Here and now, Aqui y ahora.

My adventure companion is named Kiwi. She is a black and white doggie, like Yin and Yang. She has a little birthmark underneath her gum, honey brown eyes, and white paws that look as if she were wearing little school socks covering her legs. On her black back, she has a few white hairs that look like little gray hairs, a mark she has had since she was a puppy.

When Kiwi was chosen, I thought she was going to be a sleepy head because she was always the calmest puppy in the litter, constantly sleeping. I remember calling my mom and telling her, “Mom, she looks like she’s going to be a very sleepy dog.” And my mom replied, “Wait until she grows up.” She was right.

Kiwi is a very happy and somewhat intense dog. She is still a puppy, she is only three years old, and maybe it also has something to do with the fact that her zodiac sign is Scorpio. I have read that Scorpios are characterized by being intense, passionate, loyal, and transformative. Kiwi is all of that and so much more.

I remember once I was looking to rent a room in a house, and there was a chicken living there. The person renting the room asked me if Kiwi would get along with the chicken.

“Shit,” I thought.

I immediately remembered all the times she had chased wallabies, caught live birds and rabbits, carried dead animals around, and even walked around with a mouse in her mouth. So I answered, “Umm… yes, if she’s trained. She went to puppy school…”

Finding a home with Kiwi can be a little complicated because she is an energetic dog, and landlords don’t necessarily want their houses getting dirty (knowing that humans can be more dirty than dogs) but... Anyway,

I have to admit that sometimes I worry too much about how much she might limit me. Having a dog is an enormous responsibility. It is different when you have a dog as a child because eventually your parents end up taking care of them. When it is your own pet, everything is different. I understand my parents now.

I worry about her getting hit by a car, or eating a wallaby, or becoming depressed because I haven’t taken her out enough. And yet, just like the duality of Yin and Yang, having her has been one of the greatest blessings of my life and an incredible experience.

My dog is a being of light.

She will always look at you with eyes full of love, no matter your race, your appearance, your size, your personality, whether you are fat or thin. She simply doesn’t care.

I think about the story from a book I read as a child, A Siberian Dog, about the loyalty of a dog toward a person who had an illness and had been rejected by his family because of it. His dog, Sasha, remained loyal and unconditional, without prejudice.

That is my Kiwi.

I always hug her and smell her. I love her smell. It is so uniquely hers. I want to remember her smell forever.

Kiwi is mine, and she has been there through the good and the bad. She is life itself.

I am constantly amazed by how adaptable she is. Kiwi has been through several moves, my breakup, changes and transformations, big spaces and tiny spaces, people leaving her life and others coming into it.

One day, I held her little head in my hands, looked into her eyes, and had a deep conversation with her. I promised her that I would never abandon her. That we would never abandon each other.

It is our life pact.

She will always be with me and will go wherever I go, no matter how far the distance. I will choose her in this life and in a thousand others.

Kiwi has witnessed my happiness and my sadness. She has seen my tantrums, the moments when I was falling apart into a thousand pieces. She was there.

On nights filled with bitterness and fear, during the screams of my soul, her little eyes were always watching me.

In my immense sadness, she was there.

During my lonely mornings and nights, she always made me go outside, take a breath, and keep moving. With her, I learned to enjoy peace, stillness, and my own company.

I always made it clear to her that I am responsible for my own problems and that I am here to take care of her.

And actually, I don’t take Kiwi for walks.

We take each other out, juntas nos sacamos

Because, uff… it doesn’t matter if you are depressed, sad, busy, or anxious, you have to take Kiwi out, or you will suffer the consequences. Hahaha.

But then you go outside and see nature, the ocean, the green, and watch her play and enjoy the simplest things. And when she comes back happy, it makes me even happier. She pulls me out of my comfort zone and away from my worries.

She swims.

We love going to the beach together.

She must have been a mermaid in a previous life.

Kiwi has so many unique little gestures.

Every morning around 7 a.m., she throws her whole body against yours in bed so you will pet her. She seems to believe she weighs as much as a feather.

She brings you her toys and pinches you if you don’t play with her.

Every morning she stretches and does her little yogi pose when she wants to go outside.

When she needs water or needs to go to the bathroom, she starts walking from side to side.

She lifts one back leg no matter how sleepy she is.

She happily greets everyone she meets.

She sticks her head out of the car window.

She sits in the passenger seat.

She puts her paw on you so you will pet her.

She opens doors as “Pedro por su casa”

She gets excited when you tell her, “Good morning, Buenos diaaas!”

She loves running free without a leash.

She isn’t particularly affectionate, but she will ask for help getting into the car while somehow having absolutely no problem getting herself onto the bed.

She can run for many kilometers.

She chases rabbits.

She loves eating fruits and vegetables, especially bananas and apples.

She barks when she hears wallabies.

She loves playing with sticks and bottle caps.

She loses her balls in the ocean.

She hates when other dogs sniff her butt.

She knows how to stand her ground.

She loves lying in a little ray of sunshine.

She has been with me through some of the hardest moments of my life and some of the most beautiful ones too.

She has a personality like no other.

Kiwi gives me an enormous sense of relief, and her companionship is one of the greatest blessings in my life.

I am incredibly lucky to have her by my side.

With her, I am present.

With her, I am here.

Here and now, aqui y ahora.