by Jim Roy
I was apprehensive while my wife perused the puppies. But in the end she was snared by the same little girl. We paid the Mina tribesman $1.50 and Jasmine became a member of our family. I brought Jasmine home on my mountain bike: one hand on the handlebars and the other hand holding little Jasmine. She thought this was the ride of her life but little did she know what was in store for her in a little under two years - a trip to the U.S.!
A year later, while in Aplahoué, we decided to get a companion for Jasmine. I was in the marketplace and found a woman with several different types of animals for sale. I made an arrangement with the woman, in French, that I would buy the dog if - and only if - I could return with the dog for a full refund if Mary did not want another dog. I would be back within the hour if the answer was no. The dog cost about $1.20.
The woman agreed and I paid for a very small puppy. When I turned around there was another woman with a big bowl on her head and in the basin were kittens, a turtle, some chickens and the puppy that would become Tyler. Upon taking a look at the puppy, it was clear that he had much nicer markings and was in better health. Having been much less than an hour, I turned to the first woman and asked for my refund. At that moment, not only had she lost her ability to speak French, so had everyone else nearby except the woman who had Tyler. There was some yelling, arguing, and dirt throwing. I stood in the market place on an incredibly hot afternoon carrying my groceries, holding a puppy and my motorcycle helmet and made a decision. The second woman and I went off to talk. I traded the dog I had and another $1.50 for Tyler.
When we returned with the puppy, our neighbors were outraged that someone would cheat us this way. $2.70 was an outrageous price for a dog. But Tyler joined the family and Jasmine had a mate.
Jasmine and Tyler were instrumental in helping us to socialize in the village. Every night at 7pm, we would walk the dogs around the village and let them run loose in the schoolyard. The locals soon knew and called out the dogs' names as we walked by. Not only were they amused that the dogs were on leashes (some even put their own dogs on ropes to imitate this), but the villagers could not believe that Jasmine and Tyler could do tricks like sit and shake hands on command.
We completed our tour and returned to the United States in June of 1998. We brought Jasmine and Tyler with us. Months prior to the flight we had Jasmine and Tyler vaccinated against rabies. A review of the certificate and a quick glance from the US airport officials were all that were needed to come into the country without quarantine. They went through customs much faster than we did! Jasmine and Tyler were now in America and when they were brought to an experienced Vet, Dr. Duhamel said they were healthier than most dogs in the U.S.!
Once in the U.S., Tyler and Jasmine adjusted nicely to their new surroundings. Though they probably missed the wide-open fields and free roaming chickens of Aplahoué, they loved to play in the snow.
