I buy the medicine and sell it at cost. My boss, Don Lincho, taught me how to inject the cattle and it has been a good project for me. Many people and cattle are benefiting from it and there are even a few people who have learned how to inject the cattle and buy medicine for themselves and sell to their neighbors. 

Every time we attempt to inject one of the cattle is an adventure. Usually it involves chasing the cow with a piece of rope, getting the rope around the horns and dragging the cow to a nearby tree, post, pillar holding up the house or whatever is close and tying it to the object. The vitamins are an injection in the cow's hindquarters and are usually what causes it to lose its cool. The trick is to hit the cow about 3 times with the back of your hand where you plan to inject it and then on the fourth hit, slip the needle in. Sometimes, the needle won't penetrate and it spooks the cow to have a sharp object jabbed into its skin-understandably so. 

Bringing the cows in. 

The cow has been tied up and is ready to be injected. 

The antiparasite medicine is a bit easier, at times, as you just have to use a large syringe (no needle) and squirt it down the animal's throat. Sometimes opening the mouth enough to get it in there can be tricky, but most of the folks here have it down. 

Trying to open the mouth for the antiparasite medicine. 

Placing the needle, after which I attach the syringe full of vitamins and inject them. Notice the perfect form. 

During this time of year, I always have my medicine and needles in my backpack as it is not uncommon for me to be walking down the road and have someone to invite to their house for an impromptu cow injection session. I have been lucky enough to get some fresh milk and am usually given some type of parting gift for helping out-avocadoes, oranges, limes bigger than your fist-and I enjoy the work.