The animals in Haiti are vastly different from the ones in Namibia. You won’t find anything too large here. No elephants, giraffes, rhinos, or crocodiles. The biggest thing here is a cow, though the pigs are pretty gargantuan too!

Here’s a sample of some you might see if you hang out here long enough…

Every once in a while you’ll see a big one of these gals walking around. Usually though they are attached to a rope that’s tied to the ground. Or occasionally you might see one strapped to the back of a motorcycle like I did on my trip in August!

Goats and sheep are common here. I try to get the baby goats to play with me but they just run away!

This little guy was a stowaway on the bread truck last month. Frogs are around though I don’t often see them. Lizards are more commonly seen. During the day you’ll find them on the walls, or even some really big ones crawling in the yard. At night, they’ll come in the house and scamper along the walls.

We’ve got a couple hummingbirds that hang around the guest house. I made a makeshift feeder out of an ibuprofen bottle. Not sure if they ever ate from it. A guy from Archbold sent down a real feeder with a later group. Hopefully they’re enjoying that one!

Last month there was a mama chicken when seven baby chicks. We later learned that NeNe had bought the chicken and was planning to eat her one day. One of the chicks was sick or something. It was quite an ordeal and my heart was broken. The chick would try to walk and would just fall on her face. I picked her up and she ended up taking nap in my lap. She wouldn’t eat and NeNe told me she was going to die. Sure enough, she died overnight. I was crushed. Then, slowly, more baby chicks started disappearing. By last week, we were down to two. NeNe ended up taking those two to his mom. The mama chick kept flying the coop and I’m not sure now what’s become of her…This is my sweet little short-lived friend. :(

This is Sarah’s puppy Gracie on the day she got her. Sarah’s puppies have had it rough. The last one she rescued was in bad shape. He was so skinny and dehydrated! She attempted to bring him back to life but he managed to squeeze through a hole in the gate and is now roaming the streets (if he survived) as one of the many other starving dogs in Haiti. Sad! But Gracie is a healthy (even fat!) pup. She’s playful and mischievous just like any good pup!

And this is my little pup, Fibi! Sarah wasn’t planning on bringing around another puppy, but she was at a non-profit here a few weeks ago who had a couple puppies they wanted to find good homes for. Like a softy, she took them both. She gave one to a lady who has an orphanage here and she gave the other to me. She said, “She can come live at my house when you leave.” So among the many other tasks I have, I started taking care of this little rascal. I don’t know that I’ve ever really had a puppy except for once when I was a kid. Man, they are a handful! But Fibi is learning quick and she’s a good dog. All of the volunteers love her. She’s fun to have around and brings a little extra joy to my days here. Though unfortunately she’s going to make it even more difficult for me to leave Haiti now!

This is Mia, the puppy Sarah had in November. Some thieves jumped her fence in December, stole her water pump and killed Mia. :( Life can be vicious in Haiti sometimes.

Back to a lighter note, we've taken Fibi to Sarah's a couple times so they can have a play date. They are sisters-to-be after all, so they might as well start getting used to each other. They are fierce fighters but still adorable.