A Farm Dog Moves To The City

Many of you know that we have a Boston Terrier dog named Boston Red Sox.  We got her as a puppy eleven years ago.  We love her and treat her like a family member.  But moving to Portugal was not her idea and quite frankly we didn’t think to ask her if she wanted to come. 

The trip to Portugal was a nightmare for her and only she really knows all the details.  That’s a story for another day.  Today we want to talk about how she is adapting to life as a city dog.

Sox used to have the run of a six acre farm, along with our older dog, Boston Beans, three laying hens, two cats, a smelly compost pile (perfect for a dog to roll in), frogs in the pond, and rabbits. There was a large turtle who appeared out of nowhere once or twice a year. Deer would occasionally cross our lot, as would a red fox.  

And then there was Sox’s nemesis, Mr. Squirrel.  (It’s probably correct to say “nemeses”, plural, because there were lots of squirrels, but Sox never seemed to tell one from another.) She never tired of stalking them and chasing them up a tree, under which she would sit and wait, sometimes for an hour, daring them to come down.

Unfortunately, Beans “crossed the rainbow bridge” shortly before we left the US and the cats and hens were sold with the house, so Sox traveled alone.  Getting settled in Portugal has been a challenge.

City Life in Porto

Sox now lives in a fourth floor (it’s called the third floor in Europe) apartment and never goes anywhere unaccompanied or off leash.  Our daily routine begins with Mary taking her out for her first walk in the morning and ends with Mike taking her out last thing at night.  We take several long walks throughout the day and usually manage to squeeze in a Frisbee game in the little patch of grass behind our apartment building.

Our part in this play is to ask the question, “Do you want to go to the park?” Sox’s response is immediate and joyful. She jumps up and dances around the apartment until we’re ready to go out the door.

There are two large parks within walking distance of our apartment.  One is the Parque do Covelo.  It is a large park that covers about 20 acres.  It has walking trails, man-made waterfalls, a playground, and a long, shaded alley lined with benches – a perfect spot to sit and enjoy a quiet Sunday morning. 

Parque do Covelo is almost 2km from our apartment – about a 25 minute walk.  Sox can make it there and back, but it’s at the outer edge of her endurance.  We’ve taken her there a couple of times.

Closer to home is the Praça de Mouzinho de Albuquerque, also known as the Rotunda da Boavista.  It’s a 7 ¾ acre park in the center of one of the busiest roundabouts in Porto.  Despite being in the middle of a roundabout fed by eight busy streets, the park is surprisingly quiet.  

The Rotunda is a prominent feature on the map – the green circle you see below.

The Rotunda is about 1km or 12 minutes from our apartment – the perfect distance for a dog walk. We go there almost every day. Sox could probably get there by herself. She practically pulls us to the park.

Every other day or so, we take a slight detour and ride the Metro.  We’re trying to get Sox used to riding on a train so we can take her on trips. We only ride from one stop to another, a total of about 3 minutes.  Mike picks her up and holds her tightly throughout the ride.  Sox is scared of the noise and vibration, and shakes for most of the trip.  Mary tries to soothe her by telling her we’re going to the park.  

But all is forgotten (and, we hope, forgiven) when we run up the stairs from the train platform and emerge on the Avenida da Franca, just up the block from the park.  Sox leads us down the sidewalk, weaving in and out between the people who are blocking her progress. 

And then, we’re there!

On The Hunt

When we first started going to the Rotunda, Sox would lead us on a meandering stroll around the perimeter.  Her ears were up and she was constantly scanning the landscape in front of her.  Looking.  Looking.  Looking…for squirrels!  For chipmunks.  For mice or rats or bunnies or any other little furry critter.

And she was always disappointed.  It’s not surprising that there are no rabbits in an urban park.  But no squirrels?  Maybe this is a tribute to the way the city of Porto is managed.  We see crews in the park every week, raking, blowing leaves, mowing.  In general, if it can be washed, cleaned, vacuumed or raked they do it. This city is scrubbed. Is this what keeps the critters away?

We did some research and learned that in early 2020, along with the coronavirus outbreak, another virus – the adenovirus – infected and killed most of the red squirrels in Portugal. What puzzled the scientists here is that the strain of adenovirus was different from that found in other European countries, but nearly identical to one found in South Korea.

As we walked through the park every day, Sox would periodically stop at a couple places where there were holes in the ground.  Most were less than 6” in diameter – the kind of holes that a rodent might make.  Most days, she’d stick her nose in the holes, sniff, and move on.

But then one day, as she approached one of the holes, we saw movement.  It was a mouse, or a chipmunk.  Whatever it was saw Sox and ran into the hole.  Sox stuck her nose deeper into the hole than before.  Then she checked the other holes in the area.  Nothing moved.  After a few minutes, she gave up and we moved on.

But she remembered the spot. Now when we enter the park, Sox pulls on the leash and drags us to the holes in the ground. She knows something is in there – she can smell it.  One morning we saw a little head pop up out of the ground.  Then it disappeared.  

So the hunt is on.  It’s like playing whack-a-mole with Sox going from hole to hole.  For the last week or so she’s spent most of her park time watching, smelling the holes, and waiting. 

Boston Terriers are delightful dogs, great companions, and stubborn as hell.  We know Sox will keep looking for the squirrels in the Rotunda.  She’ll never catch anything.

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What animal brings joy and laughter into your life? Leave a comment below or send a note via the Contact Form. We’ll ask Sox to read and respond.

Enjoy your weekend! / Aproveite o seu fim de semana!

Mary and Mike

The Cook and The Writer

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