Dagoo

03/04/2024

11 days ago I was the victim of an unprovoked, predatory dog attack.

This dog was new to a neighborhood where I have spent the last few years assisting animals and their people. The dog had escaped. Two things that make this a bad situation is that this is clearly a dog who never gets off property and has now gotten loose in a strange neighborhood. This is never a good situation.

The poor dog was running around in a bit of a frenzied manner, like most do when they gain a rare bit of freedom from their oppressors.

I watched as a dog ran out from a side road in front of me and down the hill marking his new found territory. He ran back up the hill past me and I glanced behind to see that he kept going, so I carried on my way. Moments later he sunk his teeth into the back of my leg. I yelled out for him to go away and was going to carry on because one does not feel the pain at first and I didn't realize how bad it was.

Moments later he came back for the other leg. My bad for not being more aware. My head is always on a 360° swivel, but this time my guard was down and I paid for it.

Three young ladies on the corner saw what happened and they got up and came towards me with concern when they saw all the blood. I asked them where the dog lived and they pointed out the man standing in front of a house. Was he actively trying to collect his dog, no, he was just standing there watching it. The incident happened out of his eyesight, so I will give him the benefit of that, but when I addressed him and showed him my legs he seemed more angry at me than the dog. He still did absolutely nothing to contain his dog.

This happened in neighborhood where many children play in the street every day, making this dog a particular danger. I was friendly and kind, asking the usual questions, what's your dog's name and how old is it etc. According to him the dog had no name and was approximately one year old. It was clear to me that this dog had suffered the abuse of neglect and this was the outcome. If you had shown one ounce of responsibility I would not have felt the need to report this incident. The thoughts of what this dog could do to the small children that play in the street there cemented in my mind that this dog and this incident could not be left unaddressed to the authorities.

I had a 2.5 km walk home and it took two days for the deepest puncture wound and the gash to stop bleeding. 11 days later, I am still in pain from a badly bruised and swollen. Thankfully no infection set in.

Many people have asked me if I'm concerned about rabies. No, I am not. So it is highly unlikely that this dog was ever vaccinated, it is still not a concern to me. There has not been a case of rabies from a domesticated animal in the entire country of México since 2006. This is a good thing, but sadly it is the only thing México can be proud of when it comes to the welfare of domesticated animals.

If you were to look upon the dog that bit me, a medium size wirehaired Terrier type, it would not be the typical dog that most people would fear. Experience has taught me to be cautious of all dogs, no matter how big they are, how small they are or what their appearance seems to be.

I will be doing some follow-up posts on how I care for my dog bite wounds, what you can carry with you to deter dogs, and how to behave if dogs are being harassing you.

Don't be like me, don't ever let your guard down. I can't remember the last time I let my guard down, and it only took that one moment.

I will heal, the owners will suffer little to no consequences and this will likely cost this dog its life. This does not make me happy, but it is my responsibility to ensure that this dog doesn't hurt anybody else or kill a child.

27/03/2024

Fences and Gates can't stop me. Most days one of the gates is open but usually Sundays it's closed. Multiple dogs and cats are at this location. Sadly the death/disappearance rate at this location and the one next door are unacceptably high.

The first question I'm asked is why don't you just take them. Well, of course I could do that except for two things. 1 - I have nowhere for them to go. These are not easy animals to place 2 - they will simply be replaced with new victims of neglect and abuse.

There are laws here against neglect and abuse but unfortunately the powers that be aren't really interested in enforcing them.

26/03/2024

Beautiful Mama Maya playing with one of her sons, my neighbor's dog, OSA, and a sweet boy whom I've named Elby who we suspect was dumped in our neighborhood but has been taken in by some people a few streets over. Unfortunately he has elbow dysplasia and that is quite costly to address. He can live with it but he'll want people that are aware of his health issues and his needs.

If his living situation isn't suitable, Elby will be coming with me when I build my rescue. As it stands, he is a part of my outreach program and I supply his food and medication.

I am also madly in love with my neighbor's dog, Osa. She's big and energetic and fun and so full of love. It's a true pleasure spending time with her and knowing that she has wonderful owners and the only thing she requires for me is a few treats and a lot of love!

Elby is the white dog and Osa is the tan colored dog... Both come banging on my gate on a regular basis and it always puts a smile on my face 😁

26/03/2024

Let me introduce you to Mama Maya. This video is from June 2023. She has since had her puppies and unfortunately we were only able to save two of them. It is unknown what happened to some, on her first trip into my village with the surviving puppies, one got hit by a car and had to be humanely euthanized. Fortunately the other two were adopted into a loving home.

I have never been able to find exactly where she lives but I did encounter her walking with her owners and two other dogs just a few weeks ago. They are an elderly couple, who have at least three dogs that need sterilizing but unfortunately they have no vehicle for transportation. This is high on my list of priorities to get sorted out ASAP as we don't want mama Maya having any more babies.

It took me a very long time to even be able to touch her. Now, she comes to my gate and demands food and love everyday ♥️

More photos and videos of her to come. It's going to be a bit chaotic because everything is spread between two cell phones and the cloud.

26/03/2024

I have two cell phones full of photos and videos that I will be uploading to introduce you to the animals on our daily route as well as some that we just encounter every now and then.

I also like to take nature photos as I walk from village to village and I'll share some of those too!

26/03/2024

For years, I simply fed and showed love to animals wherever I went. Then, it became a more concerted effort in the neighborhoods I lived in. For the last 2 years it has been in an area of the Campo and some villages approximately 10 km outside of San Miguel de Allende.

Over the past year the amount of animals and people we have been assisting has grown at an alarming rate and sadly, too many are slipping through the cracks because there's nowhere for them to go. After much thought and consideration, the decision has been made to move forward towards being a brick and mortar rescue where we can actually take animals out of their perilous situations.

Most of the animals we assist, are in no way shape or form even close to being suitable for adoption. Many are desperate for love and sadly many are absolutely terrified of humans and it takes months to even come close to touching them. All of them have never known a loving and safe life.

We do our best to see that all of our animal friends and their people have the basics of what they need for a safe and healthy life. Sadly there are many people who simply see animals as disposable.

A couple of times a year I have been known to reach out for donations. Mainly, though, this has all been financed by me. In order for us to grow, in order for us to be able to provide for the growing number of animals in need and in order for us to become an actual rescue, it is time to start accepting donations and doing fundraising.

I tried to stretch my pesos as far as I can but the growing amount of animals in need that I encounter on a daily basis has pushed me far beyond my ability to do this without donations. Flea and tick season is upon us, I'm encountering more and more dogs with mange who need medication and the amount of dogs in need of sterilization never ceases to shock me. Yes, there are many free and low cost sterilization clinics that happen in and around San Miguel de Allende, but what many don't realize is that most people simply have no way to get their animals to these clinics. They need have the time because they work 6 to 7 days a week and the people who truly need it do not own vehicles.

When it comes to sterilizing street dogs, one of the biggest challenges is finding somewhere for them to go after their surgery until they have healed.

There is so much more involved in outreach and rescued than most people realize. It goes far above and beyond the money and time one must invest. It can be the most rewarding thing and the most heartbreaking. The most difficult part about outreach is the feeling of helplessness for those that you simply cannot do enough for. Hence the decision to become a rescue. To have the space to take in animals. Most of these animals need months of decompression, socialization, environmentalization, training, learning to accept love and trust humans. Most of the animals I encounter have never worn a collar or been on a leash or been in a car or even been in a house. Most have never been shown love and many have a great fear of humans.

One of the things I would like to do with this page is to help and educate people. I help many people both in person and online with things like nutrition, health issues, behavioral issues, training etc. I haven't counted so many people locally who have adopted from rescues and they cannot handle the creature that has come to live with them. Many have told me these dogs have been for 1 month or more of board and train, and still these dogs are unmanageable. Then, of course there's all the little health issues and big health issues that many people don't know how to cope with. The vet bills start rising, with no end in sight, and it becomes financially unviable for people to keep the pets that they have adopted.

I will start with this page, there will eventually be a website and possibly a private group. My email is listed and I am always available to assist anybody who needs help with their animals, for any reason. I will be listing educational information here as well.

I currently have approximately 30 animals that I help on a daily basis and easily 20 or more that I encounter on a less regular basis as well as those that I just encounter in my travels around town and around the campo.

Not only are donations always appreciated, we are actually at this point, in desperate need of financial assistance.

Donation information is listed in the pinned post at the top of the page.

26/03/2024

Donations :

PayPal / Zelle / Wise -

[email protected]
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Venmo / Revolut -

Animal outreach and assistance. Food, medication, sterilization and shelter.