Cara
the Pirate

It started with a phone call.

Some kind people had found a young, caramel-coloured dog on the street. Someone had hurt her, and she had lost her left eye. We won’t tell that part of the story. She doesn’t dwell on it, so neither will we.

They didn’t know what to do next. But they’d found our number on an old adoption ad for another dog we once rescued, so they called to ask for advice.

One thing led to another. (With dogs, it usually does.)

The next day, they brought her to us.

She came in low and careful, ears soft, not quite sure what hands were for.

It took one afternoon and one very good ear scratch to work it out.

Our house already had a crew: three dogs, and five cats who consider themselves management.

The crew inspected the new recruit. Oreo handled the nose check personally.

Verdict: she can stay.

A week later, we took her to Center of Hope, an excellent veterinary hospital for rescued animals. It’s where we take every animal we rescue.

The eye couldn’t be saved, but the pain could be taken away. The vet closed it for good, neatly and gently.

Every pirate gets their patch somehow. Cara got hers from a very kind surgeon.

Recovery came with three rules: no scratching, no rough play, and the cone stays on.

She followed about one of them.

But she never had to do it alone. Oreo kept watch from under the sun lounger. And one of our cats claimed the spot right next to her on the deck, and kept it.

Stitches out. Cone off.

It turns out the best medicine is a warm lounger, a sunny afternoon, and a friend who doesn’t mind sharing.

Where her left eye used to be, there’s now a small, soft, permanent wink. She wears it well.

Somewhere along the way, she stopped being “the new dog”.

She was just one of the pile.

Today, Cara runs, plays, digs, and chews anything our backyard has to offer.

Sticks. Shoes. Garden hoses. And something white and fluffy that we’re still finding in the grass.

We have never been happier to clean up a mess.