Agua, the Mysterious Portuguese Water Dog

Natalia dimmed the oil lamp and carried it to her mother’s room where she slept beside her every night on a pallet on the floor. She walked to the window to close the lace curtains. As she did so, she noticed a wispy fog creeping in low upon the sea. A light shiver ran through her, for as a little girl she had heard reverently whispered stories (stories she was not meant to hear) about mysterious occurrences that happened whenever this particular fog drifted in. “Névoa do milagre” (“miracle fog”) the villagers called it. At the same time, off in the distance, Natalia thought she heard the echoing sound of a dog barking. Yet she knew that no dogs remained in or even around the little village. Giving a sigh and turning from the window, Natalia changed into a flannel nightgown and climbed under the rough woolen blanket. But, tired as she was, she could not sleep. Her thoughts kept returning to the fog and what it might mean. She lay awake for what seemed like hours, when she thought she heard an odd scratching sound coming from somewhere close by. Then it stopped, only to start again moments later. Natalia slowly pulled back the blanket and quietly stood up. She tiptoed silently across the dark room and peered into the main area. The sound seemed to be coming from the door and grew louder as the moments went by. Natalia was undecided. Should she wake her father and brother? Or should she investigate the noise herself? The memory of the fog and her own curiosity got the better of her, and she lit the lantern and quietly moved toward the door. Natalia opened the door a crack and peeked out. At first she saw nothing, but then a small noise made her look down. There, sitting on the doorstep, was a dog. Its hair was black and white and curly, and Natalia could see that it was soaking wet and shivering. It gazed up at her with peaceful, trusting brown eyes as if to say, “Will you take me in and care for me?” Unsure of what to do, Natalia opened the door wider. As she did so, the dog stood up and padded into the little hut. Upon closer inspection, she decided he was male and was bigger than she had first thought, a solid animal with a large head and long ears, broad shoulders, narrow hips, larger-than-expected feet, and with a tail that, oddly enough, curled up and over his back. Remarkably, the tail had a fluffy plume of white fur on its tip that waved like a flag in the air. His hair from waist to tail was shorter than the hair on his upper body and head. In fact, he had a lion-like look with a stance that could only be described as régio (regal). Natalia had never seen anything quite like him. She watched as he lifted his nose in the air, sniffing as if perhaps he could sense something about the occupants of the home. Satisfied, he turned and walked back toward Natalia, who was still holding the door. He sat down in front of her, wagging his impossibly curly tail back and forth and staring at her with expectant eyes. “Hello, boy,” she offered. “Where did you come from?” She held out her hand, and he licked it softly. As if he understood her question, he looked at the door and gave a low woof. Natalia sensed that he was asking her to close the door, so she did. The dog moved closer to her, leaning against her legs and pressing her back into the room. Once again, Natalia noticed how wet he was, so she went in search of a rag to dry him with. He followed closely behind her, as if he could not bear to be separated from her. Natalia knelt in front of him and, as she dried him, she talked softly to him. “Who is your owner, and what is your name, I wonder?” He stared at her patiently. “No matter. For now I shall call you Agua, as you have obviously come to me from out of the water. In the morning I shall see if I can somehow find your owner.” She then turned and walked back to her pallet, settling down once again to sleep. Only this time, she had a companion who lay close by her side as she drifted off to sleep. And as Aqua laid his head down on his large paws, unbeknown to Natalia, the miracle fog slowly drifted back out to sea.