Vacation dogs

Meet Lady. She's Chris' dog, she's a potcake dog, and she's brilliant. She's just been sticking with Deena and growling at the friendly drunks that always approach and greet us and give us their show each trip by. If I'm with Deena, Lady may wander off or follow Chris to work. If Deena is by herself on the beach, Lady does not leave her side. And she doesn't other people or dogs get close without warning them. Potcake dogs roam the streets here. A few have owners and collars and tags, some have loose associations with a group of people but are not pets, and some others are just wild. Chris took Lady in when she was a puppy, and she's got a great gig now and she does a great job of being a great dog. Chris had to deal with a big vet bill for a scare they had a while ago. He's committed to the dog's well-being. But, he knows he can't financially handle two, and will not take in another dog. Then Vasquez showed up.

Vasquez showed up at Chris' house "a sad, sick puppy." No bouncing, no running. He took her to the vet, treated her (severe) UTI, treated her for fleas and ticks, and now he feeds her and lets her hang around the house and yard, but she doesn't "live" here; she comes and goes as she wishes; she does wander off for periods but she's mostly here with us, politely at our heel, doing everything Lady shows her how to do (like gaurding us). She's a wonderful. Dog. Chris says "I'm not-so-secretly angling for you guys to adopt her." Asshole. We've discussed having another dog before, many times. It's just not on the table now. But. Plan A: change Chris' mind before we leave; plan B: convince Chris' girlfriend (who is in the US right now but will be back in a few days), that SHE needs a dog (Lady is very much Chris' dog); plan C: convince Chris to let us sponsor the dog like we would a starving kid.. "for the cost of a cup of coffee a day.." and all that; plan C: find a friend who'd be a good candidate for this especially wonderful and bright puppy.