All Dogs Go To The Suburbs

by Rease Kirchner

When I studied abroad in Mendoza, Argentina in 2006, the city was swarming with dogs. Every size, breed and color could be found wandering the streets. I quickly learned that families had simply kicked their pets out and left them to fend for themselves. This broke my heart, but I tried my best to remember that I was 8.000 miles from home and could do nothing for them. I tried my best to keep a stony face and resist the urge to pet the sad little creatures. I managed pretty well up until I met Pepa.

My friends Rachel, Ellen and I were headed to the suburbs of Mendoza to visit Ellen’s host family. To get to the bus we walked through Plaza Independencia, which was both the city center and the main hang out for all the stray dogs. A small, sandy colored dog began trotting alongside us. We smiled and waved, hoping the dog would realize we didn’t have any food and move on. However, this dog was not interested in food, she just wanted some love. As we waited for the bus it ran through a series of tricks, most likely learned when the poor thing was a house pet. Assuming she was a boy, we jokingly named him Pepe, which was changed to Pepa when we realized our mistake.

Naming her might have been our first mistake.

Pepa immediately responded to her new name and continued to wag her tail, sit, lay down, sit up and do basically anything she could think of to prove her worth. Our hearts ached for her, but as the bus approached, we said our goodbyes and boarded the bus. So did Pepa.

Dogs are not allowed on the bus, especially street dogs covered in dirt, but Pepa hopped right on behind us as if this had been the plan all along. We desperately tried to shoo her away while also pretending like we had nothing to do with this whole fiasco. We rushed to some seats and assumed the bus driver would take care of the problem. However, the bus driver seemed to be in an especially apathetic mood that day because he decided to close the doors and speed off towards the highway with Pepa aboard.

Pepa sidled right up next to me, wagging her tail as if I was a proud owner who should be impressed with her ability to break a rule or two. People were now staring at us, laughing, pointing, and scolding me all at once.

“Why does she love me the most?!” I hissed at Ellen and Rachel, who were giggling nervously.

We sat on that bus for over 40 minutes and Pepa never took her big puppy dog eyes off me. Ellen, Rachel and I began to plot our escape.

“What should we do?”

“We can’t bring her back to the house!”

“So we just leave her on the bus?”

“We have to!”

“What about the bus driver? Won’t he get mad?”

“We’ll just have to make a run for it”

Mind you, all this was said in quick whispers, as if Pepa was onto us. She was clever enough to get on the bus, who knows what else she was capable of!

As the stop approached, we gathered our things and prepared to bolt. As soon as the bus stopped we booked it down the steps. As the bus pulled away, Pepa came trotting towards us. This was one determined dog.

As you might have guessed, Pepa followed us all the way home. Ellen’s family owned 3 huge dogs, so we hoped they would scare her off. We should have known better. The dogs threw themselves at the gate, but Pepa simply laid down on the sidewalk and waited, ever so patiently.

Three hours later, the family came home and informed us that a strange dog was hanging out outside the gate. We sheepishly explained what had happened. The family could not stop laughing, but they also insisted that the dog could not stay out in the suburbs for she would surely die due to the change of environment. So, a new plan was made.

We piled into the family car and Pepa jumped right on top of our laps, happy as can be. We drove all the way back to the city. When we stopped at Plaza Independencia, Pepa finally seemed to accept her fate. She looked at us sadly, but eventually exited the car. Once she was back on her home turf, she ran around happily, quite satisfied  with her latest adventure.

Here’s to you, Pepa! I hope a lucky family adopted you.

Rease Kirchner a staff writer/Travel Advisor for Travelated. She is a US citizen currently living the ex-pat life in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is bilingual and an experienced traveler. She loves gaining and sharing knowledge of local cultures, customs and adventure. Her blog Mi Vida en Buenos Aires documents her life as a foreigner.