Mi Medico Veterinarian Mexicano

True stories of a Mexican veterinarian and small creatures
Several years ago we began to spend five or six months of the year in Mexico. As we have two little dogs, Tobi, now fourteen, and Kikko, now 7, who are both Bichon Frieze and Shih Tzu cross. They are not related to one another. Needing a haircut periodically, it was discovered that some Medico Veterinary perform this function.
Mexico speaks Spanish. I learned to read it by subscribing to the local newspaper. I doggedly looked up the words in a small pocket sized Spanish-English and English-Spanish dictionary, until I chanced upon an internet site which provides more detailed definitions with examples. With time and patience, some proficiency in the Spanish language permitted me to be able to listen and to speak Spanish to some rudimentary degree.
Our visits to the Veterinarian were conducted in Spanish. I understood him to ask me where I was from. ‘Canada” I replied. His response was that he enjoyed Canadian Whisky.
In those first visits, I knew that there was something special about him, some basic understanding that we shared, some attitudes we shared. Beyond that, our visits were perfunctory.
That is, until one day, in his trying-to-speak-English voice he asked me if I read Spanish. “Yo leo Espagnol,” I replied.
He asked me if I would read his manuscript and give him advice on it. I agreed and I did.
I learned a great deal from and about my Mexican Medico Veterinarian. So much that I wish to share it with you in upcoming blogs.

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