The Dog Days of Summer

Ok, so technically we're not at the dog days just yet. If we recall correctly, those are in August. But canines have been on our minds this week as we enjoyed the slightly longer days around the summer solstice. Yap is only 9 degrees north of the equator, of course, so the days stay around 12 hours in length year-round. In recent weeks, though, we've noticed that we have a few more minutes to enjoy the afternoon. That extra time has given us chances to take in more of the Pacific scenery and enjoy some beautiful sunsets.


We missed posting last week after KC suffered a bout of tropical stomach flu, and Matt came down with a mysterious rash on both of his legs that may be mange. KC finds this more amusing than Matt does. It does make us both nostalgic for the pups we left behind in Denver. Both were from the pound, and Chester (on the right in this photo) was a pretty mangy mutt when we got him.

Dogs have been on our minds for other reasons as well. Finding it hard to deal with the canine conditions here on Yap, some friends of ours here recently founded a non-profit called the Yap Animal Protection Society (Y.A.P.S. for short). Dogs (and cats) here receive the same treatment as they do in most of the developing world. They aren't treated as food in Yap (in contrast to Pohnpei State, where the capital city of Palikir is located), but they are badly neglected and live short and difficult lives.

Some lucky dogs are adopted by families who feed them scraps, but most are left to fend for themselves. We've seen dogs eating everything from coconuts to bananas to, on one unusual occasion, an entire turtle head. (Needless to say, the turtle head was almost more than KC could take.) We have a couple of local dogs who make the rounds to our house for scraps, and we're happy to do what we can to help them out.

Yap is too small to support a regular veterinary practice, so the goal of Y.A.P.S. is to fly in a vet this fall for a roundup and subsequent spay/neuter of as many dogs as possible. We know that many of our readers are pet lovers. If you have any interest in contributing (or if you are veterinarian interested in donating your time!), please visit www.yapsinc.org. Thanks for reading.