“It is very hot” was the daily message from my husband while I was visiting family in Marin County and San Francisco.   San Francisco was enjoying rare balmy, summer days with no wind or fog.  In Sleepy Hollow in San Anselmo,  stream beds are empty of water, deer munch on garden greenery,  a solitary solitary rooster crows at various times during the day,  and when it´s very dark, one can hear the yip yip yipping of coyotes.

 At six o´clock the morning before I left for the airport,  two curious, tan-colored coyotes stood silently staring at us from behind the property line fence sixty yards away. Very close to them, a third one rolled happily on its back on the dry grassy knoll.  They resembled some of the dogs I see in Mexico, but better fed.  There are so many deer in the brown hills.

FRIDAY NIGHT IN PUERTO VALLARTA/VIERNES EN PUERTO VALLARTA   photo credit:  Josef Kandoll

The flight to Puerto Vallarta on July 8th descended into a bumpy, milky white sky.  It was raining heavily.    The taxi driver said that for the first time in ten years, June was almost completely rainless in Puerto Vallarta.  For three weeks, weather had been humidity in the 80´s and air temperature in the low 90´s.  Crackling lightning and torrential rain on Friday night and subsequent cloudy days will keep temperatures and humidity lower for awhile.

MULTI-PURPOSE BUILDING IN COLONIA 12 DE OCTUBRE

 

12 DE OCTUBRE:  With different meanings for different people, this date is celebrated by many.  For some, it is “el Día de Colón,”  the date Columbus arrived in the Americas.  El 12 de octubre is also called “el Día de la Hispanidad,” observed by Spanish-speaking people all over the world.  And for indigenous people this date is called “el Día de la Raza,” which celebrates their communal heritage. 

COLONIA 12 DE OCTUBRE

Colonia 12 de octubre is reached by driving northeast about 25 minutes over paved, cobbled and very rough, rocky dirt roads. Due to the recent rains, it was necessary to drive through three partially water-filled arroyos before reaching this very rural, remote and sparsely populated colonia.  The countryside,  close to the foothills of the Sierra Madres, is lush and beautiful in places. 

CASA HUMILDE EN 12 DE OCTUBRE

If standing in the right spot, one can see all the way down to the blue strip of the distant bay.  One can also see poverty.  There aren´t many homes in the area, but there are plenty of cats and dogs.  Some people came to the multi-purpose building with their families and pets in taxis, while others walked long distances. 

PERRITO DEMACRADO BUSCANDO ALIMENTO EL LA SELVA

After leaving the clinic on Friday, I saw a  skinny, shiny-coated black Lab mix puppy looking for garbage in the high grass.  One sees so many dogs and cats that need rescuing and it feels very sad not to be able to help all of them.  The mission of PEACEAnimals remains the same – “to prevent the future suffering of animals.”

STERILIZATIONS IN COLONIA 12 DE OCTUBRE JULY 8-1l:   
Male dogs:  15;  Female dogs: 33;
Male cats: 17; Female cats: 28
TOTAL:  93

Plus one pregnancy terminated for a cat
with four fetuses.

DONATIONS IN COLONIA 12 DE OCTUBRE:  320 pesos

DONATIONS TO PEACEANIMALS:   Joan C. Bennett of Portland, Oregon –  102  individual packets of sutures plus four boxes of sutures – Dr. Poli said this would cover the surgeries of approximately 200 cats and dogs. 

Heather Lacelle – $25 USD (monthly pledge)
Vickie Smith – $100 USD
Textilpro – 30 used white hand towels

PARA NUESTRO PROGRAMA DE EDUCACIÓN, ESTA FOTO ES UNA DE LAS 6 QUE USAMOS Y CASI TODOS LOS NIÑOS DICEN QUE HAN VISTO UN PERRO IGUAL.

EDUCATION PROGRAM: None these past two weeks, as schools are in recess.  Below is one of the six photos that are shown to the children and teenagers.  Photographs were blown up to large poster size and mounted on cardboard for easy display.  When the question was asked in classrooms, almost every child raised a hand to confirm that she or he had seen a dog that looked like the one in the photo above. 

12 DE OCTUBRE

12 DE OCTUBRE

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LINEA DESIGNADA PARA DIRECIÓNES Y COMO LLEGAR (EN ESPAÑOL) A LAS CLÍNICAS CADA SEMANA:   (322) 113 3955