TIME IN GUANAJUATO: What to Do with Yourself

Many ask us what a Gringo can do once moving into Guanajuato. If you asked me that question about another Central Mexican town, San Miguel de Allende, I would have told you that town is designed around the Gringo Expat population and there you would find plenty to do. In Guanajuato, however, you've not got the well planned Gringo Infrastructure as in other Gringolandias. What you can do is get involved in a great charitable organization that benefits the animals in this town and educates the local populace about spaying, neutering, and vaccinating their animals.

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Animals in Guanajuato are running out of Time.

At first all I could hear was a slight rustling against the wall outside our bedroom window. It sounded like scratching. It could have been anything. The wind blowing leaves, maybe? I dismissed the sound and went on reading my Spanish lesson. But, that sound would not be dismissed so easily.

I heard a whining. Almost a whimper, it seemed. Whatever it was, I decided at this point it was not only a soft whimper but it also sounded impatient. I began hearing small "woofs." I went to the window of our Mexican street-level casita to check this out. It was a dog. A hungry, beautiful, purebred Cocker Spaniel was stretching toward our window with huge watery eyes and a pleading tone to her doggie whimpering.

She hadn't been on the run for long. Most street dogs my wife and I encounter here in Guanajuato, Mexico, look terribly shabby and near the end of life. We constantly hear stories, though, of amazing feats of veterinarian science bringing some of the seemingly hopeless cases back from near death. These dogs go on to thrive in new homes. It is amazing, really, that some of these dogs that are barely limping about, pregnant, ears torn off from fighting over mating rights, as well as some with broken legs hanging like a swinging gate can be saved. These wonderful, talented vets do it. But, it costs.

After discovering the source of the strange sound, my wife got on the phone and I went for the hot dogs. While she called for help, I fed hot dogs and water to this poor creature. By the way this little female greedily gulped the food and drank water, I knew she had not had food or water in while. Once the hot dogs were eaten, I asked my wife to get whatever else we had in the fridge that was meaty. She showed up with ham. Finally, the doggie was satiated. From our observations, it was the first time in days.

She is a beautiful golden-brown Cocker Spaniel. The tips of her ears looked like she had been surviving on filthy, river water. They were wet, blackened and slightly matted. Her coat looked good and her condition led me to believe she was a recent addition to Guanajuato's tragic street dogs and cats horror.

There is a group here trying to help. This group is mainly composed of Expatriates to Mexico, though there are a few Mexican members. These people formed a non-profit organization called Amigos de los Animales: The Friends of Animals. They realized that to begin a change in how companion animals are treated in this town, and in this entire country, really, massive education has got to take place. At the same time, they offer low-cost spay and neutering services as well as low-cost vaccinations to the poor from whom a great deal (but not all) of these street dogs seem to come.

Companion animals seem to fare worse than working animals. From my very ignorant and subjective Gringo observations, it seems the cows, bulls, goats, sheep, horses, and burros are never seen roaming the streets of this city nor do they seem to be horribly out of condition from lack of care. My theory is that since the working animals are moneymakers, it would behoove the owners to take special care of the animal. A dog or cat or bird? The concept of affording excellent animal husbandry for a companion animal seems a totally foreign concept to the majority of the population.

The places we see excellent care for Mexican companion animals are with the educated and gainfully employed segment of the population. However, even that is not always a protective shield for the animals. We are personally aware of at least one case in which university-educated students, a couple, who abandoned six cats in their vacant house with no means of survival. The landlord, upon notification, simply turned the unaltered cats into the street to propagate themselves until they died. And the cycle goes on and on.

"Thousands of dogs and cats, many of them homeless, roam the streets of the municipality of Guanajuato, Mexico. These street animals are exposed to the elements, hunger and thirst, abuse, and injury or death from motorists. Those that are ill can transmit contagious diseases to the human population. Hundreds each year are captured and put to death by the city's animal-control personnel."- Amigos de los Animales

I support this group's goals and applaud the efforts of its members. They work, sometimes to the point of exhaustion, to educate the people and to provide low-cost spay, neuter, and vaccination clinics for the poor who keep companion animals. It is a tough and mostly thankless job, but they keep at it for no personal gain, sometimes not even a thank-you, and always for the animals. The animals! This is what drives them.

This all costs money. The taking in of foster dogs and cats and the cleaning them up at the veterinarian's clinic isn't cheap. Sometimes nursing care is needed to save them. Sometimes there is no hope and even humane euthanasia costs money. Nor is the cost of educating the public cheap. It goes too slowly sometimes. The need is great and most of time, the money just is not there.

What It Costs

200 pesos (20 USD) will bathe, de-worm and board a dog or cat until it is adopted.

500 pesos (50 USD) will bathe, de-worm, and sterilize a dog or cat until it is adopted.

1000 pesos (100 USD) will bathe, de-worm, sterilize, treat for mange and board a dog until it is adopted

These kind-hearted Gringos and Mexicans are trying to make a difference for so many of the homeless dogs and cats that roam the streets of Guanajuato. These animals are exposed to the elements, hunger, thirst, abuse, injury or capture and sacrifice by the city's dogcatchers.

If you are interested in learning more about these champions of animals and how you could help them, please click on this link: Amigos de los Animales

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