It has been too long since I've updated. So much to cover!
Nov 16, 2015 Tupo arrives. He was the runt of the mosquito shack litter.
Cookie again proves herself to be a patient big sister.
No one else wanted the little guy and we were worried he wasn't eating enough, with so much competition. Tupo means something like runt in Mayan. Closer to 'the last little bit'.
The traditional 1st bath photo.
A quiet pause after a long day.
Tupo naps on a beard pillow.
Zoila shows Tupo how to dig a hole.
Big sisters are the best! Cookie wrestles with Tupo.
December 1st we brought in Coco, the 2nd smallest of the litter.
She was a little skinny and had a sore leg, but was otherwise fine.
Cookie makes Coco's acquaintance.
First bath for Coco.
She had enough dirt in her ears to grow a plant.
Coco and Hazel meet.
Coco checks out the yard.
She is calm and sensible (and pretty) like her mother Sola.
Monkey is recovering from surgery to remove bladder stones.
She's doing great now, but needs to be on the same expensive diet as Maggie. Apparently the little white shaggy dogs are prone to it.
Otto, Monkey and Tupo.
Monkey poses with the stones Dra Sandra removed.
Just to keep things interesting, we had company over the holidays.
Sweet Xmul was here and Kiki's 2 dogs stayed for a few days.
PupG kisses Xmul and Zoila hangs out with her new little buddy, Chiquita.
Group shot with Zoila and sister Junebug in surgical collars.
They have both been spayed and recovered beautifully.
Siblings Coco and Tupo nap on Sean.
December 12th, not quite 2 weeks after Coco's arrival, Sean brought the last unplaced pup home. She's bigger than her siblings and shyer.
We call her Nico.
Nico's 1st bath. Mega and Steve say hello.
She has a skin problem that we had diagnosed at the clinic on Sunday!
Dozens were treated and/or vaccinated (5 in 1), one dog had to be put down, and they managed to neuter 2 -despite not planning to preform surgeries this time! Pretty good considering we were thinking of canceling it.
Nico is all legs and paws! Her dad must be Ringo and he's a big boy!
As it turns out the mosquito shack is still in use by the man who built it, the aptly named Angel. Our paths just hadn't crossed lately. He was aware of the puppies and had been feeding and getting to know the adults.
We were relieved to know that someone else would be keeping an eye on them and that they were welcome where they had taken refuge.
All the adults were skinnier than they should have been for eating regularly.
We suspected ehrlichiosis and Sean is making sure they each get a pill every day for 21 days.
This is exactly a month after the previous photos. Angel has given everyone names and found homes for at least 4 of them!
This charmer is called Hulk. He and 2 of his brother have been adopted by friends or family of Angel. We'll work on convincing them to have them sterilized.
All of the adults are great with the puppies, even around food!
Hulk shares with Loba and his mom Solitaria.
The antibiotics seem to have done the trick because the adults are putting on weight.
Isn't Sola pretty? She and Ringo wait for food.
He is looking much better than he was a month ago!
Now that she's done nursing (after they've all finished their treatment for ehrlichiosis) we're going to have the adults sterilized. Angel said he would secure a place to keep them and watch over them for a few days after surgeries.
There are many details to be worked out and at least 4 puppies still need homes, but so far life has been kinder to these dogs than we could have hoped when we first discovered them. Most dogs that are abandoned in these woods starve or succumb to illness. Angel's kindheartedness and Sean's medical interventions brought Solitaria back from the brink. The future is uncertain, but at least they have a chance for something besides a short life of misery.
I'll update on the saga of the strays and puppies soon.
Suffice it to say that so far they're doing well.
I haven't been taking my camera on walks so here are a few shots of home life.
Days have been mercifully uneventful.
Sugar and daughter Minya are the center of attention.
Sugar is the least graceful cat I have ever met!
It's only a matter of time until I get video of her falling off of something.
She is also a loudmouth!
It's easy to be the center of attention here -just eat something.
3 spotted dogs, Pete, Gracie and Archie.
Beautiful Shirley loves her toys.
Miles and Zasu have seen a lot together-
from Pittsburgh, to Portland, to the Yucatan.
Brothers Pete and Steve asleep by my desk.
When they're awake they are in constant competition.
One of the palm trees has started to produce coconuts.
The bees love it!
The pitayas produced 2 gorgeous fruits.
We ate one and left one for the birds.
Large mantis on a 'mother of thousands' plant.
Both are awesomely creepy.
Sunday, on the way home from the clinic to feed our horde, we stopped by to check on/feed a group of dumped dogs that Sean came across a few weeks ago.
They have found some degree of shelter in a disused camp/homestead in the woods but have grown worryingly thin.
This sweet girl is skeletal, nervous and nursing.
While putting out food I heard the unmistakable squeals of puppies.
We know the person who lives at this camp and that he hadn't been using it lately so I went in to investigate.
The mosquitoes are terrible.
We gave them water and made sure their mom ate.
8 puppies in all. I don't know what we can do for them.
This is a poignant discovery for us because it has been almost exactly 7 years since we brought in Gracie and her 8 puppies. All of those dogs are still our family and I can't bear the thought of them growing up hungry and homeless.
A bit depressing but fitting that we discovered them on the day of the clinic. Small victories are important but the problems are enormous, they won't be solved easily or overnight. Helpful suggestions and homes for these pups needed!
The clinic went well! 38 animals sterilized!
Nine males and 28 females. Mostly dogs and a few cats.
Thanks to the team assembled by Dra. Sandra at Pets & Company and everyone who donated!
Thanks to Pronatura Celestun for the use of their building.
The weather was beautiful and the line formed early.
Dogs and cats are closely monitored in the recovery room.
Jackeline (in white) was there ALL day keeping things running smoothly. She is also responsible for securing the donation of medication from the Centro de Salud. We couldn't have done it without her!
Sean, Hueso and his very nice dog that he saved from the garbage dump! He was rightly proud of her and her being up to date on her rabies shots. She was spayed and we'll be giving her a distemper vaccination when we remove her stitches.
When we were picking up lunch for the surgical team (paid for by the municipio!) we stopped by to visit one of our favorite beach dogs, neutered at the 1st clinic. Handsome Brian aka Caramelo is a great guy and it seems like he's been staying out of trouble.
If the C.S Celestun SSY (Health Center) is willing to continue to provide the Zelazol we can hold more regular clinics. We're going to take a moment to be happy about this one, but the next clinic is tentatively planned for January.
