YO HABLA ESPANOL? Peanut's Point of View

As the Chief Canine Officer of Lowcountry Dog Magazine, I have a lot of things to be thankful for! I think about my past and how I used to be a homeless dog living at a dump to being rescued and now spreading the word of rescue and helping our area’s many amazing rescues.

This past Christmas, my dad took a trip to Mexico without me (darn quarantine regulations). He spent his Christmas day on an adventure to the Cozumel Humane Society.

No taxis would take him to the shelter since it wasn’t in the tourist district, so he took off on foot with Google Maps. Along the way, he met a few dogs in the streets of Mexico, some friendly and some not so friendly. Once he made his way to a small building on a dirt road, he walked into the lobby of the shelter. He was welcomed and introduced to Christopher, who managed the kennel area in the back.

Now, this was nothing like the typical shelter you see in America. It was small and all the animals were housed outside. The building was just an office and a medical room, but out the back there were 12 kennels for adult dogs and a few smaller kennels for cats, kittens and puppies. To enter the back area you had to step in a disinfectant wash as to clean anything off your shoes. There were about 10 dogs and half a dozen cats there at this time and Christopher said this was typical but they have had as many as 40 animals at one time.

Their main mission besides finding homes for animals is educating the islanders of proper animal care because the culture for pets in Mexico is very different than in the US. A majority of the dogs are adopted locally but they also look for adoption ambassadors that will come to Mexico and help transport dogs to the US and Canada where they have homes waiting. All of the dogs they had were small breed dogs and many were purebred. Many Mexican breeds like Chihuahuas and hairless breeds were there for adoption. As part Chihuahua myself, I would have fit right in, if I could travel like a human. Ha!

If you ever find yourself in a foreign country, enjoy the touristy spots but also check out the local animal shelter and see what they are all about. You can learn a lot by seeing the animal rescues in other places. And you might meet some animal lovers in other countries. Kindness is a language that dogs understand all around the world.

My dad said it was an amazing experience and a great way to spend Christmas. We sure do have a lot to be thankful for! ■

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