One of the things Julie & I have come to love in our neighborhood are the chicken & other animals that roam free.  For regular readers of this blog, as well as any guests that have stayed at my place in the 21 months we have lived here, you all know the special place that Niko, the neighborhood dog, had in our hearts.

Not long after we moved to Cayman, Niko started “joining” us for walks along with our own dog Aipa.  Either we would walk by his place and he would follow us or more recently he would lie outside our front door until we came out.  Just this week, Niko spent two days with us due to very heavy rain ; we let him stay on our back (covered) porch so that we would stay dry.  Also, a few times a week, Niko would follow Julie to the gym (a 10-12 minute walk) and would wait patiently outside the door until she finished about 1h later. He would then walk back home with her where he would be rewarded with treats.

Julian, Niko’s owner, came over this morning with the terrible news.  Niko was lying lifeless on the side of the street, very close to our place.   He had joined us for our nightly walk the previous evening and we know he went home afterward.  We presume that early in the morning, as he often does, he was coming over to our place when he was struck by (presumably) a car.

Here is a picture of Niko coming to our place wagging his tail!

Niko attacking a crab

On a hot day, sharing the cold floor and a/c with Aipa.