The following story is about the love of a mother, friendship and resurrection – not in the Biblical sense but more that we, as creatures of God, have the choice to stay defeated or rise again.
Mommy lived at the pristine beaches of Mauritius in a secluded resort, where she had a 180-degree view over the ocean and enjoyed the magnificent night sky with its countless shimmering stars. Mommy’s life was not easy, but she had three beautiful children which she loved more than one could imagine. One day, however, her life took an unexpected and tragic turn.
That day, I strolled with my friend Oreo at the beach of our little resort. I was late for the walk with Oreo, but work had held me back. From afar, I saw that someone had cut the bushes where Mommy had her home – almost to the ground. I immediately walked with Oreo to where Mommy’s home once was. The bushes had no leaves anymore, and thus Mommy and her puppies were robbed of their protection against wind and rain.
Mommy was lying there, not moving. Oreo ran to his friend Mommy and greeted her as always, wiggling his black and white tail. Oreo almost resembles an Oreo cookie. Hence, my son gave him this name. I saw that Mommy had lifted her head slightly through the cropped bush stumps. Oreo started licking her, which I felt was a licking out of compassion. He did not stop until Mommy came out of the bushes. I could see in Mommy’s eyes incredible sadness that I had never seen in an animal before. It was as if Mommy wanted to speak to me.
“Mommy, where are your beautiful puppies?” I asked her, knowing that she could not answer. But as if she understood me, she looked even sadder. I called her Mommy because I could see that she was breastfeeding, and although I could never see her puppies which she had carefully hidden in the thick bushes, I could hear them occasionally when I walked by.
I came closer to her hide, which had no roof anymore. No puppies there. I started worrying and asked myself what had happened to the puppies. Had they run away because of the noise of the cutting machine, or had someone taken them away? Of course, Mommy would have stayed with her children and run away with them. Someone must have taken them from Mommy, I concluded. 
At that moment, it started raining heavily. Oreo and I found shelter under a beach umbrella, and Mommy did the same, standing under the umbrella as it rained, as she did not have a crown of bush leaves anymore to protect her. It was that moment when my heart softened, and I decided to help Mommy, who looked so sad as if she wanted to die. Dogs can look incredibly sad. It was when I realised that those creatures must also have a soul.
I returned to my house and brought some dry food. Mommy, however, did not touch it. Then I remembered that I still had chicken broth, and I once more returned to the house and brought Mommy some broth with chicken which she ate while Oreo was constantly licking her so as to encourage her not to give up.
For the next two days, I was busy looking for the puppies. I went very early to the beach to ask the beach workers where the puppies were. At first, they were reluctant to tell me, although they knew Oreo and me well. Finally, one said that they had put the puppies close to the bins and pointed toward the boatyard.
I had Oreo with me, and I decided to go to this place and find the pups. I tried to convince Mommy to come with Oreo and me by repeatedly calling her name in a soft voice and telling her that we were looking for her puppies. Mommy followed Oreo, who wiggled friendly with his tail. We went together to the boatyard but could not find her puppies there. Mommy began sniffing but could not find a fresh scent of them. I asked the person working at the boatyard, and he told me he had fed the three puppies yesterday. He also said that Mommy came later that day to search for the puppies and food, but that Mommy and her puppies did come at different times.
He suggested that I should search at the building site, which was nearby, which I did. I asked the builders and saw other puppies but could not find Mommy’s children. To cut a long story short, we never found the puppies. Someone must have taken them, and they may have found at least a home now, I hoped.
Whatever happened, Mommy followed me that day to my house and stayed in my garden, where she found a comfortable spot that sheltered her from the wind and rain. Mommy did not leave my yard, although I tried to provide her with food at her old place at the beach. Every time I brought her to the beach, she searched for her puppies, but as the days passed, she seemed to have given up hope of finding them. Oreo continued licking her and tried to play with her because he was a young dog less than one year of age – almost a wild teenager. I believe that Oreo saved Mommy with his friendly nature, who had hardly any will to survive in the first days after she lost her puppies.
Three days later, a beautiful brown dog appeared in my yard and wanted to be Mommy’s husband. Mommy was in heat, and I knew I had to act quickly. Oreo barked fiercely at the new male dog, and the two dogs seemed to be fighting for Mommy’s attention. I got Mommy sterilised, and Benny, as I called him, got neutered. Out of the fate of those two creatures, a sterilisation campaign was born in our little village where many kind people contributed financially or with temporary shelter for the stray dogs.
Even today, Benny caresses and licks Mommy kindly, although they are both now sterilised, and it seems they both give each other the affection they need. Benny was as tame as Mommy right from the beginning, and I believe some people must have dumped those beautiful animals not long ago, or Benny just ran away, or people had him as a pet and left Mauritius without him.
Mommy and Benny need a home now. I would love to give them one, but little Oreo and Benny must be kept separate as they both care too much about Mommy. So far, with the help of the team of MYVET in Flacq, our initiative has led to the sterilisation of five big stray dogs and the rescue of three other puppies from the building site, for which we hope to find a home, too.
If you would like to give Mommy and Benny a new home with a big garden, I would be most grateful, as those two souls deserve a happy end with someone who gives them love and care. You can contact me at social@ash-phoenix.com, where I am also pleased to receive comments from my readers.
Ash Phoenix is the author of The Chronicles of the Tiny Island and Who wants love? Both books are available at Bookcourt in Mauritius.