OHVELLO

Winnie came into my life in late 2009 as a surprise gift. She was so small and helpless, affectionate, and tender that as soon as I held her in my arms, I fell in love with her. Being a Labrador, she was always playful when she was little, she chewed our shoes and destroyed everything she found. Thankfully, that lasted only a few months. We decided to train her to be obedient and alert in preparation for any unforeseen circumstance or in the event an intruder should enter the home. Being protective by nature, she became jealous of everyone who would come very close to us, and although she was never aggressive, she always "marked her territory" to make it clear that "she was the queen of the home and we belonged to her." Over time, she became more sociable and gained popularity with the other dogs at the park. Honestly, she would make me laugh when I saw how she liked to run around and play and yet knew when it was time to go home as soon as she got bored. Winnie l...

She came into my life accompanied by one of the people from the shelter that rescued her, riding in what is called a motor-taxi which is a motorcycle modified with a caboose and seats at the back to carry passengers. I met them at the corner from the house I was renting in the dusty neighborhood an hour outside of Lima, Peru.  The lady got out and put her on the ground, then we walked back to the house. The little dog walked by my side, and it was obvious that unlike Mayah my other dog, she knew how to walk on a leash. I was pleasantly surprised. Many other things about her revealed that she used to have a home where she was probably loved because she knew what a sofa was the minute she saw mine and was upon it in no time.  I called her Maddy, short for Matilda (I didn't like the double T's which sounded harsh so changed it to D's instead) meaning "mighty in battle" which she proved that she was, mainly when it came to hunting and killing rats. Maddy was adopted t...