Tchou kou ce die: Meet Mathilde

Mid October

I would like to present a very special addition to my life, Mathilde (i.e. Matilda), my puppy!  She is approximately three months old and I bought her for the equivalent of three U.S. dollars (i.e. 1500 cfa).  She is everything I could have hoped for and more.  After only three days she follows me around everywhere, accompanying me partout: the office, the clinic, the garden.  And, she is already better behaved than Spot (for those of you who knew him) ever was in all his sixteen years.  She is a typical medium-sized Beninese street dog (mutt of the basenji breed) except that instead of the boring beige you usually see she has the coloring typical of a beagle (black, red/tan, and white).  I had originally wanted to get a male dog since neutering them is fairly easy and non-invasive, but she was so pretty I just couldn’t pass her up.  As of now she still has a little flea problem (not that that deters me from having her join me in bed) even after multiple baths, but I have concocted a homemade pest repellent from lemon juice, eucalyptus leaves and garlic that is helping keep them at bay until I can find a more permanent solution.

La Beninoise avec une Beninoise

She has also become somewhat of a “dog ambassador” here in Logozohè.  There are, of course, dogs everywhere, but very few of them are socialized or well cared for, so they tend to get a bad rap and are seen as pests.  So you can imagine that Mathilde, makeshift leash and all, and her yovo (i.e. me) make a pretty interesting sight walking down the street.  Reactions we get are everything from “What a pretty dog!” to “I can’t believe you let that thing near you,” but, in general, people seem to appreciate her.  I also give impromptu nutrition classes when people ask me what I feed her to make her look so healthy.

Mathilde loves children!

Getting bigger!

She has also given me a good excuse to go for daily walks around town and practice my local language skills.  See the following:

            Tchou kou ce                        My dog

            E nƆ nyi Mathilde                 Her name is Mathilde

            E do atƆn                              She is three months old

            Mi gosin glege                      We just came from the fields

            Mi xhe xhe bureau               We are going to the office

            E wa ni wevi                          She likes fish

Impressive, I know.  I also talk to her in a ridiculous mélange of English, French, and Fon – Dios mio!

By best friend, Anthonia (i.e. Tanti Mathilde)

When it comes to her diet, she eats what I eat, although anyone will tell you that I’m more concerned with her protein and nutrient intake than my own.  Eggs, fish, moringa powder, soy cheese (i.e. tofu), she always gets the biggest portions.  And now, whenever anyone has me over to eat, they have to invite Mathilde, too.

Mathilde's big sister, Qui sait l'avenir (Who knows the future)

Note: I wrote this post about three months ago.  Mathilde is now 6 months old and is no longer a baby, as she just went into heat for the first time (yay puppy period blood!).  After searching in vain for birth control shots, I finally found them – because lord knows I don’t need to have 6 puppies running around.  However, whether or not I got it to her in time has yet to be seen…  We’ll know in a few weeks as soon as her teats start coming in!  Things are still going well.  We’ve made lots of puppy friends around village and we’ve started running together in the mornings.  While having a dog is definitely a big responsibility and limits my ability to travel freely and regularly visit other volunteers, I can’t imagine life without her.