Luna Maya ~ A Cross Border Adoption Story

Tug O'War

2010-02-09T20:37:00.004-05:00

Few things about this video....

1) You may (or may not) notice that I had to re-arrange my living room. This is because Jack & Luna like to use our couch as a vantage point by which to keep watch on the neighborhood. I decided having the couch in front of the picture window was no longer a good idea if I wanted to keep my couches in useable condition!

2) The chairs on the couches -- yes, they're still there. No, they're not a permanent fixture! It was just because I had gone to the gym and left the dogs loose in the house (normally, they are confined to the office). There are also no throw pillows on the couches, no area rugs, and no plants. This is because Luna has become the Tazmanian devil of puppy chewing. If I remove the temptation, then she stays out of trouble (for the most part).

3) Keep an eye on Jack -- he shows up towards the end of the video. He gives the camera some very funny looks!

Luna's Latest...

2010-02-09T20:08:00.006-05:00

It's been far too long since I've updated this blog. January was an extremely busy month at work and February is going to be a busy month in the personal life! On a very positive note, the first week of March, we are headed back to Playa del Carmen! I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to travel as much as we have been the last few years. I hope to continue to travel many years to come!

My vet (Bolton Veterinary Clinic in Bolton, CT) has graciously agreed to donate numerous medications to Peanut Pet Shelter! I am very excited to have the opportunity to contribute to Peanut's success and the health & well being of the dogs and puppies at the shelter! I am really looking forward to visiting the shelter on this next trip. Will be sure to take lots of pictures!

Here are some updated photos of Luna:

Luna & Bronson:

Luna @ the stream behind our house:

Steve & Luna doing their favorite activity:

Luna is getting too big for her bed!

Jack & Luna Smackdown

2010-01-01T18:36:00.002-05:00

She and Jack have become sparring partners. She adores him and he's starting to fall in love with her too.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

2010-01-01T18:10:00.004-05:00

Happy 2010 to all our friends! 2009 was an awesome year. I had a blast racing in so many 5Ks, a few triathlons, and a cross country series. I was fortunate enough to travel to Playa del Carmen in November and most importantly, bring Luna Maya home!

She has been a very welcome addition to our pack. She is now house-trained (took a little under a month - shortest of any of my dogs...ever!) and she can sit on command. We have resolved the issue with her dinner time craziness and she now sits and stays until she gets the "release" command from us.

She has a favorite chair in the house and can now jump up into it on her own. She used to have to whimper until we put her in it. She is also able to sleep outside her kennel at night. She's made a lot of progress over the last week or so. It's quite amazing.

She also appears to have grown a winter coat and no longer shivers in the cold - even without her jacket. She's also piling on the pounds and is up to about 17 pounds (from 11 when we brought her home on 11/30).

Luna did get in trouble the other day. She broke into the cat food container and helped herself to a large serving! I didn't actually catch her in the act but did notice quite a full belly on her when I came home that day and let her out of her kennel. At first, I was very worried because her belly was so huge! But her behavior was completely normal. She wasn't lethargic and was playing like she normally does. I kept an eye on her and while she did have to go outside much more than normal, she was fine within about 24 hours.

Here are some recent pictures of Ms. Luna. She's a very sweet dog (although, I'm not sure her brothers think so!) and loves to cuddle.

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Tired after a day of running in the woods:

Her favorite big brother:

This is what she looked like in her favorite chair after binging on cat food! Glutton!

I found her sleeping in my CLEAN laundry basket. That is the look of a guilty dog!

New book focuses attention on stray dogs in Puerto Rico and Mexico

2009-12-26T11:59:00.000-05:00

New book focuses attention on stray dogs in Puerto Rico and Mexico

This is an older book (2007) but one worth checking out? Anyone know?

Street Dogs in México City

2009-12-26T11:31:00.011-05:00

Here's an interesting & short documentary I found today....

Street Dogs: Who Cares? from Felipe González on Vimeo.

The fight to control the dog population and to improve the lives of the street dogs in México sometimes seems so completely overwhelming and endless. I keep thinking what can I do from here? Is it money? Should I be dedicating more time? Should I adopt more dogs (really not an option)? I think about all the dogs at Peanut Pet Shelter every day. I think about what Andy & Jen go through on a daily basis trying to care for those dogs and make a difference. There must be something more I can do...there must be something more WE can do.

Dogs in the U.S. and Canada have an amazing amount of resources. Yes, there are dogs that need help here but there are many, many, many more people & organizations to help them. I tried to volunteer with the Humane Society and was told they don't need anymore volunteers! Even with the shelters like Peanut and the shelter profiled in the video in México City, that would equate to the tiniest of fractions for what we have here.

Peace to all! Here's hoping for solutions in 2010!

Luna's Latest...

2009-12-14T21:41:00.006-05:00

Luna has been with us for two full weeks now. Thought I'd share some updates!

Eating - When Luna first came home, she would chow down her food in about two gulps. Now, she has a little game she is playing that I need to correct. She won't eat right away but waits for Bronson and Jack to eat. Then, Bronson will wander over to her bowl and she growls and attacks her food. When he walks away, she sits back down and waits for Jack to do the same. Then, she attacks the food while growling. When he walks away, she stops eating. I will then take the food away for an hour. Then, she gets it back and finishes it. I think what I need to do is either stop feeding her separately and/or take the food away if she doesn't start to eat right away. Any suggestions? Please post comments if you have some!

Chewing - Overall, not bad. HOWEVER, today, she got in trouble for chewing a hole in a BRAND NEW t-shirt that I bought for a Christmas present. I was at the gym and Steve was supposed to be watching her. He said she was alone for just a few minutes. She found the t-shirt in the bag that was on the floor. I was less than thrilled when I came home from the gym to find the hole in the t-shirt. Another thing she loves is mulch. I'm constantly pulling mulch out of her mouth!

House Training - Getting better but today has been the first day where there were no accidents. I haven't let her out of my sight (except when I went to the gym) so that definitely helps. She went twice in her kennel during two different nights. I was surprised by this because she didn't cry, which she does a few times during the night. But, keeping my fingers crossed that this doesn't happen again. She has learned to stop taking her time when she does go out. It's too cold to sniff around. She now goes very quickly when she gets outside!

She went on her longest hike on Saturday. It was an hour long and she was exhausted by the time we got home and she slept like a baby the rest of the day. It was a big hike. Lots of big hills, fallen trees to climb over, a water crossing (Steve carried her), and snow. She did great!

She is getting along pretty well with Bronson. She adores him and tries to get him to play. He's starting to play with her more but he's so big and used to playing rough with Jack so we have to keep him in check. Steve found the two of them asleep together on the rug by the door (Bronson's new bed since Luna ruined his!). Very cute!

Jack really can't stand her. She jumps on him, pulls his tail, and bites his face. Jack tolerates it for only so long. Then, he lets her have it! Poor Jack just wants her to go away. LOL!

I'm attaching some pictures for your viewing pleasure!

Jack barely tolerating Luna on our unmade bed!

On a hike....

Looking pretty!

Bronson running back to us and Luna keeping an eye on him -- she's learned if she doesn't she gets run over! This picture is deceiving as he is about 110 pounds larger than she is! He's coming up a hill and she's at the top.

The pack on the rails to trails path near our house...

Exhausted after a long day...

Jack - happy to be out and on the run!

Another Méxican Pup Finds Home North of the Border!

2009-12-12T18:37:00.005-05:00

Wanted to share another adoption story. Hope Gary (aka Duck) doesn't mind that I stole it from the Peanut site! We met Gary and Deb at the doggie wash on Saturday November 28th. Once again, you'll notice it was the man in the relationship responsible for bringing this pup home! Our men are suckers for a cute face! Much love to little Taco, Gary & Deb. We are thrilled that Peanut adopted 2 babies out to the U.S. that week!

The Taco Story - Gary and Deb

Our recent trip to Playa Del Carmen included a day at the doggie wash on Saturday at the Peanut Shelter.

We didn’t really have any plans to adopt but as soon as I saw this sweet wittle puppy with his two siblings I new he was meant for us !

Now the problem was to convince my wife that we NEEDED this puppy to come home with us as a playmate for our other dog at home back in the states.

I had to come up with a good reason because before we left home we had already decided to do the wash but that by NO means were we adopting a puppy.

Well I devised a plan and with the help of Andy and two days of HARD negotiating we finally convinced her that we needed to help the shelter by giving this sweet baby a new home back in Nebraska !

I had often wondered how hard this entire process would be, getting the necessary paperwork, shots, vets ok that the pet doesn’t have anything wrong that would prevent it from traveling abroad etc. etc. What I came to realize is this.... when Andy says you have NOTHING to worry about and that he would take care of all of that he means exactly that ! We didn’t have to do a thing, Andy took care of everything and we were set to go home with our NEW baby ! Andy is even so kind to give you a ride to the airport and walk right up to the check-in counter just to make sure everything goes ok and you are ready to head home, he even let us borrow a carrier to take our baby home !

There was NO problem going through security or customs, they will check your puppies passport papers ( provided by Andy ) at customs when you arrive at your countries entry point and that's it ! This little guy was used to 90 degree weather so once we got home to temps of 25 degrees "F" he was not really "thrilled" but he's doing just fine ! "Taco" is only 8 weeks old so we are in the process of "potty training" him and he is doing amazingly well !! We purchased a sweater for him to wear outside in the cold weather and he looks absolutely adorable and funny at the same time !

The whole process is such a breeze.... the ONLY thing we had to do was to call the airline and make a reservation for Taco everything else is done FOR YOU by Andy !

Thank You Andy and Jen ! Our wittle Taco is doing just fine !

Bronson's Revenge...

2009-12-12T18:21:00.003-05:00

Luna pooped on Bronson's bed the other day.

He sought revenge by stealing hers...

Got any good captions for these pictures? How about...."Fat Dog in a Little Bed" (Tommy Boy reference)....or "Does This Butt Make My Bed Look Small"?

Luna Maya's First Week in the States

2009-12-07T17:36:00.007-05:00

It's been almost one week to the hour that Luna has been a U.S. Canine! I thought I'd provide some pictures and stories about her first week!

Monday 11/30 - flew home from México and drove an hour and a half from Boston to home (Vernon, CT). She was great in the car. Slept like a baby! She slept in her hand-me-down crate. She fussed a bit when we first put her in there but Bronson groaned really loud a few times and she quieted down. It was very funny. It was like he was telling her off.

Tuesday 12/1 - I worked from home so was able to spend all day with her. We got up early, went for hike in the woods. You could tell she was almost overwhelmed by her freedom to run and all the new scents and sites must have been a bit of sensory overload for her. She stuck very close to my side. Here are some pictures from that day:

This stream runs through our backyard. We have acres and acres of woods along our property for the dogs to run!

Watching big brother Bronson flip stones in the water - his favorite past time. She can't quite figure out why it is so interesting!

Never getting too far from me!

On Tuesday, I was also able to bring her to our vet. He was very impressed by her overall health given how her life started on the streets (thank you Andy & Jen). Other than coccidia (an intestinal parasite that causes diarrhea - which we knew about already), she got a clean bill of health! Nothing else showed up on her fecal tests, she received a Lyme disease shot, a dose of round worm medication (just in case), another de-worming application (just in case), and Dr. Grace said her heart sounded strong. We are continuing her medication for the coccidia for a full 14 days.

Our daily hikes in the woods continued as the week went on. I have tried to get them out for an off leash run at least twice a day. My goal is to tire everyone out!! Tired dogs = happy dogs = well behaved dogs! Just like Cesar Millan says -- getting the negative energy out! Every day we saw signs of confidence building in Luna. She'd venture a little further from me and run with her big brothers a little more. Her favorite game is to chase Bronson when I throw him a ball and run back with him -- jumping at his ears like that cartoon ...remember? "Hey Spike, Hey Spike!"

Here are some more pictures to share:

Believe it or no, I do vacuum this rug - it's our home office and the only rug in the house - you can see why!

She loves Bronson!

Although, he's not quite in love with her!

He does love her tiny pink Kong toy!

Plight of the Mexican Street Dog

2009-12-07T16:48:00.006-05:00

There is a documentary called "Companeros de Nadie" or "Companions to None" about the plight of the Mexican street dog. Check out the trailer. It's so difficult to watch but necessary.

You may need to copy paste the link -- until I can figure out how to embed it into this post....

http://www.companionstonone.com/trailer.html

2009-12-06T23:10:00.003-05:00

Bringing Home Baby

2009-12-06T22:36:00.000-05:00

People keep asking me if it was difficult to bring a dog home from México. I think they expect quarantines, significant delays and loads of paperwork. However, it was incredibly simple.

In a nutshell, here's how it went:

Andy from Peanut Pet Shelter brought Luna to the vet for a check up and some vaccinations
Vet provided paperwork sufficient for U.S. Customs (a letter from the vet certifying her health and proving initial vaccinations complete -- additionally, there was a photo of her)
I called U.S. Air to book her onto our flight. U.S. Air only allows pets in the cabin, not in cargo, which is one reason we brought home a puppy. Check with your carrier for pet specific requirements.
Cost for her ticket was $100.00
Andy drove us to the airport and provided a soft sided carrier that fit under the seat in front of us.
Checked in at the U.S. Air counter - agent reviewed the paperwork and I paid for her ticket in person
Went through security - took her out of her carrier & walked through the metal detector
Boarded flight (snuck her out of her carrier for some snuggle time on the plane)
Went through customs in Philadelphia
Customs agent filled out a form from the Dept. of Health & Human Service which advised that we had to confine her for until 3 months of age until she could receive a rabies shot (this just means no dog parks, no socialization with other dogs - other than our own, etc)
Customs took about 20 minutes - we were done and off to our connecting flight!

Bringing Luna home added approximately 25 minutes to our trip. Five minutes for the U.S. Air agent to process her ticket payment and 20 minutes for U.S. Customs. Funny thing is the Customs agent never even looked at Luna. I could have been bringing home a spider monkey and she wouldn't have known! However, the poor guy bringing in meats and chocolate from Europe that was there at the same time was practically given terrorist status!

Luna was an absolute perfect traveler. She was so mellow and slept most of the trip -- without drugs, I might add!

Here are some travel photos of Luna's trip home:

Saying goodbye to Tio Paulo....

At Cancun Airport with Papa & Tia Becky

On the flight home....

We went on vacation and came back with a baby!

2009-12-06T21:22:00.000-05:00

My name is Rebecca and this is the story of Luna Maya - a Méxican street dog born on the streets of Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, México. She was fortunate enough to be rescued and brought to the Peanut Pet Shelter in Playa del Carmen. Peanut Pet Shelter is a no-kill animal shelter dedicated to rescuing and re-homing injured and abandoned dogs and cats (www.peanutpetshelter.org).

Her breed and history are not well known as is the case with so many of the dogs you see all over México. As in many developing countries, dogs and cats are often left to fend for themselves. Money is not available for families to properly spay and neuter their dogs & cats and so in many areas the stray population is out of control. Unlike the United States & Canada, there are very few non-profit organizations that are in a position to provide resources to care for these animals. They are left to fend for themselves - many riddled with parasites, communicable diseases, and many suffering abuse from humans. The people at Peanut Pet Shelter have seen many heartbreaking situations where dogs & puppies have been cut with machetes, had ears sliced, been spray painted, and had boiling water poured on them. Things you can't imagine people ever even thinking of doing, let alone actually doing it.

My husband Steve & I have been traveling once a year to Playa del Carmen since 2006. We love the area and enjoy the beaches, the diving, the atmosphere -- just about everything we love can be found in and around Playa. We are also dog lovers and have always had a soft spot for all animals. We became aware of Peanut Pet Shelter in Playa del Carmen on an internet forum dedicated to all things Playa (www.playa-info.). On this past trip, we were fortunate enough to be able to mule some supplies down to them and on Tuesday, November 24th, were rented a car and headed over to the shelter.

I should back up a bit and give you a little history ...

Prior to adopting Luna, we already had a rottweiler named Bronson and a rescue named Jack. We think Jack is a border collie/aussie shepard mix. When we left for our last trip to Playa, Steve told me we were absolutely not adopting a dog. :) Back to the story.....

When we arrived @ the shelter, we found a gaggle of volunteers cleaning pens, power washing the puppy kennels, picking up poop, feeding, watering and administering medications. They had approximately 108 dogs & puppies. They have 4 or 5 large pens where they segregate the dogs into smaller packs based on personality. They also have 4 or 5 covered cement kennels for the puppies & any mothers who come in with puppies. It is a very nice, well organized set up.

I told myself I would not get my hopes up about bringing home a puppy. Prior to leaving, I had told Andy (he and his wife Jen founded the shelter) that I really wanted to bring home a dog and we were joking about putting a plan in motion to win Steve over. However, I really didn't want to pressure Steve and force him into bringing home a dog. I made sure not to pick a puppy out that I really wanted. If it was going to happen, it was going to be Steve who picked one out.

As it turns out, Steve was picked by a puppy! She won his heart rather quickly and within about 30 minutes, I heard Steve asking Andy how difficult it was to bring a dog home to the U.S. It turns out it is not difficult at all!!! More on that later...

We agreed with Andy that we would check with our airline and he would make arrangements to bring the puppy to the vet for a complete checkup. We said our goodbyes and told them we'd be back for the dog wash on Saturday.

The following Saturday, a large group was picked up at a grocery store by Andy and another volunteer from the shelter, Gary. We headed to the shelter for the Saturday Dog Wash. It was fun but backbreaking! We washed 108 dogs and puppies! By the end of the visit we were wet, smelly, and sore but all of us were smiling! It is a great opportunity for the dogs to be socialized with people and we got a lot of satisfaction thinking we helped -- even if was just for a few hours.

We were also able to spend some time with our new baby. Here are some pictures from the shelter visit on Tuesday (I forgot my camera for the dog wash). Stay tuned for Luna's adoption process and traveling home....

Sweet baby....

Lots of puppies! Luna Maya getting belly rubs from Mommy!

Itchy & Scratchy

Itchy & Scratchy and the big and beautiful Thor