Animals have a sixth sense; they can feel and sense things. However, there's something they never understand: the economy. It was my biggest crisis point, a time when money did bring happiness and stability (well, it always does, and anyone who says otherwise is lying). But at that point, I look back and am so grateful that things improved, and I think this was true for most Venezuelans, between 2017 and 2018. The crisis was hitting the country hard, and I had three mouths to feed, three beings who didn't know what was happening. They just looked at me with love, knowing I wouldn't let them go a single day without eating.

Dog food was super expensive, and while it was available, buying it was difficult, so I resorted to broken rice and pork rinds, Nutrican, or any other lower-quality protein that could supplement their diet, along with carrots or other vegetables they could eat. I wanted to give them something much better; they deserved it. Even so, the income I earned was very little, and it only contributed to the household expenses.

Tell me when they got sick, I felt like I was getting sick too. I didn't know how I was going to afford medicine, so much so that at one point I thought about giving them up for adoption, and it hurt me because they were already used to me. Thank God I found people I will always be grateful to for helping me back then. First, my neighbor, who got help from other people and sold me better protein than what I gave them at an affordable price. She also helped me with any other medicine, like the chemotherapy for my precious little black girl, who needed it urgently.

The other person was, and still is, my dogs' regular veterinarian. I met him through my neighbor, who never charged me and whom I could call for any emergency. Tell me, when my dog ​​Chloe got ehrlichiosis and was bleeding profusely from the nose, it was late afternoon, almost night. My aunt kindly gave me a ride, but the doctor had already left the office. She also did me the great favor of taking her home, which was far away, but she wouldn't stop bleeding, and we finally arrived. The doctor administered her treatments and didn't charge me, simply because he knew that this little dog had been rescued from abuse and I would do anything for her. For that reason, I don't hesitate to offer my full support to the doctor, my neighbor, and my aunt, who helped me through my most difficult times with my beautiful pack.

Now that I have a job, I buy them their offal, their chicken, their ground beef, along with a little rice to stretch their diet, and I buy them dog food—not too much, because they probably don't like it anyway. Nevertheless, I really appreciate that they have food, that I can buy them whatever medicine they need whenever I need it, without worrying about whether I'll have enough tomorrow, and I can even pay for a taxi to take them to the vet. This whole situation has made me work even harder to get ahead, because nothing brings more peace and mental well-being than being able to respond in times of crisis without worrying or stressing about whether there will be enough for tomorrow.