I have to begin by apologizing to readers: I did not and will not write assiduously in this blog about the humdrum of my daily life. As adventurous as building a little house in Mexico may be, it has become a very slow process on account of lack of funds. I’m aware that readers may have been bored by so few news and the slow and sporadic reporting. Sorry. I can’t make it any faster or more interesting. Plus, I doubt very much that telling about maintenance woes (the bane of my existence), my latest meal or outing would have any appeal to readers. I refuse to write about anything that I, as a reader, would find uninspired, banal, or trite. B o r i n g…
Back to the matter of construction. Luis and Jesus are here for this week and the next. As a rule I spend between $1,000. and $1,200. dollars a month on materials and manpower. I’m often with little left above very basic necessities. However, I’m determined and this little house of mine WILL become reality. The actual speed of erection and relevant posts will follow my progress or lack of it. Probably once to twice a month.That’s the best that I can do.
Besides, my life does not revolve around the exclusive concerns of material pursuits. They’re a necessity, period. At this stage in my life, it behoves me, I think, to be involved in more meaningful or inspired matters. One of these is the promise that I’d made some years ago to a Higher Power to provide assistance, even rescue, to any animal that is put on my way or ends up at my door. To my mind the onus is on us, humans, to care for all life forms that share our world. It’s a question of stewardship, not of dominion.
To quote Mahatma Gandhi, “The greatness and moral progress of a nation can be judged by the manner in which its animals are treated”. This small man in a loincloth walked his talk as a vegetarian. His stance on non-violence, despite 300 years of English domination, eventually inspired a whole nation to rid itself of that yoke without taking to arms or shedding blood. Clearly, he’s one my heroes. This brings me to the matter of my dogs, Tina, Tasha, Kaylee, and Nicki. Not only were they destined to an early death, but to intense suffering until they’d reached that final state. The plight of many animals, but mainly dogs, is abysmal here. How can I remain callously indifferent at the sight of one month old puppies—almost all female—left to their own devices in the streets, on the road, or even in the fields? How can one be blind to the sight of horribly mangled dogs killed on the roads?
To cite a few examples: a friend found a 5 to 6 months old puppy and a kitten, both still alive, in a plastic bag left to be picked up by the garbage truck. Another friend, while driving around, found a cardboard box with 7 (yep… SEVEN) puppies in a ditch next to a culvert. A Mexican friend told me about three tiny puppies with their eyes not yet fully open left on ant hill. Please take a pause and imagine this… She had to take them in. I know of two wonderful ladies from across the border who help as best they can, rescuing young animals, taking them in and feeding them, delousing and deworming them, getting them their vaccination, having them spayed or neutered and then ready for adoption. All at their own expense…
A little over a month ago, a neighbour who professes being a devoted Christian even to proselytising door to door, found three one month old puppies left in his yard. He promptly kicked them out. One of these was Nicki that I found a month later. She had been savagely bitten by a large dog and got her neck broken at the first cervical vertebrae, which fractured and ended up grotesquely twisted. With an infected open wound in her throat, fleas had a field day and kept sucking her life blood. Her two siblings had been roaming since then. No food, no water in this intense daily heat, no shelter in the often stormy nights. I found them a few days ago just as an electric storm was moving in. They were huddled under a tire set against the wall of an empty house. Morning, noon and night, I brought them kibble and water to get them used to me. Their hair is matted and full of sandburs, their bellies swollen from lack of food and parasite infestation. THEY’RE BABIES !!!!!!!!
I managed to bring one in yesterday, the other too skittish and running so fast I couldn’t catch her. As I was writing this last night, Keiko was in the bodega crying her heart out for her sibling. Earlier in the day, I’d gone to Tequis to the veterinarian pharmacy to buy Frontline for the fleas and medication to rid Keiko (and hoping to catch Bobbi) of parasites. On my way to Tequis in the “camion” as we call it—it couldn’t qualify as a bus, the driver made a sudden turn while I was standing up and I fell over the armrest of a seat bruising or perhaps even breaking a rib. (How I long for a vehicle…) I couldn’t sleep all night from the unbearable pain. It was a blessing in disguise as I kept hearing Bobbi getting ever closer to the front fence crying pitifully for her sister. Finally, at 5 o’clock this morning, she reached the gate that I had left open and that I closed once she was in. Then I went to grab her. She bit me but I kept hanging on and she eventually calmed down. I took her to Keiko and the few hours left of the night were peaceful and quiet both finding refuge and warmth in each other. I doubt that they can ever be separated.
Last week Yvonne found a 5 to 6 month old puppy—female—of course, her eyes oozing pus, ribs as a washboard, her nostrils completely blocked with caked mud. Probably attempting to get a drink from a mud puddle. And it’s the second puppy she rescued from the highway. A year ago she took in Chloe. now it’s Nikita’s turn. We all try to do what we can in that desperate situation.
We both thought of starting a non-profit organization to rescue and shelter animals, dogs mostly as they are sorely in need. But this would be a long protracted process with certain language barriers to begin with. Then how could we turn our head away from the little ones in such dire straits RIGHT NOW?
There is no animal protection service in Tequis. I guess the locals are exposed to so many animals emaciated, forlornly traipsing in search of a morsel, that they have become inured to the sight. I do love Mexico and have no regrets moving here. But the sight of these poor animals is the stuff of nightmares. I admit to quite a few of them and many tears of sadness and desperation.
If you can find it in your heart to give any kind of help, I promise that any donation will go STRICTLY toward animal welfare provided by either myself or others whose heart is broken by such suffering. And it will be reported on my blog. There’s a DONATE button at the bottom of the screen. I think that it goes through PayPal with either credit cards or bank transfer.
Now, a word of warning to those readers whose sole interest is the building of my house. I will continue to report any progress in that direction but will write extensively about the animals that need and find a shelter with people who think much the way that I do. I am asking for your indulgence as I share my thoughts and the yearnings of my heart. We can’t save them all. But it will certainly make a difference to those that we do. And I may be able to sleep better at night.
Thank you in advance for your consideration.
BTW The post titles will clearly indicate construction topics for those whose main interest is finding out how we’re progressing.
