Friday, August 01, 2003

Free To Good Homes!

Four pups a few days old
were snatched from their mother and left in a cardboard
box to die of starvation or exposure.

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"Nappy"
A sad story to be sure, but a
daily occurrence here where the homeless animal
population exceeds the human population. San Miguel is a
beautiful colonial city poised 6,500 feet above sea
level in the high desert of central Mexico. And, if you
look at nothing but the architecture, as most do, you
miss seeing them wandering, ribs protruding, distended
bellies, many limping, others maimed, all trying to find
something to eat. Most are unsuccessful and end up dead
in the streets or taken by animal control who, until
recently, put them down by electrocution. Only thanks to
Amigos de Animales, an animal rights organization who
donates euthanasia serum to the City, has the method of
execution become humane.
San Miguel is far from the
worst. Down the road, in the city of Puebla, the
government estimates that more than a million homeless
animals wander the streets looking for garbage to sift
through in order to avoid starvation.

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"Runt Puppy"
Fortunately for these pups
-- "Hulk," "Cry-Baby," "Nappy," and "Runt-Puppy," they
were discovered near a dump and taken by a kind local to
the shelter run by Sociedad Protectora de Animales and
soon afterwards we brought them home. They are 7 weeks
old now and the most recent of 50+ abandoned or abused
animals that Kelly has taken in over the last year,
bottle fed, cared for, and loved.

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"Hulk"
To this point, through the
kindness of friends and various animal rights
organizations, to include the wonderful people at the
Richardson Texas Humane Society, every puppy and every
dog we have fostered has been placed with a good
family.
But, that was then, and this is now, and
these four are ready for adoption, and we're ready to
bring them to the United States when we have qualified
families who are looking for a special pet. I don't use
the word "special" casually, but to describe puppies
raised by hand from a few days old, who always are
somehow different, more social, deeply affectionate, and
without the slightest fear of other animals or people.
These puppies, like the others, have grown up in a
sheltered compound amidst our five dogs, plus two adult
fosters, including our 150 pound Spanish Mastiff --
"Comogente" -- whose good nature allows the pups to
sleep with him on his bed at night and kiss his face
every morning. Other than learning to avoid being
stepped on (Comogente is blind), the pups play all day
without fear of anything and knowing they'll be fed
morning and night without fail. It is hard to not absorb
the deep contrast between these four and those who
wander outside the gate, knowing that but for fate, they
would be like the others.

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"Cry Baby"
The purpose of this story, as
you might imagine, is to find homes for "Hulk,"
"Cry-Baby," "Nappy," and "Runt-Puppy," sleek Doberman
mixes. Unfortunately, at the moment, none of the humane
societies with whom we work can take them right now.
They have their own problems -- bulging at the seams
with adoptable pets and whose foster volunteers are
fully utilized.

So, here's the deal: If you are
in the market for a special pet, you have come to the
right place. Don't even think of buying a dog -- don't
ever think of buying a purebred dog. It is an even 1,000
miles from here to Dallas, Texas, and we'll bring one or
more of the pups to any qualified, caring home, and
we'll have health certificates and shot records in hand,
deliver them to your doorstep, and cry real tears as we
leave, because as with all our fosters, they become a
part of our family. (Note: We regularly and with
impugnity violate the admonition of never "naming" your
fosters.) But, we know that we cannot take on more until
we find homes for the ones we have. That reality was
brought home to us yesterday when we got a call from the
shelter saying that they had three more abandoned
puppies, too young to live without hand-feeding, and we
had to decline, knowing what that means.
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