Loquita and Samson, Sunrises and Carrots

Rachel has a puppy. This is a momentous occasion. Up to this point in my life, I have always been a "bird person".

My first was a parakeet named Beacon, Love birds, anaries I think, a cockatiel named Loquita, and randomly acquired an African Grey Parrot (which was found screeching alarm sounds in a neighbor's tree in downtown Cincinnati).

A couple months ago a friend emailed to say that although they had done their best to take care of my little Loquita, (whom I sadly had to relinquish again, on departing for Morocco), one day dear little Loquita became very sick ... and died before they could get her to a vet. Poor Loquita.

The happy part of the story is that I now live in Morocco, and have plenty of space and a palmery where a dog could roam.... One day last week Antoine left to teach a class. My cell phone rang a few moments later. "Raja, I shouldn't do this, but you need to come out in the street," he said. I ran out to find Antoine squatting on the sidewalk, staring at something. A little puppy. A cute little black puppy with white paws, and a white tip on his nose and tail. He looked rather weak and hungry. I picked him up and looked at Antione. "Umm.. I'm gonna take him home, okay?" "That's why I called you."

After a bath and milk and cuddling, there was no way I was giving this pup away. I've got a little friend now... a little friend that deprives me of sleep, covers my floors in pee and poo, pounces on my face, scratches up my arms and makes teeth marks in my toes. I now have someone to envy my every bite of food, and then refuse it when I give him the leftovers. I have a companion who cannot stand to be out of my site. The second I walk in the next room or shut a door behind me, there is an instant howling session. Or, better yet, I walk out of his site for a second and he runs upstairs to find me, only to discover I'm not there and then begin howling even more because he doesn't know how to descend. I go out to visit people and he trots behind me... until he sees little boys and the street and stops to romp about them. He whines, I take him outside to pee, he sits on my foot. I take him back upstairs and he promptly squats on the floor and makes a little wet puddle.


Last night I had to get up around 2AM because he was choking on something all night and kept putting his little paws on my arm and nipping at my nose, trying to get me up. I fed him baby cereal and milk. It didn't help. I tried to sleep, but I believe he woke me every hour after. One time I woke to see glorious pink clouds covering Kisane, the sun not yet risen from behind the mountain.. Well now... everyone needs a little puppy to wake them for beautiful sunrises.

His name is Samson. (Of course, if you ask Antoine, it's Xizu, which means "carrot" in Arabic. If he actually had some orange coloring, I might consider it. As it stands, I rather don't feel like wandering through the streets calling out "carrot, carrot!" ;)