I SAY…We Can Make a Difference

 

 

I WOULD be lying if I did not say I was part of the group of Canadians who worried about travelling to Mexico. Safety and health concerns however did not phase me. I was petrified to see the condition of the animals on the street. Having been involved in animal welfare throughout Canada and other countries since I was a teenager, I was well-versed on the treatment of many animals in countries such as Mexico. I am not the type of person who can simply look the other way when there is an animal in need. I am that person who blocks off roadways with her car to save that roaming dog. I recently decided I needed to be on the front line and wanted to see if the tireless efforts and financial resources from devoted volunteers like myself had made a difference.

I contacted an animal rescue (Mex Pups) located in British Columbia, who works with Mexican animal welfare groups, and told them I was going to Puerto Vallarta and wanted to help.  Mex Pups placed me in contact with Friends of Puerto Vallarta, an independent group of people devoted to helping street animals.  Little did I know I would end up meeting a mirror image of myself. Tere Kimball, a realtor in Puerto Vallarta, devotes much of her time and finances to educating people and saving animal’s lives.  She truly is a one woman warrior. On a beach patio flooded mainly with tourists, through tears we compared our harrowing experiences of saving animals over the years. I had been in the country a few days now and was keeping my eyes wide open with resources ready to intervene in any situation. “Where are all of the stray animals?” I asked Tere.

She explained that the control in pet population was significantly better now because the local mentality was starting to change. She said the work and influence from (local to international) volunteers had made a large impact. Spay/neuter clinics had become more common. Healthier dogs on the end of local’s leashes had started to become the new norm. She did take us away from the tourist areas and even to a local veterinary clinic. A lot of help was still needed I could see.  We take our veterinary clinics here for granted in Canada as I stared at the single bulb dangling awkwardly from the clinic’s primitive surgical station.

I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of customers in the veterinary’s office tending to the their animal’s needs. Years ago many of these people would have just left the animal alone and replaced it. It was touching speaking with locals who had said when they were growing up, an animal was rarely considered a part of the family, and now they could not imagine it any other way.

We ended up transporting three dogs back to Canada who had families waiting for them at the airport. This act allowed two different rescues the ability to take three more dogs off the streets, thus saving a total of six lives. Often we wonder if our donations and efforts make a difference. I am thrilled to say I have seen it first hand.

I say, give. You may not see the results first row, but the show still has a spectacular ending.