Its Me, Manito — Sac-Be.com

I don’t remember much about life before I came to live with Mom and Dad. I remember being all alone. I was hungry and thirsty but I couldn’t get outside and there was no one there to take care of me. Mom says I spent two nights alone in this place after the people who used to take care of me left. That’s when my Madrinas (God Mothers), Laura and Myrna, found me. I was very scared, but also happy that I had humans again.

I stayed with Laura for a while but she had 3 big dogs that teased me and seemed like they wanted to eat me. But Laura kept me with her at night and during the day at her hotel. I don’t know what a hotel is, but Mom and Dad take me back there sometimes and it’s pretty awesome. I can see the beach through the glass and they let me sleep with them out on the sand. I also get to lay up by the pool while they play in the water. Anyway, I love going back to my madrina’s hotel in the place they call Akumal, but only if my Mom and Dad come too.

So one day after I was at Laura’s for a while, she said I had to go stay with these other people, because she had to go away. They were named Lydia and Mike, at least that’s what Laura called them. But after a very short time with them, they became Mom and Dad and I became Manito. I really like this name. It means little peanut in Laura’s language, and I like the taste of peanuts. I guess they also call me that because they say I’m small. I don’t think I’m small. I can stand tall and look any dog in the eye (except the Doberman across the street) and I can pull Dad down the street with my leash. But they keep telling people I am only 4 kilos, whatever that means. Oh, and some of my new human friends just call me Mani (sounds like Mah-NEE) and I like that too.

Mom and Dad, and me all dressed up for Thanksgiving

Mom and Dad are very cool. They take care of me real well. Dad walks me a bunch and Mom lets me cuddle. And I love it when Mom is making food. I just sit there and watch her and she calls me her “sous chef.” I think it’s because I’m good at licking bowls. Dad feeds me in the morning and afternoon. We take long walks in the park, and early in the morning we sometimes meet my big dog friends – at least that’s what Mom and Dad call them - and I get to run with them off leash. I love playing with those guys almost as much as I love getting home and taking a long nap.

These are a bunch of my dolphin friends.

Speaking of walks, sometimes Mom gets up early and goes for a walk with us. These are my most favorite walks because we go to see the big, huge things in the water humans call dolphins. To me, they’re just more of my friends. They swim up to me and I love to bark at them. They make me so happy. One dolphin - I don’t know his name because when they talk to me I can’t understand - anyway, this one dolphin really likes me to bark. So, every time he looks up at me or moves his head in a certain way, I bark so he can be happy too. Sometimes I like to sit out by the water just behind our home – humans call it a canal. I stare down into the water, just like when we go to the dolphins’ home, and I wish my swimming friends would come to Manito’s home. But so far they haven’t come.

Me in my blue bed. You can see our dock on the canal.

The last thing I want to tell you about today is my home. It’s this perfect little place with three rooms, not counting the really little rooms Mom and Dad go into by themselves and close the door. There are two of those and sometimes when I get hot I go into the one and lay on the cool floor. It’s nice and dark in there. But then Dad comes in, picks me up, carries me out and then closes the door. It’s a little confusing.

Me on one of the paths we take in Central Park

Anyway, my perfect little home is in a bigger place humans call a town. The name of this town is Puerto Aventuras and it’s a very cool place for a dog like me. As I said before, just behind us is a canal. Sometimes Mom and Dad let me go with them in our boat. That’s pretty much fun, as long as we don’t go all the way out into the big water. That’s way too scary for me. Just across the street is a huge park – Central Park. This is where I get to run and play with my friends Felix and Fender, and sometimes Crypto. There are lots of paths through the jungle and there is always something to smell. Whenever I’m in the park I let all the other dogs in town know I was there, and they do the same.

This is a coati (coatimundi). Dad forgot his phone the day we saw so many so the best we can do is this, for now.

The other day when Dad and I were walking, I think it was my late afternoon walk – I always make sure Dad takes me right after dinner at 4 o’clock – anyway, we saw a whole bunch of Coatis crossing the path in front of us. Dad told Mom there had to be 30 or 40. We see all kinds of creatures in the park – coatis, sereques, squirrels, sometimes even monkeys and, of course, iguanas. I used to chase them, but now I just watch, except for the iguanas. (Dad calls me his iguana hunter.) Anyway, as I was watching all those coatis cross the path I wondered what they call this place I live in.

I have to go now. It looks like it may rain, which means loud booming noises that I don’t like very much. So it’s time to get in my-under-the-sink bed. They call it a laundry hamper. It’s dark and away from the windows and very cozy, with lots of mom and Dad smells.

Be sure to stay tuned to My YouTube Channel on my mom’s playlist and check back here to read more about my adventures in the Sac-be section, Manito’s Mexico.