Finally got Dad off his behind

COCO: We haven't posted for a while because we couldn't get Dad to do anything!

JODIE: That's being a bit cruel, Coco. You know that he's been without a good internet connection for a while.

COCO: Well, I was just trying to make sure that we didn't get blamed.

SANDY: I think Coco is just frustrated because she can't work off her excess energy.

JODIE: That's probably true for all of us. We haven't played fetch since we left the Hacienda and we haven't been in the surf since Perula. Let's take some time to bring our blog up to date.

When we got back to Hacienda Contreras there were some changes. Donkey Hotay is still there, but Ossa is gone. Neko is new and so is Bella. The Contreras have a house as well as the campground. Ossa was the campground dog and Neko was the house dog. Then along came the new puppy Bella and Ossa couldn't get along with the pup, so Ossa and Neko changed places.

This is Bella! As you may recognize, a Labrador Retriever.



Another picture of the pup.



This is Neko!

Neko is Barb's personal guard dog.

JODIE: Bella is a Lab like me and she looks just like I did a long time ago. She started out pure white, but we can see the yellow starting to come out on her back. Barb brought Bella down to see us a couple of times, but when she saw us three strange dogs she made a beeline back to the building. I'm sorry if we scared her. I'm sure we'll be great friend when we return next winter as she'll be almost full grown and as big as we are.

SANDY: Neko is a good dog, but she seems very quiet and shy.

COCO: She'll get used to all the campers and their dogs. She doesn't seem at all aggressive. Have you mentioned your sore foot, Jodie.

JODIE: Not yet. I guess I hurt my foot during some rough play at the Hacienda and it seemed to be getting worse. Mom and Dad took me to a Vet in Patzcuaro and he was very nice. I never even growled. He poked and prodded and said there was nothing serious and gave the folks some medicine for me. I'm feeling much better.

COCO: I also want to tell everyone that we have a lot of area around here, but we're always on the leash since I escaped the first day. There's PLENTY of room to play fetch, but the folks are afraid of the steer, the cow, and all the horses that walk free around here. I think they are over reacting to the steer that was going to butt Tilly. They're also afraid we may chase the animals.

SANDY: I'm the new girl on the block, but even I know that Coco can NOT be trusted. She got away the first day and the folks have taken no chances since then. We don't know where we are headed next, but are hoping for surf or at least an area where we can run and play.

JODIE: I guess that's it for now. We'll try to be better about the blog if we can get Dad and the internet to cooperate. Bye from all of us!

More from the beach

SANDY: I saw an appledater!! I saw an appledater!!

JODIE: Hold it Sandy, you're too excited. You're thinking of alligator, but even at that you are wrong. It was a crocodile.

SANDY: Appledater, alligator, crocodile.....who cares? What's the difference?

COCO: Gosh, people think that I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I know the difference between alligators and crocodiles. Heck, I'm a Florida dog and I thought that all Florida dogs knew about alligators and crocodiles.

SANDY: So how come you guys know so much about alligators and crocodiles?

JODIE: Well, Sandy, alligators are a fact of life. That's why we NEVER get to go swimming in a lake or stream at home, we always swim in the pool.

COCO: Ya know Jodie, Sandy wasn't with us when we went all over the country, swimming in all kinds of lakes, rivers, and oceans. She missed out on swimming into the current of a river and letting it bring you downstream. Then we get out, run up along the shore and do it again.

JODIE: You are 100% correct. Mark this down......on this date Coco was right. I think we aught to explain what we're talking about.

COCO: OK, I'll go first. Nearly every day for the last several weeks we get to romp in the surf. We chase tennis balls or sticks and have a great time. Mom and Dad are very patient and let us stay out until we get tired.

SANDY: Actually, they let us stay out as long as we stay engrossed in the water. When one of us turns our attention to grubbing along the high tide line looking for fish bits, the day is OVER.

JODIE: They don't like us to roll in dead fish either.

COCO: Yes, yes, but the point is that we have been going out every day and each day is about the same as the last. That's why we've been behind in our blog. Now we have something new to add.

SANDY: Yup, the appledater.

JODIE: No!!! The crocodile! Dad puts us in the Jeep and drives way down the beach so we can play rough where there are no people. He drives beyond the place they call "The Lagoon", which supposedly has a crocodile in it.

COCO: Supposedly my paw! We saw that sucker on the way home. Dad didn't have a camera so there was no picture to prove it.

JODIE: Aha!! Today he had the camera and the crocodile was there and we have proof.

This is the "Croc". Dad says that if you look at the distance from the nose to the eyes, it seems like a lot of his tail is underwater and others have estimated his length at 10 or 11 feet.



This is the "Lagoon". It doesn't connect with the ocean except when extremely high tides was a wave or two far enough in to add to the lagoon. It really backs up to a swamp.



Here we are frolicking in the surf.

And here we are running back to get a stick or a tennis ball.

JODIE: So we just wanted you to know that there is a little excitement down here and we want to make sure that Sandy knows that crocodiles are not dog friendly. Crocodiles EAT dogs. Thankfully, Dad and Mom keep and eye out and don't let us get too close to danger.

SANDY: OK, I get it. What ever else we do, we do not get near alligators and crocodiles.

COCO: Now you've got it, Sandy. As time goes on you'll be swimming in a lot more places and you can be sure that Mom and Dad will make sure they're safe.

JODIE: And they always end up the same way, we go back to the camper and get washed down and well dried with a number of towels. AAAHHHH, what a life!