Carmelita moved from the mountain to our new accommodations with Koda and Dallie in July of 2022. She finally became a house dog, and enjoyed lounging on sofas and beds for almost a year. She crossed the Rainbow Bridge after being diagnosed with cancer.
Carmelita was surviving (barely) on the streets of Antigua for many months. We had been feeding her at our feeding station, and gradually she began to lose some of her fear of us. Her condition steadily declined, and she was regularly kicked and struck by stones and brooms.
Carmelita was probably about a year or a year and a half old when we brought her into our makeshift shelter in mid January of 2011. She was very debilitated and had a terrible skin condition. In spite of this, and despite the terrible treatment she had received from so many people, she gave us her trust and quickly became a sweet and loving dog with us. Over the months of her recuperation, her body healed, but her trust of strangers was gone. Carmelita is extremely loving with people she knows, and with new people who come into the sanctuary play yard or interact with her. But she is predictably unpredictable on the street. What triggers her fear (and fear aggression) varies day to day. Some days it is a boy in a blue baseball cap, other days a person carrying wood, or a flag….
Because of this unpredictability, Carmelita is a Sanctuary Dog. She cannot be fostered or adopted due to the inherent nature of her reactivity. In a home environment with visitors, delivery people, unknown dogs, bicycles, etc. she would be an accident waiting to happen. She will live out her life with us as Queen of the Cerro. She shares a suite with Xiao Chow, and is a wonderful friend and playmate, welcoming the new arrivals and befriending them until they are adopted. She is an excellent puppy nanny, and a loving, calm dog in her controlled environment. She loves her long daily walks, her training sessions, her Kongs and chew sticks. Our gorgeous golden eyed girl does not lack for attention, and is petted and groomed and snuggled every day. Carmelita will happily show you her tricks, including an awesome “High Five” when you visit. She will also politely ask for a belly rub and some loving.
Carmelita would love to have an angel to sponsor her.
