Can you imagine what a dog from Mexico must think when it experiences snow for the first time?

Well, I think this photos pretty much says it all.

Benny, a 3 yr. old lab mix, was rescued from the streets of San Miguel de Allende by Dave and Patrice Bruce.  Later, their friends, Mark & Louisa, decided to adopt Benny.  Dave flew with Benny to New Jersey and stayed with him at his friend’s home for a few days to make Benny’s transition easier.

Louisa said today in an email, “We love him like crazy.  Mostly because he is so sweet, but also because he actually listens to us.  A concept that still amazes us!  He has raised the bar for all future dogs.”

I know Benny would not trade his life of love and affection, or even the snow, to come back to the mean streets of Mexico.  This dog is in dog heaven!

Thanks to all of you who made this possible for Benny.  You have my utmost respect.

Sorry it has been since February since we blogged and the only excuse I have is the best one:  rescue, foster, transport and adoptions have kept us busy — great dogs are going to great homes.   Indeed, we leave this Thursday for another “dog run” to the United States with a dozen dogs going to their forever homes.

One I want to tell you about is “Gonzo,” a wonderful dog with a loving attitude and a striking face.

He was alone on the street and loved to chase cars.  He was not long for this world.

After we rescued him, we fell in love with Gonzo and wanted him to have a very special home.

And we got our wish as did Gonzo.

He was adopted by a wonderful family in Seattle, Washington, a family who spends a good deal of time on their sail boat.

Below find an e-mail we received from Gonzo’s new family, along with photos of “Gonzo the Sailor Man!”

We have been out on the boat and Gonzo is doing great!  He seems to love the boat and is absolutely fearless!  He’s the only dog I’ve had that hasn’t shown any fear of the metal slatted ramps down to the docks (you can see the water between your feet).  He hops on and off the swim platform, lets himself be lifted up the ladder to the upper driving station.  He’s really great.  He also seems to like his little blue safety vest.  Attached are a few pictures!

I bought him a retractable leash and he LOVES being a little more free to romp around so we’ve been having a really good time on our walks.  He really is adorable and everyone seems to love him.

We completely adore him.  He is so much fun, so affectionate, highly trainable, completely non-destructive, quiet except to warn about people at the door.  He’s perfect!  (By the way, he plays with our dog walker’s dogs all the time and she says he is great at it — he play bows and does all the polite doggie moves but also will leave a dog alone if the dog is being clear that he/she is not in the mood.  We had a couple of dogs for a couple days and he was wonderful with them.)

So that’s the update.  I have another picture of him at the bow of the boat that I’ll send on when I get it downloaded.

Hope all is well with you and your crew!

Stories like this keep us motivated to do what we do — save the homeless dogs of Mexico and find them great forever homes.

Thank you so much for your support.  To the end of support, we could use some financial support about now.  Vet bills are running high and funds are running low.

Help us help more like Gonzo find their place in the world.  Gonzo thanks you and we do, too!

Very best,

Kelly

I want to tell you about our wonderful trip to San Miguel de Allende. We went to visit our friends & former neighbors who live there. We stayed at their fabulous retreat, Las Terrazas San Miguel, www.terrazassanmiguel.com. Greg & Murray have 3 rescue dogs of their own.

Greg is very involved in Save a Mexican Mutt, www.saveamexicanmutt.org, and always talks about it in glowing terms!

Save a Mexican Mutt, is an amazing organization, often transporting needy dogs to the US. Kelly Karger is the founder. Michael & I met Kelly & her husband, Jim, at the Starbucks in San Miguel. Kelly is an incredible woman with a heart of gold! Kelly brought her friends Patrice & Dave Brucia to the meeting, who are very active in horse rescue. Patrice & her husband have 4 Weimaraners!

Kelly & Patrice knew of another rescuer, Agatha Gosch the founder of La Cienega Sanctuary, www.paginasprodigy.com/lacienega, who had a Weimaraner girl that needed a home. We arranged for “Gala” to travel to the US, transported by guardian angels Sally and Jim Osbon, who are SAMM volunteers.

Two weeks later, Gala arrived. Dana of Northern California Rescue, www.norcalweimrescue.org, fostered Gala. She was adopted by a wonderful home where she is pampered and has a rescued greyhound to play with!

Talk about taking a village! It does take a village…& wheels, too!

Written and submitted by:

Michael & Shiffra Steele
Special Events & Placement Coordinator
Northern California Weimaraner Rescue

We came to San Miguel de Allende for a vacation with our dear friends, Gregory and Irene Diamant. Our daughter and I were looking forward to a visit to the SPA (the shelter in San Miguel) to “help” Irene (i.e., to feed the dogs treats and play with the puppies).  We are serious dog lovers but because we travel a lot for work, we’d decided  years earlier that we couldn’t possibly have a dog.  The expense of putting a dog in a kennel was daunting, as was the guilt about putting a family pet in a cage for 2 weeks at a time.  So we were always happy to be around dogs but had talked ourselves out of the idea.

We visited the SPA our first morning in San Miguel and saw a little dog in the first cage.  She was quiet, sweet, alert and our favorite breed (Jack Russell Terrier).  She seemed to have been conjured from my dog wish list: A female Jack Russell, 18 months old (no longer a puppy, not too old).  We took her for a walk and she was gentle and well-behaved on the leash.

After we left the SPA, I felt almost haunted by this dog - she was just too perfect.  I was ready to brush the thought aside; after all, I’d been wanting a dog for years and had thus far resisted.  That night at dinner, our 10 year-old daughter burst into tears - she confessed that she’d never gotten over the death of our previous dog 4 years earlier, and like me, she’d fallen in love with this little SPA dog.

My husband remained resistant to the idea of getting a dog, but we were both profoundly distressed by how upset she was… and when he realized I couldn’t stop talking about how cute this dog was, he secretly made all the arrangements to adopt her.  That night’s conversation was devoted to her name change, and our daughter decided to name her after her favorite food: Olive.

But we still had to get Olive home to San Diego.  We couldn’t bring her with us, and we were due to leave for Poland shortly after our return.  One would think these were all insurmountable problems, but the process could not have been easier for us.  First, the SPA provided Olive’s medical records, and then Kelly Karger of Save A Mexican Mutt took over.  Kelly not only arranged to drive Olive to Dallas, Texas, she kept her until we were due back from Poland and then she put Olive on a a flight to San Diego.  While we were gone, Kelly kept us updated about Olive’s progress (as I’d thought, she was completely housebroken and she was loving and socialized with animals and people… so much so that Kelly offered to keep Olive if we changed our minds, because she and her husband had fallen in love with Olive, too).

Olive’s arrival went off without a hitch; we picked her up at baggage claim and brought her home.  We took Olive to our local vet for a welcome-home checkup and he confirmed that she’d received perfect medical care at the SPA and was completely up to date with her shots.  And our friends and family who visit all fall in love with Olive - boarding has never been a problem because they all want her.  She’s received only kudos from her hosts (one family has a high-spirited dog who is calmer and better behaved when Olive is there).

Things have not been the same since Olive joined our family - they’ve been a million times better.  One day, she cowered behind my husband from a strange man walking down the street with a stick - my husband thinks she must have been beaten before she was found by the SPA.  Can you imagine any sweet, gentle, 20-lb dog being beaten?  We do everything we can to show Olive that no one will ever hurt her again, and she is so relaxed and happy now. And we are happier, too.  The change in our daughter has been remarkable; it’s as if a cloud was lifted from her, and we’re profoundly grateful.

When I tell people the story of how Olive came to be ours, they ask, “Oh, you rescued her?”

I always tell them, “No.  She rescued us.”

Jim and I were driving back from the airport.  As we crossed the presa a small, filthy, little dog walked slowly in the middle of the road in front of us.  Jim, as usual, pulled over immediately.  I grabbed a bowl of dry dog food and put it down for the little dog.  He came over immediately with no hesitation and began inhaling the food.  He let me pick him up along with the bowl and he never stopped eating.

He was one of the more pitiful cases we’ve had and thus felt he needed a handsome name.  We named him Fabio.

Fast forward a month.  Fabio had a wonderful home waiting for him in New York but how to get him there?  Then I remembered Amigos de Animales Guanjuato was having one of their sterilization campaigns and the president’s niece, a vet from NYC, would be coming down with a team to help out.  This was the ticket!  Lori immediately agreed to fly Fabio back with her in the cabin.

By the time Fabio was to fly to NYC with Lori he had put on a few pounds and was probably too large to be considered a carry-on sized dog.  That didn’t stop us — or him.  He was very good to lie in his Sherpa bag and be most quiet and still all the way to NYC.  His transport team did sneak him out of his bag and snapped this photo.

Once they arrived this once pitiful little dog had a  ‘driver’ waiting to pick him up and whisk him off to his new home and very special family with Anne Fisher, her husband, and their pack of 4 dogs - now 5 dog.

Special THANKS to this fabulous team of vets and vet technicians for not only transporting Fabio but also for donating their time and talents to spay and neuter Mexican dogs and cats!

From left to right:  Charles, Kimmy, Tom, FABIO, Lily, Lori

When Carolyn and her family started looking for a dog that would make a playful companion for their German shepherd pup, Grizz, they came across Izzy B , a street dog posted on SAMM and on 1800saveapet.

Izzy B. had been saved from starvation and the miseries of a short life as a street dog in Mexico by a SAMM volunteer, solving one of her basic needs, food. But she had to be kept in a kennel for lack of a foster home, where she waited for more human attention than living in a kennel could provide. The best part of being a dog, the part where a family loves you and welcomes you into your own home, still alluded Izzy B.

Meanwhile, Carolyn’s family was wondering if they could ever find a dog like their beloved Cindy B, their 14 year old dog.   If that coincidence isn’t a hair raiser, it gets better.  These two dogs, Cindy B and Izzy B, are identical, just 13 years apart! Grizz, their shepherd pup, was making quite a pest of himself with Cindy B, as anyone who has an older dog discovers when they add a younger, energetic dog. Grizz needed a friend and Cindy B needed a break. When Carolyn came across the picture posted of Izzy B, she found herself looking at a dog identical to Cindy B!

Izzy B now has the best part of being a dog by becoming a beloved family member and resides with her doggie siblings, Cindy B and Grizz ( as in “Izz -y” hmmm?) Izzy B plays with Grizz for hours, while Cindy B gets to participate in the time honored pastime of old dogs everywhere, napping. Izzy B has also worked on Grizz’s boyish lack of manners by conveying to him, who is boss when she has had enough.

This story reminds us of the powerful connections we can’t always explain and the mysteries that make up the invisible fabric of our connected world.   Animals do not know about international borders, they know about love. Izzy B and Cindy B were maybe never really that far apart in the animal world.  Just a thought to ponder . . . .

From left to right:  Cindy B, Grizz, Izzy B

Why would anyone spend two grueling days on the road with a van full of dogs? Are they nuts? Well, yes, a little because it is tough, it’s smelly, and it’s tiring.  But, when you see the smiles on the faces of the new owners who have been patiently waiting (some for up to two months) for their new family pet to arrive and the wags on the tails of the dogs when they see all these happy people and feel all the love in the air it is all worth it.

And, for those like Jim and Sally Osbon who do this on a regular basis, it bring tears of joy to their eyes because they know the circumstances these dogs came from.  They see it everyday and it is sad and can cause a lot of anger inside.  But, they chanel that anger and frustration in a positive way by getting these dogs healthy and getting them to good homes.

So, that’s why!  Consider transporting just one.  You’ll make a world of difference to that one dog.

Last month I received a call from a dear friend, Irene Diamont,  putting me in touch with Valerie Belcher about a dog she found on the street and wanted to adopt.  She needed help getting her to Florida.  I called Valerie and SAMM arranged to drive Maggie along with seven other dog to Dallas.

I knew Maggie had skin problems and a ‘problem’ leg.  But nothing prepared me for what I saw when I picked her up from the vet who had been treating her.  Inspite of her leg deformity she was happy and loving to everyone and all the dogs.  She was a doll on the trip.  Below is a photo of Maggie in the hotel room.

Maggie flew via Continental Airlines Pet Safe Program to Ft. Lauderdale On August 29th where her new family was anxiously waiting.

Valerie, Maggie’s mom, just emailed me the following:

Maggie was seen by an orthopedic surgeon today. X-rays showed an old healed fracture typical of being hit by car. Dr.Sardinas said that it is a common injury but badly neglected and in her growth plate causing the deformity. She’ll have surgery next week with reconstruction of her knee and lower leg. Maggie’s activity level is quite high right now since she’s feeling good and is so happy. But, the knee joint is swollen at the end of the day and she does have pain. In addition, she’s still growing(who knew?) and will soon have hip problems as well. Surgery will last about 2 hours and then she’ll wear an external appliance for about 8 weeks to keep new rods in place. After all this we fully expect to see her dancing with the Rockettes in Radio City. She was an angel at the vet’s office. Just floped down and smiled at everyone. I will let you know how all goes.

Next week we will update you on Maggie’s condition.  Stay tuned…..

Copper has the most soulful eyes, it’s hard to not become moved just by her looking at you, so when SAMM’s founder was sent an urgent plea to help this little fury pack of poodles, who had been gathered up off the streets to be euthanized, it was Copper’s eyes that haunted her the most.

After jostling for fosters for so many little dogs to undergo their quarantines, spay and neuters, applicants began applying right away for this bunch. Copper had a family selected for her, but days before transport, poor Copper became ill.  She was so wore down from starvation and poor nutrition that SAMM, using extra caution, decided that Copper needed to stay in Mexico until she regained her health.

Eventually Copper fully recovered and was ready finally for her own family. Copper left behind her 3 years of trying to survive, for a life of dog parks, and pampering, with her new canine and feline companions in Albuquerque.

Every dog that passes through our lives teaches us something. Copper’s eyes communicated to us, gratitude and thanks for not giving up on her and her little friends, who had experienced mostly starvation and abandonment. We think she was also telling us through those beautiful eyes, that she hoped someone would care that she and so many other Mexican dogs are suffering and deserve our compassion.

Epilogue:  All the dogs in the pound photo are safe in loving forever homes.

One day you’re homeless, no friends, no food, nothing to live for, and then suddenly you’ve got a family, plenty of chow, a cozy place to sleep, and best of all, a real job where you can help other people.  You even get your own badge!

Now that’s a success story, and it’s the true story of Tilly,  a spunky and sweet Terrier mix who, in May, 2008, was found abandoned and starving on Stirling Dickinson by two sisters who couldn’t let her starve but had too many dogs to keep her full time.

They had heard about Save A Mexican Mutt, and called Kelly Karger, founder of SAMM.  Within a month Kelly had found a home for Tilly and within 2 months, thanks to all the great people working with Save A Mexican Mutt, Tilly was brought back to health and driven to the United States where she found a new owner and a new life in New Hampshire.  Tilly is now not only a cherished family pet but also works as a therapy dog at the New Hampshire Hospital where she helps psychiatric patients.

Here’s what Tilly’s new owner, Diane, had to say about her:

Thanks again so much for Tilly.  She’s already giving back.  One unit at the hospital has specifically requested her to work with them.  Some of the patients made a special request after seeing me with her in the hallway!

Tilly is just one of the many success stories made possible by Save A Mexican Mutt, an organization dedicated to matching homeless San Miguel dogs with loving families here or in the United States.  When Kelly and Jim Karger moved to San Miguel de Allende in 2001, they saw dozens of hurt, abused and abandoned dogs.  They felt they simply couldn’t stand by and ignore it.  That was the beginning of Save A Mexican Mutt (SAMM for short), which takes in strays and spays or neuters them, socializes them and tries to place them in good homes.  Since US authorities allow Mexican animals with health certificates and vaccination records into the country after an inspection, it was an opportunity for Kelly and Jim to place over 300 dogs in cities that, believe it or not, have a scarcity of dogs to adopt.  Prospective owners fill out a detailed application, and a personal interview is conducted before the adoption.

If you want to donate to SAMM, if you want to adopt or foster a dog, or if you want to transport a dog to the US, please visit www.saveamexicanmutt.org.  You can make a difference to San Miguel’s street dogs.