Manor Miravalles Animal Sanctuary

28/01/2025

If you wonder what happens with money donated to us for dog food, well... they say a picture is worth a thousand words! This bag was donated through our regular sponsorship initiative where people pledge to buy one bag of dog food for us per month. It can be set up as a regular withdrawal through PayPal or Venmo. This is the bag that always helps so much here at the end of the month. Every single penny of the donated amount is spent directly on food. Would you like to participate? You'd be doing these Costa Rican puppers a great thing indeed!

Shaddai is our local go-to animal feed supplier right here in . They have everything we need, from dog food to horse food, goat, pig, and chicken food. Always service with a smile. Thank you, Shaddai!

24/01/2025

We've had a wee guest with us since December. Perry, a dog who was disabled in an accident some time ago, needed a place to stay while his owner visited family out of town. We were very happy to welcome Perry into our pack for a few months, since his owner has taken so much time and care to give him a good quality of life.

But his owner has faced some challeges with this little dog, such as limited resources and lack of support. He did manage to get a wheelchair for Perry, but we soon learned it has several issues, including the lack of a proper harness to attach it and ill-fitting leg supports. We were able to modify it enough to make it comfortable and easier for Perry to use, but it still needs some tweaking.

This is the kind of work that MMAS wants to do in our community. We want to help owners keep their pets in the best possible environments, with the best possible care. We'd love to be able to send Perry home with a properly padded wheelchair and a properly fitting harness, along with appropriate bandaging to prevent the reoccurence of two decubitus ulcers that formed over time on his hind leg.

As you can see, we reduced the ulcers by wrapping them for protection when Perry is out of his wheelchair. That way the ulcers are not exacerbated when he scoots his butt along the ground. He has to wear the dreaded cone, though, because he will remove the wraps almost immediately without it. We're going to send Perry home with the cone and as many wrap supplies as we can, since his owner may not be in a position to purchase these items.

Also a possibility is that bilateral amputation of his hind legs might be the best course of action. We'd love to consult with our veterinarian to see what she recommends. But this will cost money that, at this time, we don't have. Can you see why we fundraise and ask for donations? It's to help not only steet dogs, but owned dogs like Perry whose owners truly deserve this kind of assistance.

We expect to have Perry with us until at least March. We're in frequent contact with his owner and we keep him updated. Perry plays well with our pack, always right in the middle of romping sessions, maneuvering that little wheelchair like a pro. Our dogs frequently "handicap" in order to play with him, meaning they lie on the floor to reduce their size so they can play "shark" with him just like he has no disability. We should all be more like dogs. They have so much to teach us.

12/01/2025

Donations for the sanctuary have been down for several weeks. This is not unusual. In our experience with nonprofit animal rescue in the States, January and February were our worst months. Compounding the problem for us is that heavy, torrential, out-of-season rainfall has prevented us from working in town to raise awareness and money. Don't worry--we're not dying up here. The animals are safe, happy, and well-cared for. We just can't expand and grow and have more impact on the community. And THAT is our Number One goal.

We need a fundraising director in States or Canada, or even in Europe. It does not matter where. Our entire business model is to import funding into a region of Costa Rica that is not flush with cash, so that the local community can improve its relationship with domestic animals. Ours is a noninvasive, non-accusatory approach. We just want to get the information "out there" into the local neighborhoods.

That will be infinitely easier here in rural Costa Rica than it ever was in the U.S., simply because of the way society and culture works here. There are zero barriers aside from funding.
What do we need money for? In the long game, we want to fund sterilization and veterinary care for animals in need without intaking any of them. They need to remain in their homes or on the streets where they are relatively safe in comparision to kill shelters. But we also need money to print handouts and signage and shirts to sell that advertise our cause. Branding is HUGE. We're sitting on the best opportunity here that animal welfare could possibly have when it comes to reaching the hearts and minds of a community. Will you help us? Please leave comments with ideas, suggestions, and any other things you want to say.

P.S. Why give to an organization in Costa Rice, you ask? Well--because any successes we have here can be used as a case study for what might work in other parts of the world, even in North America. Strategies that regulations and misguided public expectations prohibit in some Western societies can be implemented here and the results documented for future reference. The entire concept of MMAS is not "give a man a fish," but "teach a man to fish" when it comes to loving and caring for domestic animals, from dogs and cats to livestock. We don't for a minute suggest that the U.S. or any of the legacy-brand nations have the answers. Because clearly they do not. We are suggesting that the answers can be found, studied, and sourced from right here in Costa Rica.

Send a message to learn more

30/12/2024

Estrella has an appointment on January 2nd with a special equine veterinarian who is driving from some distance to see her. She is not responding to the first line treatments for anaplasmosis the way we'd hoped. So either her condition is unusually persistent or she has more going on. More detailed labwork should tell the story.

We knew Estrella had issues when she first arrived. While not underweight, she showed marked muscle atrophy, which can be seen clearly in this photo. Pronounced spine, pointy croup with hollow muscle mass along the topline--this kind of presentation can be rightly attributed to years of improper nutrition, but at some point when a horse lives with its face shoved into verdant grass all day long in addition to being fed a high quality complete ration yet no improvement is seen, one really has to start asking some hard questions.

Even more, it's not just Estrella's poor muscle tone and difficultly gaining weight. It's her obvious stiff gait, poor coordination, and susceptibility to infection that also factors. With the heavy rains we've gotten over the past few months, "rain rot" is not unexpected. But hers is persistent and, like the rest of her, isn't responding to treatment. This suggests a compromised immune system. So we definitely need to dig a little deeper to learn what's going on with her.

Everyone who is able, please consider helping to fund the cost of Estrella's vetting. It won't be cheap. The veterinarian is coming from several towns over and will need to run a battery of tests on her bloodwork. Being a sanctuary, we have many animals in our care with extraordinary backstories, traumas, and medical needs. It's what we do. But we will always depend on our amazing sponsors and donors to make it all possible. Thank you in advance for your support.

Donation links here: https://manormiravallesanimalsanctuary.org/index.php/get-involved/

28/12/2024

We have a very special guest staying with us for the next several weeks! This is Perry--the name we call him that is a shortened version of his actual Spanish name. Perry was injured in an accident many years ago and his owner cares so much about him that he got a wheelchair for the little guy and keeps him moving. Perry's owner is traveling for a few months, so Perry will stay with us and hang out with the pack. You can see that he is very curious about them and they are very curious about him!

25/12/2024

Merry Christmas!

24/12/2024

Here's a digital Merry Christmas Eve card from MMAS!

This is our best Christmas yet here on the farm.
It's been an amazing holiday season so far.
Hopefully yours is just as amazing
Wherever in the world you are!

19/12/2024

Merry Christmas to all of the critters here at MMAS! Would you like to make the holidays a little happier for the dogs and cats we have in residence? Or maybe the horse, goat , pigs, and chickens? Please consider giving this season! Incoming funds will buy food, veterinary supplies and care, fencing and barn materials, and all kinds of things to make these animal lives better. This page of our website has donation links! https://manormiravallesanimalsanctuary.org/index.php/get-involved/ It's a simple as giving it a click.

05/12/2024

We're not having much luck with our T-shirt fundraiser. This has prompted us to rethink the strategy. We thought about cancelling the fundraiser altogether, then decided to just let it run its course. If we don't sell enough shirts to have them printed, all monies contributed will be refunded by Custom Ink.

What we need is INVOLVEMENT from people. And this means people from anywhere and everywhere. Maybe you are not in a position to contribute financially to our project. But can you help us fundraise? If you like what we're doing here in Costa Rica, you could be a huge part of our success even if you can't become a donor.

How would that work? Well... for one thing, we need a Fundraising Director. Someone with a bit of marketing savvy who would head up various campaigns to raise money for this cause. If you're interested, please message us.

However, even if you don't feel that you can take on that role, what about a smaller effort? Do you think that in your hometown area, you could act as our representative and drum up support for an exciting cause? Perhaps you have connections with local businesses who would be interested in placing their logo on the backs of T-shirts. Maybe those same business or even other businesses would help us sell custom made fundraiser items. That's the strategy we are getting ready to implement here in Costa Rica. There's no reason it wouldn't work in the U.S.

Please give this some thought.

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28/11/2024

This is a mock-up of the sign we want to place in front of our farm at the road. Many, many tourists pass by our farm during high season, including groups from Tenorio Adventure. They come right by us on their ATV Rainforest ATV tour. They come roaring past in sometimes rather large numbers, a guide at the front and a car following behind...we love to see them. It's a real treat for the dogs, who line up at the fence to bark their little heads off. (See photo in the comments of a Tenorio Adventure group parked on the Rio Zapote bridge on the road to our farm.)

We want to spread awareness of our project around the globe, not just in our hometown of Bijagua. This will be a great way to generate more interest. In part, our fundraising efforts are aimed at obtaining signage just like this. If anyone would like to sponsor this sign specifically, please message us or let us know in the comments. If you are a business, we will HAPPILY incorporate your logo and contact information into this design.

28/11/2024

Happy Thanksgiving to our U.S. friends!

27/11/2024

Sharing again the post about our T-shirt fundraiser. For now, these are available for North American customers, although Custom Ink says they ship internationally. I can't imagine what the price for that would be. Costa Rican friends, we will soon offer these locally, right here in Bijagua. Stay tuned for updates about that. We feature Bijagua business logos on the back of the shirts, and we hope to soon add more branding from businesses who help us do our work here.

In addition to food, vetting, and spay/neuters, other things we need money for are signs and public service announcements. We need a sign in front of our farm to inform the many, many tourists who pass by here on ATVs or in rental cars. We want signage in the town of Bijagua informing tourists that there IS an active rescue group working in this area, because people from other parts of the world see all of our local street dogs and think they're strays. Here in Bijagua, that is not necessarily the case, thanks in very large part to UPAnimales. There is just soooo much we need to do to impact the area. And we cannot do it without funding.

Manor Miravalles Animal Sanctuary is taking a new approach in Costa Rica with our group home for dogs, but nothing will really change for the street dogs here unless we all work together and make that change! Sheltering, warehousing, and mass adoptions are not the solution. The only thing that will....

26/11/2024

Christmas is right around the corner. If you're feeling generous toward animals this year, have a look at the fundraiser we just launched. Treat yourself to some cool new clothing and help the furkids of Costa Rica at the same time!

We need to sell ONE HUNDRED SHIRTS to reach our goal. If you don't want to buy one (or more!) for yourself, please interact with this post and comment on the fundraiser to trigger those finicky algorithms! The more people who know about this, the more people who have a chance to get involved. Like! Comment! Share! Let's sell 100 shirts and help us gain some momentum with fundraising!

Manor Miravalles Animal Sanctuary is taking a new approach in Costa Rica with our group home for dogs, but nothing will really change for the street dogs here unless we all work together and make that change! Sheltering, warehousing, and mass adoptions are not the solution. The only thing that will....

24/11/2024

Our Animal of the Day today is Leo! Just look at that face...he is the sweetest snuggler and Most Loyal Doggo, but despite his tiny size, he's Second In Command of the pack and serves as our bitty policeman. He is quite the enforcer! He knows almost all of the dogs here by name and when we correct one, Little Leo will charge up to them all a-growl and try to intimidate them into behaving. It usually works!

Leo is a neutered male fluffermuffin who lives full time at Manor Miravalles Animal Sanctuary in Costa Rica.

23/11/2024

A friendly PSA for all our supporters who live in places where winter is just around the corner. 😎

22/11/2024

As we move forward with this project, we have a serious need for reliable support. A few individuals simply cannot pay all the expenses of a fully-functioning animal sanctuary that is accessible to the public. Right now we don't have the money to launch a public awareness campaign in our nearest town, which is very high on our list of priorities. The animals are being fed and well-cared for, but that barely scratches the surface of our goal sheet. We need to do more.

We're in search of a Fundraising Director, preferably someone with experience who is willing to volunteer their time and expertise for our unique project. We also need monthly sponsors, regular donors who give toward dog food and even vetting expenses as their budget allows. For more information, please look in the comments for a link to our website. We have too much positive momentum now to get quagmired by a lack of resources. Anyone with ideas or suggestions, please comment or send us a direct message. There are many ways to help, even for people who cannot afford financial contributions!