Some People are dog people. Some are Cat People. Some are Horse or Parrot or Snake People. I was born a “Dog People”.

My first furry-footed-pup-love was imported to Mexico from Tucson, Arizona. I was ten. My sister Sapphire and I had been shopping at a super market in one of thousands of identical strip-malls in dusty ‘ol Tucson. It was winter break and I was visiting my dad and my sister for a few weeks before returning back to Mexico and to school. As Sapphire and I walked back to the car, I asked her if we could stop in a shop that said “Pet Store: Going Out Of Business”. The store had a crate with one puppy in it and not much else. Little did I know: that nearly-almost empty-and-eerie pet shop contained the first love of my life: Beso. Beso: the black Flat-Coat Retriever. Beso: the first pure breed that made it to Yelapa in the 80ies. Beso: also known as “La Gorda” (The Fatty) on the Yelapa trails. Beso: who would stand fearlessly on the bow of any panga, or boat Yelapa Bound. Beso, my first taste of unconditional love that lasted a few months over 14 years.

When i moved to Taos, NM, I brought Beso up from Mèxico to retire in Taos. She liked it a lot. Well, she liked it until I ended up trading a client for two Golden Retriever 2 month old puppies. So then there was Beso, the 12 year old dog, and two crazy-energetic-golden-furry-nuggets named Guapo and Curry. I was in heaven. And Beso was too, especially when Guapo and Curry were napping.

Beso taught Guapo and Curry how to be super-stellar-chill-and-smart-canines and the litter-mate puppies copied everything Beso did. One tragic spring morning when the puppies were 2, Curry drowned in front of Guapo, Beso and I while we were playing in the Taos Ski Valley River that I did not know had a bad undertow. The force of water took my two year old puppy to Light Embodiment.

So then there was Beso, Guapo and I.

Guapo seemed so lonely that I decided to get another puppy from Guapo’s golden retriever mother who had just had a littler close to Curry’s departure. That puppy we ended up with was enormous and his name was Congo. Congo ADORED Guapo. Beso decided she had done enough puppy raising and decided to join Curry in Light Embodiment.

So then there was Guapo, Congo and I.

I moved into a very small appartment in Taos that would only let me have one dog. My girlfriend wanted a dog for her outdoorsy son.

So then there was Guapo and I.

Guapo is 12 now and he is laying by my feet as I type this. I don’t want him to go to Light Embodiment. ’Cuz then who will it be? Just me.

Life is so freakin’ beautiful, and my Dogs have been some of my most profound teachers. Guapo is nothing, i tell you, NOTHING but Unconditional love. It’s amazing.

Here is my girl, Kimi, with her Unconditional Lover Jazzy. Kimi and I are of the Dog People Tribe.