Adventures of a Naughty Dog Part 7

Naughty, naughty dog! I went to the grocery store for an hour today and in my absence, Lucy helped herself to the contents of the drawer next to my bedside.

Last night I thought I set the timer on my AC unit for 30 minutes like I normally do, but apparently not! Instead, it ran the whole night and made my room nice and cool. Oh well, no big deal. Usually when I leave, I let Lucy have free roam of our small apartment, but since it was so much nicer temperature-wise in my room, I figured I'd lock her in so she could enjoy it. Ungrateful little brat! Just before I left, she was being so cute all curled up on my pillows so I pulled my camera out of the drawer. Guess I left it open, because I came home to find a shredded treat packet, mostly devoured lollipop, and a bunch of random items strewn across my bed and floor. Bad dog. She also managed to get a bottle of Aleve open, but I don't think she ate any of it because the pills are all stuck together from the humidity here and they were still in the bottle. That was scare number 1. Then I thought she'd gotten a very large number of rich fatty treats and was worried she was going to end up with pancreatitis. Luckily I remembered that I had a small packet of treats stashed in my drawer that only had a couple in it.

I can't believe how naughty she was! All I was trying to do was make HER more comfortable. Grr!

Saving the Ocean, One Turtle at a Time

Last night I had the opportunity to participate in the most amazing research project ever. I spent the entire night hanging out on a beach collecting data on leatherback sea turtles as they came ashore to lay their eggs.

It all started a couple of months ago, when one of SVM clubs held their annual Ocean Spirits meeting. Ocean Spirits is the name of the group that spends 6 months of the year tracking, tagging, and collecting data on all of the sea turtles that come to Levera Beach in Grenada to nest. The researchers stay up every night and monitor the beach for nesting activities. Our Exotics and Wildlife Society has a partnership with Ocean Spirits allowing groups of 4 veterinary students at a time to go up to Levera to assist with the research collecting. The dates range from mid-March through finals for us and we go on Friday and Saturday nights. EWS holds a lottery in the spring for sign up, and groups are chosen from there.

Before any of the students were allowed to go to the beach, we all attended a lecture on the research project. Ocean Spirits described their mission to us, showed us how the data collection process occurs, and gave us some background information on the turtles. After that each group has taken turns heading 1.5-2 hours up the eastern coast of Grenada to participate in one of the most unique and incredible experiences vet school in Grenada has to offer. 

Yesterday evening, we left True Blue at just after 6p and began the long journey up the east coast of Grenada. Even though Grenada isn't all that large and to get from school to Levera was only 23km, the winding roads and "interesting" drivers mean that it takes a lot longer to get from point A to point B. The directions on how to get there describe passing landmarks, rather than road names. Phrases like "following the Sugar Factory," "you [will] reach a small bridge with traffic light," "you'll know you've reached Tivoli when you see a gas station on your right [and] a few hundred meters from the station you will see Large church at top of playing field on your right," "there should be some small shacks/rum shops ahead of you at the turn," and "continue until you reach the center of R Salle where you'll find a roundabout with signposts" were all we had to guide us in the dark (with little to no extra street lighting) to the beach. When we reached Antoine Bay, all of the lights and traces of civalization melted away into the darkness. To the left you saw mountainous jungle, to the right you saw (smelled and heard) the gentle ocean waves. A few minute beyond this point, we reached the "end" of our road. To go left, the area was chained off and being guarded, to continue straight was blocked off with signs. The man standing watch informed us that the research team had not yet passed through and we could just wait until they arrived. After they arrived, we followed them down a bumpy dirt road to the beach.

When we arrived at the beach, we unloaded the cars in the dark with red lamps and traveled a short distance to a set of beached boats. Little tiny rowboats used as fishing boats during the day served as our "camp site." No tents, no tarps, just laying out under the stars. Even though it was only 7:30p at this point, it seemed like it could be the middle of the night as it was pitch black out with only the stars and sliver of moon casting a soft glow on the water for lighting. We dropped our belongings into the hull of one of the boats and set off on our first "run." There's no running actually involved, it's just what they called the beach patrol trips. My three groupmates and I set off after our research supervisor Chris, as he began explaining our roles for the night. The beach was a lot longer than we all had expected, but we didn't encounter any turtles on our way to the end. When we reached the end of the beach, we sat down and Chris went through each piece of equipment in the bags we were carrying. Each sweep occurs 30 minutes apart, so we hung out introducing ourselves before our next sweep.

As we headed back towards our camp area, we came across our first turtle! It was extremely thrilling to stumble upon this beautiful gigantic animal hauling itself along the sand until she found a spot she felt was suitable for a nest. She began to dig herself a a pit for her body with her front flippers and then began excavating a deep hole for her eggs. While we patiently watched, we radioed back to the other team to let them know a turtle was discovered. A tour group headed our way to watch the process, and when they arrived, they informed us that they had passed another turtle coming up to nest. The other team had already come across a third turtle, so a bit of splitting up had to occur to cover them all! My friend and I volunteered to remain with the current turtle and tour group while Chris and our other classmates went to check out the newest arrival. My friend and I watched with eager anticipation as our turtle dug a deep nest. I recorded information on the data sheet as my friend threw on a glove and got ready to count the eggs as they fell into the nest. In a very no-invasive way, we counted the eggs as they were laid into the nest. It was a spectacular process to watch. The turtles lay a combination of yolked eggs that are fertilized and will hatch and yolkless eggs that are smaller and meant to be added protection for the nest. All in all, this turtle laid 147 eggs! Average nest size is about 120, so we had quite a few more to count than normal! Chris and our classmates returned during the laying period to check on us. When the turtle finished laying and began to cover her nest with sand, a small nest tag was placed in with the eggs. When the nest is mostly filled, a rope end is placed so that when the turtle leaves, measurements from the areal markers, vegetation, and ocean could be made. As she was covering her nest, Chris and my friend took measurements of her carapace (shell) length and width. We said our goodbyes to the turtle (and tour group) and headed back to check on our second turtle of the night.

This time my two classmates took the lead, repeating the same process my friend and I had for their turtle. We weren't at the second site long before learning that a 3rd turtle had come ashore! My friend and I set off to repeat the process, and this time it was my turn to count the eggs as they dropped into the nest. Laying on my stomach at the edge of the hole, I let them pass through my hand as I kept track of how many were dropping. The eggs are slimy, soft and round, not hard like a chicken's egg. As they drop into the hole on top of each other, small dents are made in the shells. They were slightly larger then a golf ball in size, and appeared to be a tanish color (although it's kind of hard to judge color when all you have to see with is a red lamp). The whole laying process can take anywhere from an hour to multiple hours, depending on how quickly the turtle picks her spot and how quickly she returns to sea (versus wandering around making false nests). Between when we first left at 7:45p and 12:45a, we recorded data for 6 turtles! It was really an amazing process and exhilarating feeling.

We returned to our camp to take a break. Stretched out on the sand under the stars, I read through my anesthesia notes under a red glow. I don't think I have ever seen so many stars in my life. Being from suburbia, the light pollution generally drowns out many of the smaller stars, and even the small amount of light pollution from the south end of the island makes it harder to see the faint ones.

Around 1:30a, we had a bit of an unpleasant surprise roll in. Clouds blocked out all of our beautiful stars and it began to sprinkle. Great. We still had several more hours and we were going to have spend them soaking wet? Not cool Grenada, not cool. Luckily it turned out to be a tease and no more than a few sprinkles were felt at that point. Then we got our real surprise. Rain shower! Cold, wet rain plopped onto our belongs and the sand, leaving us a little more damp than just the humidity already had! We ended up getting very lucky and after about 5 minutes, the rain stopped and we didn't encounter any more until we left in the morning.

Our second run was at 2a with two of the Grenadian leaders, Steve and Kimron. We followed them along the beach until we stumble upon a smaller turtle digging a nest. Another smaller group of tourists were quietly watching when we arrived. We began the data collection process and didn't arrive back at camp until after 3a. At that point it was snack time! A dried out peanut butter sandwich for me (oh how I miss soft bread!) with a little bit of water. When I packed for the evening originally, I brought as much water as I possibly could, not stopping to think about the bathroom situation. Turns out the woods are the only option! Not feeling to excited at the idea of sneaking around in the woods, I decided to limit my water consumption for the night!

If I fell asleep at all, it wasn't for more than 10 or 15 minutes, because when Chris walked by our group at 4a for the next run, I heard him and my friend and I were immediately up and ready to follow. This time it was a quiet run. We hung out at the same spot we had initially and chatted. When we got back around 5a, the sky was already faintly starting to get light for sunrise. My friend and I watched the sun rise slowly over the distant islands.

 At around 6a, the whole group got up and rakes were distributed. In the early morning, the research group goes out and rakes the sand over where there are turtle tracks to help disguise the nests from possible poachers. There happened to be one more person than rakes, so I ended up just taking pictures in the day light. No early morning nester for us unfortunately. Or rather, fortunately, for as soon as we began loading the car at 6:30a, it began pouring rain!

The drive back was very pretty and peaceful. Not a whole lot of action happening that early in the morning, although we passed plenty of locals feeding their livestock and preparing for the day. When I got home, I dropped my stuff right inside the door and immediately hit the shower. I was so covered in sand, I knew that if I even paused for a minute, the inside of our apartment was going to end up looking like a beach!! I spent the rest of the day sleeping and feeling content and amazed at the experience I had just witnessed.

I hope that I have the opportunity to visit Levera Beach next spring. Who knows, maybe some day I'll eve come back and join the team as a researcher! What a truly amazing experience and job. I am so jealous! These animals are very special and this is something I won't ever forget.

Is Lucy For Sale?

After spending a large amount of time being instructed by professors with foreign accents both at Virginia Tech and at SGU, and living in another country for nearly 2 years, one might think I'd be an expert at "reading between the lines" when someone is talking to me. Definitely not true. I have gotten a lot better at being able to understand a lot of people, but I definitely still struggle under some conditions!

Today while Lucy and I were taking our evening walk, we stumbled upon a man/teenager/child(?) walking along with a goat on a leash (or maybe it was a sheep). I say man/teen/child because I'm honestly not sure - from behind he looked really young, but looking at his face? It was confusing. He had a very strong accent, and as Lucy and I passed him (she was 100% focused on making friends with the goat, which I was not allowing), he said hi and asked me something. I think he said something about her eyes? I get asked a lot what's wrong with her eyes here (some people think she's blind, others want a dog like that for themselves, and others think she must be the devil), so I kind of assumed he was asking what was wrong with them. I told him her eyes were completely normal and that she really wanted to be friends with his goat. He didn't really respond to that and we continued on our walk. This route is not a loop, so we go to the end of the street and then turn around and come back. I was really hoping he and the goat had turned off some where, but no such luck. Lucy was straining at the leash to sniff the bleating creature. This time when we passed him, he asked me something (twice) and the only thing I caught out of the statement was the word "medicine" (I think). Not being a medical student, I said no, I'm vet med. Since that was not what he was asking, he told me no, asked me something else, and asked something about price I paid for her. I told him no one wanted her at my home so I got her as a gift and then kind of awkwardly tried to keep going since I couldn't understand a word he said!

I think maybe he was hoping to buy or trade for her? Really not sure. The last time I was asked how much I paid for her, I was in line at customs at the airport! Seems like an odd thing to ask someone. I've definitely been asked if she has puppies or a family before, so it really wouldn't surprise me if he was looking to buy her. Or he could have been asking something completely different! I'll never know!

Unfortunately for him (and anyone else desperate to own a heterochromic eyed dog), she's not for sale. For better or for worse, we are stuck with each other until the end!

Lucy Goes to the Dog Show

This past weekend, one of our student organizations held their biannual "PAP Silly Dog Show." PAP stands for Pothounds Against Pregnancy and they're responsible for collecting local animals for our 5th term junior surgery lab as well as fostering strays. A "pothound" is basically the name given to any local island dog because they don't really have a specific breed, they wander the streets (but they have "owners"), and often eat the dinner scraps (food from the pot). PAP's goal is to spay and neuter island pets (with their owner's permission) and give them basic medical care at the time of surgery.

Anyhow, they had a little dog show as a fundraiser for the organization, and since Lucy was very bored that day, I decided to take her out for a social occasion. See some doggie friends! She was nervous at first, but by the end she was running around being a little monkey! She had sooooo many dog treats at the event! Enough that she did not get dinner that night and didn't appear to care.

They had 4 categories - a physical attributes category, an obedience category, a costume contest, and a silly dogs category. Lucy won a prize for cutest dog trick. My roommate has been teaching her little things over the last several weeks, so now Lucy will crawl on the floor for food. It's pretty cute. Her friend Elliott practically stole the show he won so many prizes! Lucky for Lucy, his mommy generously shared his hard earned winnings! The two of them are hilarious. Any time they suspected (or knew) food was about, they'd go racing to that persons feet and beg. Lucy at least would instantly sit at your feet, but she was a naughty little beggar!

Two Tank Dive

My roommate, classmate, and I did a two tank dive this morning! My roommate did her two dives to finish her certification and our other friend and I were just there to have a good time under water. Instead of doing reef dives, we chose to go to two of Grenada's shallow wrecks.

We started the morning out by suiting up and hopping on the smaller dive shop boat. The water was rougher today than it has been on previous dives, but nothing like what I'm used to seeing at home in the Atlantic! Our first dive site was the Veronica L., a wreck off the coast of Grand Anse Beach that is 120 ft long and about 50ft deep. The hull is completely open so we were able to swim in and look around. The wreck is teeming with life - there are corals and algae covering every spec of wreck surface and tons of fish and crustaceans browsing about. It was too deep to take my camera, but it was amazing all the same to stop and look at everything without lining up the perfect shots. After we'd spent ample time at the wreck, we swam along a section of Boss reef, taking in the critters and corals inhabiting the area.

When we first rolled into the water and put our regulators in, I could tell something wasn't quite right with my primary regulator. On the surface, I kept finding extra water splash in it which was annoying but didn't inhibit my ability to breathe. When I stuck my face in the water, it seemed to go away so I ignored it. As soon as we started to descend, it was definitely leaking, and before we got more than a few feet, I signaled something was wrong with my regulator and went back to the surface. I ended up just switching to my back up regulator (inspection later on boat revealed that the mouth piece had a large hole in it!). I prefer regulators that deliver air easily on demand, rather than making you "work" for it. When I say work, I just mean that there is a little extra resistance to breathing when you breathe in. My back up regulator was also being kind of strange, but it wasn't leaking and it wasn't enough of a problem for me to skip the dive. When facing upwards towards the surface, the resistance was quite great and the more upside vertical I went, the easier is was to take a full breath. Time for regulator maintenance! Equipment issues just serve to keep you more on your toes I guess! I swapped out the regulator system when we got back on the boat, so I wasn't stuck with a weird regulator the whole time.

One of the frustrating parts of diving is that it's difficult to communicate under water. You can't talk, and motions/gestures can be limited or confusing. The dive instructor under water who saw me using my backup was obviously concerned (I think initially he just thought I made a mistake). How do you say leaking in hand signals?! We have some universal signs to relay basic vitals like "ok," "something's wrong," "out of air," "low on air," "ascend," and "descend," to name a few, but its hard to get too complex!

For our next dive, we headed back to shore to swap out divers and pick up fresh tanks. We then headed out to Three Parts Wreck, also off the coast of Grand Anse Beach. The water in this location was even rougher - not too rough for the boat, but definitely makes things interesting when you're trying not to drift away in the water! This time we descended as a group of five, my roommate and two other girls completing certification dives and my friend and I diving as buddies for fun. This wreck was a little bit shallower at 40 feet, so I took my camera with me! The certification divers had a few skills to demonstrate so my friend and I were just going to poke around when we got to the bottom for awhile. I had no problems descending and immediately began taking pictures of the wreck. I looked up after a couple of minutes because my buddy was still several feet above me. I signaled to ask if she was okay and she replied with mask issues. I ascended to her point to take a look, and noticed that the mask looked way too tight and that it was leaking like crazy. She was trying to fix it underwater, but was having too much trouble, so we ended up just ascending to the surface. Enter trouble ;). We fixed her mask on the surface, told the boat in the distance not to worry, and headed back down. I had forgotten the whole current issue we encountered when first getting in and definitely had not taken into account just how far we had drifted from the wreck! We got back down halfway and a quick look at our surroundings told us we were lost! A couple of shadows off in the distance looked vaguely promising, so we decided to swim a few kicks in that direction. After a moment or so, we realized that wasn't going to do much for us and ascended to look for the diving buoy. When we popped out of the water, we discovered just how far we'd drifted - quite far away! Ever the optimist, I began swimming towards it (it's really hard to do in choppy water!) but we lucked out and were "rescued" by the boat. The driver was definitely not pleased with us - oops. We didn't mean to! It seemed like such a quick and simple fix at the time! We were able to head back over to our original site and finish doing the dive.

The rest of the dive was uneventful. Lots of pretty things to look at and take pictures of. We spent nearly an hour at the bottom before heading back up to head in for the day.

All in all a couple of great dives! Can't wait to go back for more! Hopefully I'll get to do a night dive soon but who knows how the scheduling for that will work out.