Association I Love My Island Dog, Saint-Martin

LUCKY WILSON...this is one story among many others...

Two pups (or maybe more?) were born somewhere on St. Maarten. Probably the mother was not very healthy because some pups had mange and the dog owner didn’t have any better idea than throwing them in the bush at Emilio Wilson Park, without neither food or water!! After crying for hours or days, who knows, they were luckily found by Elisabeth the doggies guardian angel of the Dutch side.

Elisabeth brought them to me and asked if I wanted them or if I thought we should put them to sleep. They were in such a miserable shape and maybe suffering. They were only skin and bones, almost no hair and had what we call an elephant skin. Their eyes were infected and they could hardly open them. The smell was terrible and honestly as much as I love all animals... it was not easy to cuddle them. We brought them to the vet, who gave them small survival chances, but I wanted to try. They got vaccinated (I don’t know how they managed to use an injection on them. I named them Emily (the girl) and Wilson (the black pup). I took them home but kept them apart from all my other animals.

Two days later I lost my first tear, Emily died on her cushion, she looked very peaceful and like sleeping. Well, I said to myself, at least she got some food and affection for the last two days of her life. But now little Willy was sitting next to her and wondered what happened!

I took him away, into my house. As he was still sick I took some risks I must say, but did not want to leave him alone in a pen. Willy could hardly walk; but he was brave; he tried very hard to stay on his 4 legs and after a few days he even started to run!!!

I admired him and gave him the best food I could find so he could get strong. But then one day he stopped eating and looked very tired and sad. I brought him immediately to the vet and we found out that he had tick fever. Ok, there we go for three weeks of antibiotics additional to his medication for mange. Poor thing!
But Willy wanted to live, so he started to get and look better and little after little he became such a pretty boy. Willy got shiny black hair, mussels, wonderful eyes and is the most grateful pup I can remember... Always listening to me, moving his little head on the side when I told him NO WILLY, don’t do that... "OK" he said to himself, "I will not do it again." He learned very fast!

I fell so badly I in love with Willy that I started to wonder if I ever could give him to anybody!! But still I said, "I can’t keep everybody" so I sent out his picture on the internet and I said to myself, "I can always say NO!!". Then Sue (a friend and animal lover from Connecticut) told me she was ready to help me and that a lady called Audrey Oates on holyday was leaving St. Maarten on Wednesday April 30.  (I got 24 hours!!). I brought little Willy to the vet, there he got his health certificate. He got a nice crate, a new blue leash and harness, a pack of goodies and there we are, him and me on the road to the airport. I must say I had butterflies in my stomach!!!! But when I saw Audrey’s gentle face at Juliana Airport (she told me she would wear pink shoes and I described myself with a red scarf in me hair) walking towards me, I knew that I did the right thing and as from that moment on HIS REAL LIFE WILL START! (There I lost a second tear!)

You have left St. Martin now Willy, and I miss you so badly my little poor thing, but I know you will get a nice life! Don’t look backwards my friend!

Thank you Audrey and Sue for helping little Willy to get a nice future.

Willy, soon you will become a big doggie, you have such a wonderful personality that I know when you will become Mr. Wilson, you will make many people happy. GOD BLESS YOU, I WILL NEVER FORGET YOU!

Ursula, your mammy in St. Martin

---