Retired in Puerto Rico

After a life filled with a sense of purpose, I worry about becoming stale in retirement. Sitting on the porch, an apt metaphor for those golden years; what could be better, right? Don’t get me wrong the view from my porch is outstanding. We get lost in it regularly.


I’m not ready to settle in for the view and gardening. My heart is young, if not wild; I have a passion for animals. The natural thing for me to do is find a place within the animal advocate community.

How can I help the animals of Puerto Rico? I am not going to open a shelter at my house like the women I admire the most. My husband and I have a contract that doesn’t include a kennel in the back yard.

What can I do? Let’s see: build a kennel from the ground up, build and run a business, train dogs, help people with dog problems. I am a certified Animal Control Officer in Puerto Rico. Yeah, that and two bucks will get me a cup of coffee.

I’ve volunteered with Adri, Amigos de Los Animales and  Alma Febus, ACO/CI, Bambi Rottweiler Service. These women are too busy to get together with me. And I mean that sincerely. It is my goal to do one good thing for each of them at a time because they are two of the best animal activistas I have met on the island.

In my opinion Puerto Rico is an excellent example of the way people have historically lived with dogs. Respecting what is, I am a proponent of trap-neuter, vaccinate and release. My payback to this beautiful island for all I enjoy will be that campaign. I’m glad we got that settled, without a direction. I feel lost.

You meet the best people when doing something good, so I’m going to start in my own backyard. Hello Puerto Rico.