Bernie the blood donor

Bernie was one of the puppies from our very first rescue litter. He and his four siblings were found lying in full sun on the edge of a construction site. The litter's mother was very sick and a broken jaw meant that she couldn't eat and was slowly starving to death. Due to the nature of her illness, the mother had to be removed from the pups (to a wonderful local lady who has given her a permanent loving home) and the puppies needed to be bottle fed. They all did well and with the exception of Bernie, they were all quickly adopted, with Bernie's brother Tommy becoming our very first cross-border adoption!

Bernie is a truly gentle soul, with a long face, droopy ears, lugubrious eyes, and strangely monkey-like curled tail. Holding his ears up straight makes him look almost equine, earning him the affectionate nick-name 'Donkey-face'.

Unfortunately, Bernie would be a challenge to adopt as he is scared of everything outside the shelter. It is the only place where he feels secure. Taking him for a walk is a nightmare - he hates every minute of it and just wants to go home. Sadly from a tiny pup, Bernie has been afraid of life - clearly a challenge for Cesar Milan!!

However, we all of us, human and animals alike have our own unique gifts and by our very differences we breathe life into this multi-faceted world.

Bernie's gift to the world? He is a big, strong, healthy dog which has made him a perfect candidate for canine blood donation. Perhaps there is a reason why Bernie has never been psychologically strong enough to face the world outside the shelter. Maybe life had an altogether different purpose for him?

To date, Bernie has helped save 4 doggy lives through the gift of his blood.

We are proud of him, we hope he is proud too, he certainly should be.

Tiger, Tiger, burning bright

So begins the famous poem by William Blake, but for us it marks the end of the shelter stay of our own sweet 'Tiger'. Still a puppy, but already larger than the average Mexican street dog, Tiger was so named due to the beauty of his golden, striped coat. But what of his nature? Sweet, gentle, loving and endearing are just a few adjectives that apply, but we could find many more just as nice. To know him is to love him, and without a doubt he stole our hearts. Parting with him is the sweetest sorrow, but we are thrilled that he now has the opportunity to experience that permanent, one-to-one love that sadly shelter dogs are deprived of. All our animals are loved, all are stroked, kissed, cuddled, but each one craves so much more than we can possibly give when there are so many. There is plenty of love to go around but unfortunately just not enough time.

Peanut Pet Shelter provides a safe, secure environment. There is food to eat, water to drink, shade and shelter from the sun and rain. There is room to play and certainly no shortage of canine playmates. Visitors to the shelter know that it is not a place of sadness but of happiness, where doggy grins and wagging tails abound.

Yes, of course, there are sometimes heart-wrenching cases.

Peanut Pet Shelter exists for needy animals and the process of becoming strong and healthy can take a long time....a lot of our energy and of course, a lot of money! For some, their condition is too far advanced and no amount of money or energy can save them. The struggle is simply too much for their broken, defeated bodies to bear and for them, sadly, time runs out. We rarely tell people about the truly heartbreaking sights we see and the deaths we deal with as we prefer to focus on the positive, but they exist....all too often.

For many shelter dogs, learning to play and to give and receive love can also take time. If an animal's life has been one of only harshness, deprivation and despair....when the sum of their previous existence has been only the scavenging for the next morsel of food to ward off starvation, the search for a drop of water to drink and the seeking of shade from the glare of the sun, when they are carrying a bellyful of parasites (roundworm, hookworm, tape worm, amoebas, coccidias etc)....how do they find the energy or inclination to play?

When they have been kicked or pelted with rocks, when they have never heard a kind word, only shouts and curses....for often, in Mexico, street dogs are considered vermin....when they have never felt a hand gently stroke their heads or scratch behind their ears or been held in protective arms, can we truly expect them to love us and believe that we love them? And yet, they do. In a very short space of time, they do. That first, tentative, hand-lick from a cowering, terrified dog can feel like the greatest gift you have ever been given. That moment when they first look into your eyes with the confidence of knowing they are loved, is a precious memory to be cherished. Could we humans ever be so trusting and forgiving?

Tiger was one of the lucky ones. He arrived at the shelter at a very tender age and the gift of loving and being loved was his almost from the start. Parting with him was a wrench, but his new owner is wonderful and one of our 'dog-wash day' locals. He is going to bring him for wash-day visits and of course we know where he will be.

We look forward to watching beautiful, sweet, gentle Tiger, grow and develop.

When the stars threw down their spears,

And water'd heaven with their tears,

Did He smile His work to see?

Did He who made the lamb make thee?

Tiger, Tiger, burning bright

In the forests of the night,

What immortal hand or eye

Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

--William Blake

Tiger, you are one of the lucky ones - may you continue to burn bright.

GOODBYE MAX!

Yesterday we said goodbye to our beloved Max with very mixed emotions. Happiness that he has finally found a new, forever home with a loving owner, and sadness because our shelter has lost one of it's most endearing residents. All of our dogs (and cats) are eminently loving and lovable. They all have their own personalities and every individual adds their own stamp. Some of them though, have an indefinable something that sets them apart. Max, most definitely is one of those.

For over a year, we'd actually resisted taking Max into the shelter. A wonderful lady, Lucy, who is now a firm friend, called us one day to say that there was a Shar-Pei mix, male dog living on the streets of her village. She had found the dog in a horrible state, emaciated and with one leg infected, twisted, and swollen to the size of a tree trunk. The rest of his body was also somewhat battle-scarred and added to that he had a very dominant personality. She had taken the dog to the vet and had him neutered and his leg amputated, he was now healed but there was nowhere for him to go although she was ensuring that he was fed regularly. Our shelter, is permanently full to overflowing, with the cute and not so cute. Several of our dogs are adults that have been with us since they were small pups and have never been adopted. All the dogs that have come to us as adults have been sick or needy in some way. The streets of our busy, tourist town are overflowing with literally thousands of homeless, starving and needy dogs. We were forced to say - 'Sorry, Lucy, but there is no way we can find room for a well fed, dominant male dog in our overcrowded shelter. Realistically, if we can't adopt out sweet, gentle, attractive adult dogs, what are the chances with a 3 legged, battle-scarred one?'

The day finally came when Lucy contacted us as a matter of urgency. Max, never popular in the village had attacked and killed a child's pet rabbit. Lucy was adamant - if Max didn't 'disappear' that day, he would be dead within 24 hours, and rather than have him be poisoned or killed with a machete, she would have him euthanized herself. What could we do? Clearly, the time had come when we had to step in and save him, cross our fingers and toes and hope it would all work out for the best. With one look at Max's sweet wrinkled face, big brown eyes and lolling purple tongue, we were hooked. This dog was coming 'home' with us!

I won't pretend there weren't initial problems. Our shelter dogs are not kept separately, they live in small packs. He was very dominant (not aggressive) which led to 'stand-offs' with a few of the other male and more dominant female dogs. However, we managed to find the right mix of females for him and he lived very happily with his little harem - Delilah, Dizzy, Artura, Margaret and Juliette. His only 'fault' being his ability to open bolts and locks with his teeth, let out his pack and cause general mayhem! Max is a real 'people' dog. He is gentle and loving with everyone and bliss for him is being kissed and cuddled. Judging by the the scars on his face and the previous problem with his leg, we feel fairly certain that prior to his life on the streets, he was being used as a 'bait' dog for organized dog fights. Certainly he shows every sign, like many of our dogs of having had a very hard life. How wonderful then, that this noble animal should have turned out so gentle and loving. We hope he will have a wonderful life, the life he deserves, with his lovely new owner.

Max, we love you, we miss you, but we'll visit you very soon.
Link: http://peanutpetshelter.org/adoptiondogs.html