Here it is 4:00 in the morning, behind a little tienda somewhere in the desert near Mahtehuala, off highway 54. I find myself sitting here waiting for Anna to relieve herself after 6 hours of riding on a bus from Nuevo Laredo, looking up at the stars going wow!

The smells behind a bus stop are way different than the ones in front where the passengers are hanging out buying refrescos. I’m sure they are blowing Anna’s mind also.

My girlfriend, Michelle, got Anna, a Jack Russell Terrier, who completely stole our hearts. We wanted to keep traveling Mexico, so we figured out how to take Anna with us.

The numero uno thing to do is to get several copies of current vaccination records all notarized. The more copies the better ’cause you never know which officials will keep them. Now Anna is a veteran of traveling Mexico by land and air. When we fly we put her under the seat in her airline approved bag. Anna can see out but people can’t see in.

The larger the dog the more difficult things become. You definitely have to drive with a large dog. Hotels are a little harder with big dogs, but if you pay a big enough deposito, you can probably get away with anything no matter what size your elephant is.

In taking Anna to Mexico I think I have rediscovered it in a way. It means you have to get up in the morning and take her for a walk, you go to places and encounter people you probably would have never ever known about.

People in Mexico generally seem to love dogs and treat you a little differently when they see you have a pet. It sets you apart from the regular turista. I’ve also noticed that on the beaches, the turistas are always watching Anna and me running and playing. They keep coming up to me telling me about their dogs at home and how much they miss them. Anna is now part of the family and it seems crazy not to take your whole family on trips. So you bring your dog! It bring a whole new side to hanging out at the beach. They seem to really love it. I’m sure it looks kinda funny seeing some weird gringo picking up his dog’s caca on a Mexican beach and taking it to a garbage can. But I think a clean beach is muy importante!!

We take Anna in her bag to all kinds of restaurants. Sometimes people don’t mind Anna sitting with us. You can almost get away with anything. Her carry bag has mesh netting so she can see out and breathe comfortably. She gets in it and sleeps. I’ve seen her do 10 hours on the bus no problema. Most of the time people don’t even know there is a dog with us. As for water, Anna, drinks regular water or bottled water. I’ve never noticed her doing the Aztec 2 step!