This is an older book (2007) but one worth checking out? Anyone know?
Saturday, December 26, 2009
New book focuses attention on stray dogs in Puerto Rico and Mexico
New book focuses attention on stray dogs in Puerto Rico and Mexico
Street Dogs in México City
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!
Monday, December 14, 2009
Luna's Latest...
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!
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.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Another Méxican Pup Finds Home North of the Border!
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 !
Monday, December 7, 2009
Luna Maya's First Week in the States
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!
He does love her tiny pink Kong toy!
Plight of the Mexican Street Dog
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
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
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Bringing Home Baby
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:
At Cancun Airport with Papa & Tia Becky
On the flight home....
We went on vacation and came back with a baby!
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).
Lots of puppies! Luna Maya getting belly rubs from Mommy!
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!
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