It’s 3 a.m. and my cell phone is exploding with what seems like a million dings.

Who in the world would be sending me messages of such quantity at 3 in the morning while I’m trying to enjoy my USA vacation time?

Blame Winnie, my adopted dog in Laos. Or rather, blame her current caretakers.

Dog Kenneling in Vientiane

Yes, these daily wee-hours-in-the-morning announcements are all due to Winnie being kenneled in a facility on the outskirts of Vientiane, Laos’ capital city where I reside.

Some might be wondering what I did with Winnie, my adopted dog, while I’m away on my USA vacation. Well, Winnie is spending her time at Vientiane Dog Paradise, a kenneling service which was recommended to me last year by some foreigners with pets.

Leena (a Laos native) is the woman in charge of this amazing business. Her kennel and dog training center is located outside of the city, down a road in a vast farmland area.

Her services not only include kenneling pooches but also sending them overseas. For clients willing to pay for her expertise, she’ll do all the necessary travel documents and complete all overseas’ requirements for your special little or big pup to make it safely and soundly to your home country.

Before I left, Leena told me she’s been working on sending a 1-year stray to someone in Germany. The story of her longer-term residential dog is as follows: Last year, while on a 2-week business trip, a foreign gentleman saw a starving stray hanging around his hotel. He began to feed him every day, looking forward to seeing his little companion leap with joy and happiness upon seeing someone who finally cared.

Our streets in the city, in fact all over Laos, are filled with strays or even homed animals that are just let loose to wander on their own. Few are vaccinated or have what we would consider decent care. Most are full of fleas, ticks and have numerous skin and health issues. It’s very difficult to pass them by, especially when watching them scrounge desperately for food. Thus this kind man, whose attachment to the mutt had become quite strong, searched to find a place for his rescue to stay. He found Vientiane Dog Paradise, contacted Leena and placed the canine there until he could get the dog to his home country. Leena arranged all vaccinations and health check-ups during his stay. Now he’s about ready to depart.

As for Winnie . . . .

Before leaving, I prepared all of Winnie’s supplies to be used while I’d be gone. Or rather, I over-prepared.

I left far more food than was needed for her stay but better too much than not enough, although Leena assured me they wouldn’t let her starve to death if they ran out. (Better not!) They’d buy the same product I had given to make sure there was no strange deviation from her usual dogfood.

The day I departed for the States, I delivered Winnie via my midnight blue Honda Scoopy motorbike, or scooter.  I will say I was holding my breath the entire way on that dirt road, now very treacherous due to our daily rains, but we made it.  (Whew!)

So what’s this explosion of Winnie time?

The staff have gone bananas sending pictures to me via WhatsApp of my dog’s daily outings along with her other kenneled buddies.  I’m getting 30 to 45 per day, including videos.  Gracious!  Good to know she’s safe and enjoying socialization time with others but that’s a lot of continuous dings on my phone, folks.  Thank goodness for the silent mode.

Now that is one lucky Laos dog.  Sure beats sitting in my office, waiting anxiously to go home on my motorbike, as seen below.  

Hard to believe our back-to-normal routine will be taking place soon.  Yes, it’s just a a few more days until my return to Laos.  At present, I’m finishing up the last of my shopping ventures, including filling suitcases full of gifts along with much-needed items I can’t find in the city I live in.  

In the meantime, I continue to get Winnie updates during those midnight hours. She has so many friends now,  one wonders if she’ll want to rejoin me.  Not sure I would.