DOLPHIN SUPER POD!

BOTANICAL GARDENS – PUERTO VALLARTA

Victor Hugo, French writer, poet and dramatist (1802-1885), wrote a poem entitled  “PRINTEMPS” (“SPRING”), which he describes as “long days, light, love, delirium!”  Hugo names May as the “flowering”  month, and Vallarta is filled with the lipstick pink  blossoms of the amapa trees and the dazzling,  sun-bright blossoms of the primavera (“spring”) trees, whose petals resemble confetti strewn across our cobbled streets. 

A DELIRIOUSLY HAPPY DAY!  At eight-thirty in the morning last Sunday, I boarded a panga in beautiful Boca de Tomatlán with six friends and Daniel, the captain.  There had been a light rain the night before in some parts of Vallarta and the skies were overcast as we left the pier.

ÁRBOLES DE PRIMAVERA, MUELLE Y PANGA EN BOCA DE TOMATLÁN – PRIMAVERA TREES, PIER AND PANGA

BAY OF BANDERAS AND THE FOOTHILLS OF THE SIERRA MADRES

We sped for about an hour in the direction of the Marieta Islands before seeing a solitary dolphin.  Karla de la Pena, owner of Boca Divers, explained that this would be a male who had been pushed out of a pod for bad behavior, which is usually sexual aggressiveness.  Minutes later, we experienced a sense of wonder as the water was roiled by a super pod of dolphins.  Dozens of dolphins shone silvery in the sunlight as they sliced through the water, curving gracefully as they lept and raced next to and just ahead of us.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVe7fokaoMA&feature=youtu.be

Karla, Carmen Brockmann and I jumped into the water, but the dolphins swam rapidly past us.  Carmen yelped and called out that the water was a little “sting-y,” so we all swam quickly back to the panga,  Carmen immediately had red welts and a rash on one leg from having been stung by small jellyfish.  We were thirty-minutes from the Marieta Islands when we again saw the super pod of what Karla estimated to be 70-100 dolphins.  On the hour ride back to Boca, a solitary dolphin swam slowly in the distance – no leaps of joy.    As these cetaceans live up to forty years, in time some of the ostracized dolphins will perhaps be allowed to rejoin their original pod or be accepted into a new one.

KARLA-FUNDADORA DE AYUDAMUTT – CON “VACA,” QUÉ NECESITA HOGAR

“VACA”  – UNA PERRITA DE LA CALLE EN BOCA – 14 MESES, ESTERILIZADA, VACUNADA Y QUIERE UNA FAMILIA  CONTACTO:  KARLA DE BOCA DIVERS EN FB

CARMEN

In Boca, where the unobstructed sun shone brightly, we stopped at a food stand for a delicious lunch of “birria,” a shredded beef-like stew sprinkled with onion and rolled inside freshly made tortillas – 12 pesos each.

BIRRIA CON TORTILLAS FRESCAS – BOCA DE TOMATLÁN

Drinks were fresh siruella (a Mexican plum-like, yellow fruit) “waters,”  also 12 pesos each.  Karla introduced me to “Vaca” (“Cow”),  a 14-month old black and white beach dog that is being fed by locals. Vaca is spayed and vaccinated and needs a home.  If you would like to meet her, please contact Karla via “AyudaMutt” on FB.  Karla is the founder of this Boca rescue/sterilization group. On May 8th, AyudaMutt sterilized 19 cats and dogs in Boca de Tomatlán.

“SOMBRA” VA ESTAR TRATADA POR TVT Y NECESITA CASA PUENTE Y HOGAR  CONTACTO:  AYUDAMUTT POR FB.

One of the dogs spayed was “Sombra,” a beautiful black Pit Bull with TVT that her owner has relinquished and promised to hang if she returned to him.  In late January, the dog gave birth to six puppies, three of which died.  One puppy was given away unneutered and the surviving two are in foster care. Sombra will be undergoing chemo, using 1,000 pesos of the “Laila SOS” funds for 5 treatments.  The beautiful Pittie and her two puppies need a foster and/or permanent home.

   

LEAVING BOCA – SALIENDO DE BOCA

COLONIA BUENOS AIRES – This is the first coloniaoff the “libramiento” ( tunnel road) on the way to the Canopy Tour zipline.  It´s a tiny village  adjacent to the río Cuale and about a 10-minute drive from centro.  Buenos Aires has a lovely little plaza with a deep orange, domed bandstand,  several primavera trees, a school and a water plant.  It´s a mostly Mexican neighborhood with a mix of pretty Mexican-style homes a few blocks above the main road and the river,  and cinderblock homes down below.  The next little village is Paso Ancho, then Paso Guayabo, then one or two more settlements before entering ejido de Jorullo.

PLAZA EN COLONIA BUENOS AIRES

The clinic was in a great location – a large lot with a corrugated tin roof, cement floor,  tile sink, and an unattached bathroom in the grassy area.  And there were breezes.  The donated location had excellent visibility as it was on the main road next to the river and across the street from the tortilla factory.

CLÍNICA EN BUENOS AIRES

Wednesday, May 10th is always Mother´s Day in Mexico, and it is a very big deal.  Flowers are everywhere and schools always hold special events.  The extremely low turn-out of five animals on Wednesday was possibly due to people fixing special meals, going out to lunch, etc.  Not wanting to take any chances with a low turn-out on Thursday, I stopped by the clinic, which already had about 20 animals registered.  One of the dogs visiting the clinic was the rescued female Pit Bull with TVT. The “Laila” SOS fund is paying for the five chemo treatments (1,000 pesos), which  Dr. Poli is administering.  Thursday was the dog´s third treatment and tumors are no longer visible.

PERRA EN  LA CLÍNICA EN BUENOS AIRES – PARA SU TERCERA  TRATAMIENTO PARA TVT Y ANDA BIEN.

GANADO COMIENDO PLÁSTICO Y BASURA.  CATTLE EATING PLASTIC AND GARBAGE.

 As there was room for more animals, I took a drive up along the river, passing cattle eating garbage and plastic from an overloaded bin.  A little further up, I spotted a small black Terrier also eating garbage in an empty lot.

TERRIER CALLEJERO BUSCANDO ALGO COMER EN LA BASURA.  LO LLEVÉ PARA ESTERILIZAR EN COL. BUENOS AIRES

A round and sour-faced woman next door said “We don´t like animals.  They´re a responsibility.”  I agreed with her that they were in fact a big responsibility, which was why we are sterilizing cats and dogs. She said the little male dog was homeless, so I put a PEACEAnimals slip leash (thank you Pamela Lock for 550 of these!) around his neck,  and he trotted next to me back to the car.  A little further up the dirt road I saw another small, black dog.  The owner said I could take her to the clinic and that her name was “Lazy.”  She was in fact very snappy and bite-y and I had to ask Frank to get her out of the car when I arrived back at the clinic.  Friday, in part because Buenos Aires isn´t very far away, I returned to the clinic.  Frank was there to volunteer for the third day in a row, and was joined be Angela and Gabriela at the recovery table.  Again, there was room for more cats and dogs, so I took another drive up the road, stopping at a very humble home next to the river to pick up a little brown and white Chihuahua-mix named “Mia,”  It was a several-minute discussion to explain why it was important to have her spayed.

Arriving at the ejido offices of el Jorullo a few minutes later, I saw four large dogs lounging in the road.

SAUL CON 3 DE LOS 4 PERROS QUE RECOGÍ EN EL EJIDO DE JORULLO

PERRA MAMÁ SIN HOGAR

 I gave her a breakfast roll, which she immediately buried in a mound of loose dirt next to the river.  Back in the little village, I saw a panting and enormously pregnant white Boxer-mix flopped down in front of a butcher shop where a dog had been found poisoned two days ago.

VERY PREGNANT PIT BULL IN FRONT OF BUTCHER SHOP IN PASO ANCHO – PERRA MUY PREÑADA FRENTE DE LA CARNICERÍA EN COl. PASO ANCHO- MISMO LUGAR DONDE UN PERRO FUÉ ENVENENADO DOS DÍAS ANTES.

The butcher told me that he feeds the dog daily scraps of meat or chicken because the owner that lives nearby doesn´t take care of the dog.   I followed the dog to its poor home a couple of blocks away and spoke with the man´s two young nieces, who said this would be the dog´s fourth litter.

CASA DE LA PERRA PREÑADA – VA A SER SU QUARTO – COL. PASO ANCHO

STERILIZATIONS MAY 10-13:  Female dogs – 42; Male dogs – 9; Female cats – 16;
Male cats –   11

TOTAL:  78

PLUS one pregnancy terminated for one cat with 5 fetuses

Considering that this is a ranching area with many people living up in the hills on both sides of the river, this was a good response.

DONATIONS AT COLONIA BUENOS AIRES:  1,480 PESOS

DR. JESÚS PACHECO OPERANDO – CON FRANK OHLY, VOLUNTARIO, ATRÁS- COL. BUENOS AIRES

Vicki and Frank Ohly – lunches for the team and volunteers at their home in colonia Buenos Aires on Wednesday
Troy Valens – 6 lunches on Thursday from Sea Monkey for the vet team of 4 plus 2 volunteers
Troy Valens – 6 lunches from Cheeky Monkey on Friday for the vet team of 4 plus 2 volunteers
Nacho Daddy – 6 lunches on Saturday

DONATIONS TO PEACEANIMALS:  Amazon Smile Foundation – $52.18 – representing purchases between January 1 and March 31.  Thanks to Troy Valens for posting on his restaurant FB pages and to all those who shop on AmazonSmile and designate Banderas Bay Charities Inc.  PEACEAnimals receives all these donations.

V Porter – $75 USD

EDUCATION PROGRAM:  New board member Ofelia Osuna McHugh and I sat in on Leslie Caratachea´s excellent presentation at the American School on Tuesday morning.  We had been asked by one of the teachers, Mary Beth Kester, to make this visit.  The twenty-five bi-lingual 6th graders were very engaged, asking many questions- “How do you know when a dog or cat is in heat?”  “Can dogs get breast cancer?”  “What if all the dogs and cats are sterilized, will there still be cats and dogs?”

LESLIE AND MARY BETH KESTER –  6TH GRADE TEACHER OF THE AMERICAN SCHOOL

Afterwards, I drove to colonia Buenos Aires to put up a few flyers.  Stopping at the school to speak with some parents with their children about the free clinic, a young girl politely raised her index finger indicating that she had a question – “Do you sterilize rabbits? We have so many!”  The answer is yes – but only males.

On the way home, an amusing sight next to the libramiento: 

REGRESANDO AL CENTRO DE COL. BUENOS AIRES – VISTA DIVERTIDA A UN LADO DEL LIBRAMIENTO

RAISING FUNDS AND VISIBILITY:  Three hundred PEACEAnimals blue mesh shopping/beach bags with,extra-long straps are now available. The PEACeAnimals logo and website are on one side and the familiar mermaid on the other.  Bags are 200 pesos each and  can be purchased at:

Lucy´s CuCu Cabana -295 Basilio Badillo (AFTER OCTOBER 25TH)

Galeria Uno – 561 Morelos

Colleción la Bohemia at Constitución and Basilio

Cork&Bottle – Los Mercados – Aquiles Serdan 265

Charlie’s Sport Fishing and Tours- Local 8B -Marina Vallarta

Galeria Dante – 269 Basilio Badillo 

Macaria- Josefa de Ortiz #129, between Morelos and the malecón.   

TRAYERON 1 PERRITA Y UNA GATA CON SUS 3 BEBÉS CON OJOS AZULES – COL. BUENOS AIRES – BROUGHT 1 FEMALE DOG AND MAMA CAT WITH THREE EIGHT-WEEK OLD, BLUE-EYED KITTENS

DONATE WITHOUT SPENDING MONEY:  PEACEAnimals is able to receive donations from Amazon Smile under the umbrella of Banderas Bay Charities, Inc. Amazon donates 0.5% of eligible AmazonSmile purchases to the charitable organizations selected by their customers.  This is a very simple way to help fund our clinics:    https://smile.amazon.com/ch/47-4752247  
EVEN SIMPLER, LOG ON TO WWW.AMAZONSMILE.ORG AND TYPE IN BANDERAS BAY CHARITIES, INC. (PEACEANIMALS RECEIVES ALL OF THESE DONATIONS).

Troy Valens –  Owner of Sea Monkey and Cheeky Monkey restaurants – $10  USD gift certificates to Sea Monkey and Cheeky Monkey for “sharing” AmazonSmile post.

DR. POLI – COLONIA BUENOS AIRES

COL. BUENOS AIRES

PLEASE CHECK OUR WEBSITE, FB PAGE OR BLOG FOR NEW DATES AND LOCATIONS.  FAVOR DE CHECAR NUESTRO WEBSITE, PÁGINA EN FB O BLOG PARA NUEVAS FECHAS Y HOGARES.  


SCHEDULE/HORARIO:

MIRANDO A LA CLÍNICA EN BUENOS AIRES

May 17-20 -Ixtapa – calle Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez #188 – next to the delegación

May 24-27 – colonia Volcanes – en la escuela primaria 

May 31-June 3 – colonia Linda Vista- DIRECTIONS tba

COL. BUENOS AIRES

PETS FOR LIFE  SPECIAL  ONE-DAY CLINICS ARE HELD ON THE ISLA CUALE THE FIRST SUNDAY OF EVERY MONTH.   CLINICS OPEN FOR REGISTRATION AT 7 AM.  

PETS FOR LIFE, A MEXICAN S.C. (BUSINESS),  IS PAID 4,500 PESOS FOR THE STERILIZATION OF 30 ANIMALS.  IF NUMBERS ARE GREATER,  INDIVIDUALS OR ANIMAL RESCUE ORGANIZATIONS MAKE UP THE DIFFERENCE.  

For each cat or dog over the number 30,  sponsors of the Sunday clinics will be charged 150 pesos.  To sponsor a Sunday clinic, please contact: [email protected]

January 8, 2017 – October 2017 –  ANONYMOUS DONOR HAS PROVIDED FUNDING (SPAY/NEUTER FOR 30 CATS AND DOGS) TO PEACEANIMALS  FOR 10 SUNDAY CLINICS ON THE ISLA CUALE.  (As SPCAPV paid for 100% of the April clinic, the anonymous donor´s donation for 10 clinics of 30 animals each will include November).    

JOSUÉ – ESTUDIANTE EN BUENOS AIRES

JOSUÉ LLEVANDO SU PERRITA OPERADA A CASA- COL. BUENOS AIRES

Please “like” PEACEAnimals and Calle Cero on FaceBook.

PASO GUAYABO – CERCA DEL COLONIA DE BUENOS AIRES – A UN LADO DEL RÍO CUALE – AREA NEAR BUENOS AIRES AND NEXT TO THE CUALE RIVER

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

PARA REPORTAR ABUSO A LOS ANIMALES –  293 3690