Friends of Humane Society de Tijuana

HSTJ's October Clinics - 2011

2011-11-22T10:42:00.000-08:00

HSTJ Conducted TEN Itchy Scratchy clinics during the month of October treating a total of 732 dogs and 34 cats! In addition to the Street clinics, our regular spay clinic was on the 30th of October, held at a public building in the Colonia Cumbres and totals as follows:

Male dogs 2
Female dogs 10
Male cats 1
Female cats 8
Total 21

Also in October, HSTJ's sponsored spays/neuters were done at several local vet offices for rescued animals being cared for by a TJ rescue group. The total is as follows:

Female dogs 14
Male dogs 5
Female Cats 6
Male Cats 1
Total 26

That brings our total spay and neuters for the month of October to 47! Our grand total of sterilizations for the calendar year of 2011 is 462 animals!!

Here are two reports from the ten street clinics. To view all of the pictures from our clinics visit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hstj/collections/
To support our monthly clinics, please consider becoming a sponsor by pledging just $5 a month: http://friendsofhstj.org/BecomeaSponsor.html

This is the report of the Itchy-Scratchy clinic, held on October 1 on the property of a dog hoarding elderly man, nick-named Don Juanito.

We have been supporting a rescue group who has taken charge of this place. That is no easy matter, besides vaccinations, vet visits, supplying food and fresh water (there is no running water on that property), there is also the matter of spay/neutering all the dogs and arranging for the adoption process for all those who are candidates..

This is in fact a never ending story, because of the constant flow of dogs. People are still leaving animals at his doorstep. Most of them are in very bad shape or sick.

For example the night before this I.S. clinic, a pregnant dog was left outside the door of this place. At the time of the IS clinic she began to give birth. Thankfully this kind elderly man is receiving more than enough help from various groups, including HSTJ.

The October 10 I.S. clinic was held in Sub-Delegacion Lomas del Porvenir. It was a very long day. Three volunteers treated 127 dogs and 3 cats. Treatment includes: flea, tick and worm medication; ear and teeth cleaning; vitamins, nail clipping and a big bag of dog food. Thanks to all the donations, on this day we also had each pet owner choose a gift. A leash/collar, a chew toy or one article of pet clothing. They were very grateful. Thanks to all whose valuable donations make clinics like this possible.

In one special case, a seven month old chihuahua showed advanced signs of mange, and was given special care. Needless to say, a follow up visit was scheduled.

Also, 11 dogs were reffered to nearby HSTJ volunteer vets for proper diagnosis and treatment. They showed symptoms of different diseases and some appeared very sick. Just a few examples were: advanced signs of Parvo, ear infections, chronic diarrea and excessively advanced tooth decay.

Pets must be in good health before being brought to our monthly Spay/Neuter Clinics, which is why we hold the Street Clinics in the area first. There owners are educated on proper animal care and assistance is provided when necessary.

Annual Report, Letter from the President - Kick Off Fundraiser Announced!

2011-11-22T09:58:00.000-08:00

Dear FRIENDS,

As I reflect on the activites of the past year, I am truly surprised by what we have accomplished. It has exceeded our goals and has put the Humane Society de Tijuana on a path of becoming the leader for reform of local animal welfare regulations, including the administration of the city dog pound. With the support of Friends of HSTJ, all program goals for street clinics, community center spay/neuter clinics, and rescue support were exceeded. In addition, two new programs were initiated 1) HSTJ sponsored low cost spay/neuter services through private veterinarians and 2) Active political action with interface in the city, state and federal government.

Through the generosity and continued support of Mrs. Olive Walker from Los Angeles, CA., we were able to initiate these new programs without taking resources from our already established clinics.

"During the past fiscal year, HSTJ’s programs performed 531 low cost and free spay/neuter surgeries; provided free services for 4,685 pets of the poor and street animals, treating them for parasites, mange and malnutrition”

To give you an idea of the number of animals served, please note the following excerpt which was part of the FHSTJ 501(c ) 3 Federal Income Tax Return for the fiscal year, July 1 through June 30, 2011:

" During the past year, FHSTJ provided 85% of the financial support for the Humane Society de Tijuana's programs that performed 531 low cost and free spay/neuter surgeries; provided free services for 4,685 pets of the poor and street animals, treating them for parasites, mange and malnutrition; supported individual rescuers having a collective daily census of 240 animals with free food, basic medication and sterilization surgeries; facilitated 40 pet adoptions in Mexico; placed 11 hardcore rescues in permanent home in the San Diego area; and sponsored a Baja California statewide conference to reform dog pound conditions. This was accomplished with a corps of 50 volunteers who supplement the corps of 30 Mexican volunteers."

Most Friends receive the monthly email reports which give the details of each program and event; however, I want to remind you again that you can review these reports with photos and other data by going to the web site www.friendsofhstj.org and clicking on the blog button. Each month of each year has a report so that you can see how your donations are being used.

“The State of Baja California is now providing humane euthanasia drugs to local dog pounds in response to a federal push to eliminate electrocution.”

If you have been following the progress during the past year, you have seen that we have not only conducted animal rescues and clinics but have been very successful in bringing about some reform to the city animal welfare regulations. These new regulations set requirements for pet owners, the public in general and the city's administration of the dog pound. We presented our data and reports to the federal department of health in Mexico City. We were well received. The city of Tijuana and the State of Baja California (the “State”) were informed of various infractions and told to comply with federal regulation. HSTJ was also given contacts in the State with whom HSTJ can work to report and resolve problems related to animal welfare in the Tijuana area. The State is now providing humane drugs to local dog pounds to be used for euthanasia in response to a federal move to abandon electrocution.

“During the past fiscal year 100,000 pounds of food was distributed.”

Another large expansion of services was HSTJ's support of individual rescuers and small rescue groups. They are being supplied with pet food, basic medications and spay/neuter surgery. HSTJ is currently supporting several rescuers with a combined average daily census of 240 animals. During the past fiscal year 100,000 pounds of food was distributed. Fortunately and thanks to our faithful supporters, all of our food is donated at present. However, the cost to pick up this quantity of food, move it to Mexico and distribute it to the rescuers is costly. Gasoline and truck maintenance alone is a major expense not to mention the cost of a storage unit. HSTJ urgently needs more support for its food distribution program in order to keep up with this large food distribution program.

“we need to have a permanent treatment facility-a facility for spays/neuters and treatments for the animals of the local rescuers that we are supporting.”

We are convinced that our philosophy of operating decentralized programs in place of having a shelter is the reason for our success. Our clinics are MASH style set ups, even our surgery clinics. While it is labor intensive, it is not as costly and difficult as running a shelter in Mexico where we would be under the auspices of the very authorities that have yet to reform animal welfare on their own. It also allows us to reach more animals with our limited resource. That being said, we indeed plan to continue these decentralized programs; however, now that we are supporting so many individual rescuers, we need to have a permanent treatment facility-a facility for spays/neuters and treatments for the animals of the local rescuers that we are supporting. This will be a big outlay and we ask our donors to consider a donation to help us realize this facility. Again, we do not plan to have a shelter. We want to be able to help rescuers ready their animals for adoption. We believe that spay/neuter and medical treatment of rescued animals is the key to adoption and prevention of over population of animals. We do not want a static refuge but rather a dynamic facility that will facilitate spay/neuter, adoptions, education, and collaboration among rescuers.

“Kick off fundraiser! Get your raffle ticket to win a 2 night stay at the Coronado Marriot with dinner for two and Spa Package valued at over $800. Tickets only $25 and all proceeds will be matched! Great odds! Only 250 tickets will be sold! For more information click here. To buy your ticket cick here”

To meet this goal, we will start with a kick-off fundraiser! Get your raffle ticket for a chance to win a two-night stay, dinner and spa package at the Coronado Marriot valued at over $800! Proceeds from all raffle sales will be matched so please consider participating. We will also be holding an annual fundraiser in 2012. All FRIENDS and the general public will be notified of the details. We hope that you can join us for another gala event to help us help the animals.

Remember, both HSTJ and FHSTJ are all volunteer organizations. No board member or officer receives any monetary or other type of compensation except for the satisfaction in knowing that you have saved an animal.

As a FRIEND of HSTJ, I want to thank you for helping us to help the animals. As I mentioned before, please take time to review our blog reports on the web site and see how you, personally, have saved animals from a life of starvation, disease, pain and fear.

Richard Massa

President, FHSTJ and Delegado Directivo, HSTJ

Kick-Off Fundraiser - Hotel Getaway Plus Dinner & Spa Package

2011-11-11T11:01:00.000-08:00

Help HSTJ start the new year off strong by helping us get our programs fully funded for the coming year with this amazing opportunity drawing!

Buy your Raffle ticket for a chance to win a Hotel Getaway with dinner and Spa Package at the
Coronado Island Marriott Resort and Spa
in sunny San Diego, California!

TICKETS ONLY $25 FOR A CHANCE TO WIN THIS FABULOUS PACKAGE VALUED AT OVER $800!

A Two-Night Stay
Dinner for Two valued at $125
One 60 Minute Facial

One 60 Minute Swedish Massage

ONLY 250 TICKETS WILL BE SOLD! GREAT ODDS!

DRAWING WILL BE HELD JANUARY 5, 2012

Proceeds from all raffle sales will be MATCHED so please consider participating.

Get your ticket(s) today by clicking HERE

*Restrictions:
Package expires and must be used before July 1, 2012.
All holidays are excluded.

HSTJ's September Clinics - 2011

2011-10-26T10:32:00.000-07:00

HSTJ Conducted three Itchy Scratchy clinics during the month of September treating a total of 141 dogs and 6 cats! In addition to the Street clinics, our regular spay clinic was on the 25th of September, held at the Universidad Iberoamericana in Playas de Tijuana and totals as follows:

Male dogs 12
Female dogs 9
Male cats 7
Female cats 6
Total 34

Also in September, HSTJ's sponsored spays/neuters were done at the clinic of Dr. Aracely Herrera and for rescued animals being cared for by a TJ rescue group, Provid Animal. The total is as follows:
Female dogs 12
Male dogs 8
Total 20

That brings our total spay and neuters for the month of September to 54! Our grand total of sterilizations for 2011 is 415 animals!!

On September 2, 2011 we visited Colonia Nuevo Milenio, treating 56 dogs and 4 cats.

On a side note, there was a 2 month old female pup who was drawn to the smell of dog food. Appearing very emaciated, she was fed softened dog food and is now being fostered by one of HSTJ's volunteers. She will be fixed on October 30th and will be up for adoption!

On September 10, volunteers headed for Colonia Nuevo Milenio to hold an Itchy-Scratchy Clinic. Neighbors in this area were invited to bring their dogs and cats to receive treatment for worms, ticks, fleas and mange. Information on our next Spay/Neuter Clinic was given to all. Every pet owner received a 6lb bag of dog food.

TOTAL: 39 dogs 0 cats

The September 13 Itchy-Scratchy Clinic was held in the Colonia Rio Parte Baja. A total of 48 animals were treated. All animals that were brought to this clinic received deworming pills and were treated against ticks, fleas and mange. The owners were given a bag of dog/cat food as an incentive for bringing their pets and were invited to bring their pets to our next Spay/Neuter Clinic in October.

TOTAL: 48
Dogs: 46 Cats: 2

To view all of the pictures from HSTJ's clinics visit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hstj/collections/

Animal Welfare Legislation Passed in Mexico!

2011-10-26T10:07:00.000-07:00

In addition to HSTJ's sterilization and street clinics, a large part of HSTJ's mission is to promote humane legislation within the government of Mexico. After working very hard to convince government officials of the need to make changes, new regulations were recently passed to protect animals in/from TJ.

Among others, these regulations prohibit the selling of animals on the streets of the city and may be punished with fines and jail who mistreats an animal.

People will be punished for:

*.- Not putting pets on a leash when walking them
*.- Not picking up feces
*.- Not providing fair treatment (food, water and other considerations)
*.- Killing animals and maul
*.-.- Selling animals illegally

The picture above is the Mayor of the City announcing the new regulations

This is a huge step in the right direction for animal wefare! Now when you vist Tijuana and you see the vendors selling puppies that are much too young and likely sick and suffering you can tell them with confidance that they will be reported and punished as what they are doing is not only cruel but illegal!

I am sure I don't need to remind you but I live by the saying
DON'T BREED OR BUY WHILE SHELTER PETS DIE.

This is such a huge step and such a reward to HSTJ and other Mexican rescue organizations!

The article as published in Spanish on the Frontera website and can be viewed here: http://www.frontera.info/EdicionEnLinea/Notas/Noticias/29092011/544778.aspx

HSTJ's August Clinics - 2011

2011-09-06T11:42:00.000-07:00

On August 28, 2011, HSTJ held its regular monthly clinic in Playas de Tijuana at the Universidad Iboamericana, fixing a total of 23 animals! 7 cats and 16 dogs

HSTJ also held two mini sterilization clinics during the month of August fixing an additional 17 dogs!

That is a total of 40 sterilizations for the month of August which brings our total for the year to 371 animals sterilized!

To see the pictures from the SN Clinic visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/hstj/sets/72157627613753474/

In addition to the three spay and neuter clinics, volunteers conducted three Itchy Scratchy Street clinics in August treating a total of 355 animals! Here are the stats:

Date: 8/6/11
Location: Colonia El Florido
Animals Treated: 98 Cats: 2 Dogs: 96

Date: 8/16/11
Location: Colonia Buenos Aires
Animals Treated: 162 Cats: 10 Dogs: 152

Date: 8/20/11
Location: Nueva Aurora
Animals Treated: 95 Cats: 1 Dogs: 94

There were many cases of mange as is common in the summer months and with animals with compromised immune systems due to improper nutrition and sanitization. Mange is a persistent contagious skin disease caused by parasitic mites. These mites imbed themselves in skin or hair follicles of these dogs. These images are very hard to look at I know, but this is a reality down in TJ. When we see these street dogs at our clinics, as shown in the picture below, we lay out food for them and if the animals are friendly and not afraid of the HSTJ volunteers, we will inject them with mange medicine called Ivermectin. If the animal is skiddish and won't come to us, we will inject the medicine into a can of wet food and hope that the animal eats it. It is amazing what proper nutrition and medicine can do for these animals. They make an incredible recovery and become once again the beautful animals they were, their outside reflecting the beauty they always carry within.

It is pretty amazing the animals we come across in Tijuana. Depending on their situation, they come to us starved, dehydrated, diseased with worms, mange and eye infections. Some of them are thrown away like trash and are close to death. We can see the desperation in their eyes and do whatever we can to help them. If you visit our website you can read some of the amazing before and after stories we have on animals just like the one pictured above

HSTJ estimates that there are about 7000 ill, starving and frightened street animals loose on the streets of TJ on any given day. Help HSTJ rescue and get these animals healthy by making a donation today! Thank you for recognizing that Animals Have No Nationality!

To see all of the pictures from the August street clinics, visit our flickr page here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hstj/sets/72157627486634512/

Newlyweds Donate to HSTJ in Lieu of a Wedding Gift! Thank you Robbie & Jenna

2011-09-06T11:31:00.000-07:00

Robbie and Jenna proud parents of one of HSTJ's rescues, tied the knot on August 5th at the beautiful Coronado Community Center in sunny San Diego. In lieu of getting their guests a party favor, they decided to make a donation to their two favorite charities, one of which was HSTJ!

Being the creative genius that he is, Robbie designed these amazing personalized $5 bills that each guest received to deposit into their charity of choice. Robbie and Jenna raised over $300 for HSTJ, more than enough to fund one full Itchy Scratchy clinic to treat many dogs and cats for fleas, mange and parasites. At these clinics HSTJ volunteers also educate the public about humane treatment, proper nutrition and of course the importance of sterilization.

Thank you Robbie and Jenna again, not only for rescuing your beloved Bigotes, but also for funding a clinic through your generous and creative wedding fundraiser!

If you are getting married or are having a party and would like to use this idea, let me know and I can put you in contact with Robbie to help you design your charity money! Just e-mail michelle@friendsofhstj.org

There are many ways to help the animals of Tijuana and to support HSTJ, if you would like information on volunteering, please visit our website http://www.friendsofhstj.org/VolunteerOpportunities.html

Volunteer Outreach in Santa Barbara, California!

2011-09-06T11:16:00.000-07:00

One of the greatest ways to help HSTJ and the plight of the street dog and cat is through community outreach.

We have a volunteer who lives in Santa Barbara who is passionate about animal rescue and the importance of sterilization and believes in HSTJ's cause so much that she offered to help promote the organization by representing us at a festival all the way in Santa Barbara!

The Wags and Whiskers festival took place on August 28th, Jessica said "I think it was lots of fun and people seemed very perceptive and intrigued by HSTJ. Since Santa Barbara is such a small town people are used to seeing the same names over and over, so it was something new. They would look at the tent/booth and then do a double take!"

Thank you so much Jessica from Santa Barbara for your dedication and hard work! Great contacts were made and most importantly you allowed another part of California to learn about the hard work HSTJ is doing for the countless number of street dogs and cats. We are making a difference one animal at a time!

If you or someone you know is interested in volunteering your time to help the animals of Tijuana, please visit our web site http://www.friendsofhstj.org/VolunteerOpportunities.html or e-mail michelle@friendsofhstj.org for more information. A little really goes a long way in helping these animals.

Thank you!

Where Are They Now? A Hoarding Case Re-Visited; Part Seven, The Story of Honey Canela

2011-09-06T11:06:00.000-07:00

A little more than two years ago, HSTJ responded to a hoarding case, a man was found to be hoarding 157 dogs in two locations of Tijuana. (a link to the article is below). As a result of mass publicity and the help of rescue groups, 80% of these animals were adopted out. However, the conditions of the animals that remained were horrible. HSTJ arrived to conduct a street clinic on these remaining animals, but as volunteers started processing the animals and treating them, we slowly realized that we could not just leave them there, we had to do something. Within an hour, we had found a property where we could temporarily house the remaining dogs, a huge undertaking for an organization of such meager resources, but the volunteers were strong, resourceful and determined. I don't think we realized how much work would have to be put into this project but in the end it was well worth the blood, sweat and tears.

Read the full story here
http://friendsofhumanesocietydetijuana.blogspot.com/2009/02/hstj-responds-to-needs-of-animals-of.html

I have decided to re-visit this story and follow up with as many of the owners of the rescued hoarding dogs, so that their amazing stories can be shared and live on forever.
**************************************************************************

The Story of Honey

On March 29, 2009, my boyfriend Josh and I were accompanying his mom to an adoption event put on by HSTJ in Solana Beach, San Diego. We were tagging along for opinions and support in her desire to adopt a dog that had been rescued, in which she had her eyes on for weeks. Upon arriving, we met the dog she was interested in adopting and immediately noticed another dog, named “Honey”. Her eyes were what gravitated me towards her, looking as deep as if I could see her sweet soul in them. I pointed to her and told Josh I liked her because of her sweet face. His mom encouraged us to take her home too. We had no plan in getting another dog at this time becasue of the miniature dachscund we had at home already. However, we had talked about getting a friend for our weinie “Jewels” since she was getting older and seemed to just sleep a lot. We took Honey for a walk and before we turned around to head back to the location, we sat on a bench and talked about our options and how we could bring her home. This is when the tears came as I told Josh that even if we are not ready for another dog, I think it would hurt worse if we left without her. We both agreed we couldn’t leave without her and on the spot we decided to make her a new member of our family.

We didn’t know much about Honey when we adopted her, but knew right away that we had to be very careful with her because she seemed so fragile and scarred. When we brought her home, Josh waited outside while I brought Jewels out so they could meet on non-territorial grounds. They were both very curious and once we felt like Jewels let her guard down, we took them both inside and started making accommodations. We decided to change her name, marking a new beginning of her life. We named her “Canela”, which means cinnamon in Spanish, to represent her beautiful coloring. She took to the name very well as Josh and I thought she would. With Canelas’ gentle demeanor and Jewels’ lovable personality, they quickly became companions. Jewels and Canela have never had the rough and tumble play relationship, but more of a true friendship as they snuggle with each other, lick each other clean, and do most things in sequence. They are very in tune with each other as Josh and I joke that we have two wiener dogs because Canela acts and demonstrates the same habits that Jewels does.

As far as Josh and me, getting to know Canela took true commitment and dedication as every bit of progress made with her was a gold metal accomplishment. In the beginning, we could not go up to Canela and pet her without her peeing herself. She would run outside if there was a loud noise, if the TV was too high, or if music was playing. If we were walking her she would stop, sit, and refuse to move if there were other dogs barking or loud disturbances. We knew we had to be very patient with Canela as we tried our best to use consistent positive encouragement and praise. After some time we noticed she started to warm up to me a little more and would rarely give Josh a chance to prove himself. She would come to me and lay with me, but the slightest move of Josh sprung her right out of her comfort zone. Josh grew frustrated because he felt like he was making no progress with her and this broke his heart. If he did make progress, it would disappear the next day like someone who has Alzheimer’s disease, starting each day with a clean slate. After a years’ time of continuous efforts, Canela and Josh became great companions and new accomplishments were occurring every day.

Once Canela felt solid about her relationship with Josh and me, she became more comfortable around other people, which is really heart-warming to watch. We don’t know what happened to Canela before she was rescued, but anyone who had become part of her life knows it had to have been pretty traumatic for her. This made her progress even more remarkable. As she has really warmed up to us we have learned a lot about Canela. She is incredibly smart and loyal. She listens intently and understands discipline and praise without even having to change the tone in your voice. We can take her places where she’s free to not be on a leash and she stays with us without having to call her every 25 feet. Because of her desire to please us, she was very easy to potty train and has learned how to sit, lie down, and shake. She loves to run and play in water. We took her and Jewels to dog beach last weekend for the first time and they loved every minute of it. Nothing can keep her away from water whether it’s sitting in shallow puddles, jumping into someone’s kiddy pool, or swimming in streams on hikes.

Anyone who has met Canela had described her as “sweet” and that is purely what she is. I believe there was always something in us since the day we first saw her that sparked a connection, instilling a great sense of compassion and empathy for this dog. She is truly a blessing to us and Jewels and I’m sure we are to her as well. We like to give thanks to everyone at HSTJ for your rescue efforts for not only Canela, but for all the animals rescued. We’d also like to thank Josh’s mom Joline, for influencing our decision to give Canela a new home.

Sincerely,

Nicole and Josh

The Story of Bianca, one of 23 Dogs Saved from the Hotel of Terror

2011-08-12T13:21:00.000-07:00

Written by a dedicated volunteer with HSTJ, below is her account of a hoarding situation which Bianca and 22 other dogs came from. Bianca is currently up for adoption with HSTJ.

Read Bianca's story here:

In the summer of 2010 I decided to go to Tijuana and to be a volunteer with an animal protection group. The president of this group was an old man who seemed like a very good person and I started attending his meetings, at this point I did not visit the shelter yet, I had only a few hours to volunteer because I lived in San Diego, so I only went to the group meetings once a week, but at a certain point I wanted to visit the “shelter” as well as other volunteers and we were very suspicious when the president of this group was giving us all kinds of excuses to be able to avoid our visit to the shelter, then we decided to force the situation and we went to his home and pressured him to take us there.

There are no words to describe the situation of the furry angels in this place, it was the most horrible place I had ever seen in my life, all of us were shocked, confused, angry and sickened.

The place was divided in different areas, the front area was designated for the newcomers, and the second area was designated for the doggies who were there for a longer period of time, and so on…I was not brave enough to get to the last area of the property, I was very upset but I was also about to pass out due to the smell and suffering in that horrible place, but the other brave volunteers went all the way, and could not believe the conditions of the furry angels in the last cages.

The horrible man who proclaimed himself to be an animal protector was an evil man, who enjoyed torturing and killing animals in a horrible way, and all the donations and monetary help was used for his personal benefit.

We suddenly realized that we were in front of a criminal and we did not have the legal right to help these furry angels and get them out of there.

The man was extremely upset because we were questioning him, and we were going nowhere fighting him so we decided to pretend that everything was all right and that we believed all his lies. That day we stayed in this horrible place until dark trying to comfort, feed and give them a little help.

After knowing the shocking truth we decided to keep attending his meetings telling him that we were willing to help him and to get him donations, it was very hard to be in front of this criminal pretending that everything was well.

Thank God we asked for help to Friends of Humane Society de Tijuana and they helped us to organize the rescue plan, we convinced the sick man that we needed to go back to the “shelter” because we were going to make a list of the needs of the shelter as well as verify the number of doggies that needed to be spay/neutered. We had many sleepless nights and nightmares, just knowing that as many as 80 something animals were trap in hell, this was making us so sick, we were calling each other crying, sharing our emotions and frustration, but we knew we were making a plan to rescue them, this was the only way we could have some peace in those dark days.

Bianca was one of the doggies in this horrible situation, she had mange all over her body, she was completely under nourished and only God knows for how long she was suffering the abuse, we promised Bianca and all these angels we were coming back for them, I remember many of them looking at us and making a connection of love and hope, in those sad days we could not think of anything else but them.

After many attempts we got the green light to get into this horrible place again, but this time we had the support of Friends of HSTJ and we had with us a reporter from the most important newspaper of Tijuana, the reporter was pretending that he was another volunteer, we also had a very small camera to record the place.

We made a deal with the man to get a few doggies out of there because we explain to him that we were going to provide care for them, he believed that we were going to bring donations and his ambition helped us that day October 31, 2010.

We arrived early in the morning and the man let us alone for a while but he left 2 men and a woman keeping an eye on us, we started running inside of the place and we kept bringing doggies out of there without his permission, we could only get the ones that were placed in the first three sections of the property, in total 23 little ones were rescued that day, it was the saddest thing of our lives to leave behind many of them, but thank God we had the reporter with us and the video, right next day the whole story was in the news and the newspaper, many people were upset and they were pressuring the government to close down this place, and finally the place was closed and another group took more than 20 doggies and the rest unfortunately were euthanized, their condition was so severe that nothing could be done for them.

When the man saw the news and he realized that he was lied to, the crazy man was even crazier and he started to attack back, we had no idea that he was very well connected to government officials, bad and corrupt people just like him, he had all their support and at this point they knew our names our telephone numbers and our location, so the war with them started and we had to hide our little ones in the middle of nowhere, the little angels were as afraid as we were, but looking at their eyes gave us the strength to continue the difficult road ahead.

After many months of hard work, tears and frustration, many headaches and lessons our little ones started magically changing, most of them started smiling and showing their real personalities and wonderful hearts, it was awesome to witness this miracle.

There is no way we had made it this far without the help of Friends of Humane Society de Tijuana, this wonderful group is a true blessing for all of us, they support in every way little groups like ours, it is so wonderful to work hand by hand with them and see the miracles we witness so often, like Friends of HSTJ says “Animals have no nationality” and Mexicans and Americans are working together to make the difference in the lives of these innocent and wonderful creatures.

To support HSTJ's programs of rescue, education and sterilization, and to help dogs just like Bianca, please pledge just $5 a month by joining our Rescue 400 Club

Where Are They Now? A Hoarding Case Re-Visited; Part Six, The Story of Sweet Sami

2011-08-11T21:18:00.000-07:00

A little more than two years ago, HSTJ responded to a hoarding case, a man was found to be hoarding 157 dogs in two locations of Tijuana. (a link to the article is below). As a result of mass publicity and the help of rescue groups, 80% of these animals were adopted out. However, the conditions of the animals that remained were horrible. HSTJ arrived to conduct a street clinic on these remaining animals, but as volunteers started processing the animals and treating them, we slowly realized that we could not just leave them there, we had to do something. Within an hour, we had found a property where we could temporarily house the remaining dogs, a huge undertaking for an organization of such meager resources, but the volunteers were strong, resourceful and determined. I don't think we realized how much work would have to be put into this project but in the end it was well worth the blood, sweat and tears.

Read the full story here: http://friendsofhumanesocietydetijuana.blogspot.com/2009/02/hstj-responds-to-needs-of-animals-of.html

I have decided to re-visit this story and follow up with as many of the owners of the rescued hoarding dogs, so that their amazing stories can be shared and live on forever.
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The Story of Sweet Sami

My sweet little Sami (formally known as Lola) was one of the many little angels rescued from a hoarding case in Tijuana a little over two years ago now. I ended up being the lucky one to adopt her with the thanks of my co-worker Joline, (who happened to be last months “Where are they now” feature story) who introduced me to this organization.

It started like this, Joline was going to the Solana Beach adoption event at Muttropolis put on by the Friends of the Humane Society de TJ to see about adopting a dog she had her eye on for quite some time. I was not actively looking for a four legged companion but I thought I would support her and it sounded like fun so I went with my 3 children. Little did I know how much that event would change my life and family size.

When we first arrived we saw Joline, her first dog Frigga and her son and girlfriend (they ended up adopting a dog at this event too). Joline had Frigga and Gypsy trying to see if they were a good match together, which they were and are now one big happy family.

After saying hello, I walked over to where the other dogs and cats were which were looking for a home. That is where I saw the most adorable, sweet faced, Beagle mix that just looked like she needed a hug. I asked about her and they told me her name was Lola. I was hooked after that, and so were the kids. We sat with her and pet her and tried to get her to relax a little. You can tell that she was very timid and hesitant about people and the crowd. It seemed that everyone who saw her just instantly fell in love with her but no one was adopting her. Well since I was not “actively looking” to get a dog I ended up dragging my begging and pleading kids away after a while and telling them that a dog is a big decision and I had to talk to Daddy about it so we could not get one today. Although on the inside it was killing me to walk away from “Lola”, but I told myself if it was meant to be then I will end up with her.

Well, it was meant to be and only a few days after that event, Lola who is now named Sami became apart of our family. At first it was hard to train her because she was so scared and timid of everything but today it is like looking at a whole different pooch. Sami has a best friend named Mandy (my moms’ dog) and we call them the Trouble Twosome when they are together. They love to play around with each other like they are sisters who have grown up all their lives together. It is a wonderful site to see and I feel blessed to have Sami in my life.

It goes to show you that even if you are not looking for a new addition to your family, you should still go out and support the efforts of wonderful programs like the FHSTJ. You never know, it just might change your life forever! Thanks to all of the wonderful helpers and volunteers of the Friends of the Humane Society de Tijuana. Without you, I would not have had the pleasure of little Sami in my life!

Take care- Jenn 

HSTJ's July 31, 2011 Spay & Neuter Clinic

2011-08-11T21:12:00.000-07:00

HSTJ’s July 31, 2011 Spay/Neuter Clinic held in the Downtown TJ area was a success!! Thank you for all the much needed pee-pads. Also, a HUGE thank you to the Vets, volunteers, and all others whose support helped make this clinic possible. There was a great response from the people in the community, who brought cats and dogs of all shapes and sizes.

Here are the STATS:
•A TOTAL of 40 animals were seen* with 36 spayed/neutered
•10 cats (5 females, 5 males)
•26 dogs (20 females, 6 males)

* 2 female dogs were referred to an HSTJ-supporting Vet’s office, to be sterilized the following week. One female dog was seen for eye surgery by Dr. Gayle, and was not to be spayed, and one female cat wasn’t spayed because her pregnancy was too advanced.

Besides sterilizing these animals, the vets at this clinic also took care of several “special” cases. For example, one black dog had been bitten by another dog some time ago. He had wounds on his front and hind legs, on his face and along his back as well. The wounds were visibly infected and required further treatment in order to heal properly.

As you may gather from the pictures, several female dogs were pregnant, without the owners’ knowledge. Special post-op care was given. Their families were advised to keep a close watch on other un-sterilized family pets, in order to avoid the same incident.

On a curious note, all morning we could observe a medium-size brown dog who seemed much attached to his owner, a young boy, possibly in his teens. Once out of surgery, the dog was transported into the recovery area, and upon awaking, was so startled when he didn’t see his owner. He began to panic, so we had to bring in his owner, which immediately calmed the dog down. He patiently sat by his dog until he was discharged.

As always, cats and dogs in the recovery area receive complimentary treatments in the caring hands of HSTJ volunteers. These include everything from teeth cleaning, nail clipping, ear-mite treatment, ear cleaning, worm treatment, and very importantly: FLEA AND TICK TREATMENT.

In one picture, you may appreciate the dedication of our volunteers who slowly remove each and every tick from every nook and cranny on the animals’ body. Although time consuming, this gives the animals much needed relief from those blood-sucking, disease-carrying pests. Pet owners also receive prescribed antibiotics, vitamins, bags of pet food and all the instructions needed for follow-up care.

Thank you for your wonderful support, without which this would not be possibe! To see all of the pictures from the July 31st clinic, please visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/hstj/sets/72157627278759553/

To Join HSTJ Rescue 400 Club by donating just $5 a month to help continue the spay and nueter and street clinics visit: http://friendsofhstj.org/BecomeaSponsor.html

Princess Leia's Amazing Story of Rescue

2011-07-11T14:24:00.000-07:00

Written by one of our volunteer vets, this amazing story of rescue occurred at the end of last year and we could not wait to share it with our readers.

As we traveled down into Tijuana a few Sundays ago, I knew I had another long day in front of me. We were coming to see Sr. Juanito, a very humble man near the age of 90 years old who rescues street dogs and attempts to help them with his meager resources. I expected the dogs I saw with mange, with parasites, and with various infections. What I did not expect was Leia.

Leia was an approximately 1-2 year old female dog. There is no specific breed I can attach to her other than “Mexican street mutt,” but she was about 30 pounds with black and tan markings. She had been lying in a dirty shed for 4 days after being hit by a car. Several of the volunteers with Sr. Juanito reported she had not eaten during that time, and she was extremely dehydrated. Her left hip was dislocated, and she couldn’t walk.

Initially, I couldn’t find an obvious reason for her recumbency. She had intact spinal reflexes, although they seemed dulled, so I wondered whether her spinal cord in her neck had been injured during her accident. However, what was more concerning was the pus I observed coming from her vulva.

Usually this heralds a uterine infection, referred to as a pyometra. Pyometras are life-threatening if not fixed right away, and so I knew we had to do something right then if we were going to save this dog. We transported her to Dr. Veronika, who is one of our best surgeons, and we got her on intravenous fluids right away. As I observed Leia in the light, I began to realize she had pinpoint pupils and eyes that weren’t looking the same direction as each other (referred to as ‘strabismus’), and I began to piece together that she likely had a head injury.

Leia went to surgery, and strangely there was no evidence for a pyometra internally, although I suspect if we had not spayed her she would have developed one. Dr. Veronika also did a gastrotomy (entered the stomach) after feeling some hard objects inside. Thinking they were rocks, she removed them, only to be surprised to find potatoes.

By this point I was really kicking myself. Not only was it not ideal for this dehydrated, brain injured dog to be undergoing surgery, but having a gastrotomy can be a difficult recovery, and she already didn’t have a lot going for her. We were working in third world conditions with questionable sterility and anesthetics that weren’t the best for a brain-injured patient. I hadn’t come to Tijuana prepared to do surgery that day; I only thought I’d be surveying the situation at Juanito’s to figure out a plan to help.

After Leia’s surgery, we convened to discuss what we would do with her for recovery. I knew she needed to be maintained on IV fluids, but I had absolutely nowhere at my house to put her, and since I am not a veterinary practice owner, I had no clinic where I could put her either.

Nicole, who already has many rescue dogs of her own, finally relented and decided she would keep her in her garage. Bear in mind that Nicole is not a vet. She is not even a vet tech. She is an accountant, and we were asking her to nurse a dog and maintain her on IV fluids following a very serious surgery in less-than-ideal conditions.

The doctor in my brain kept telling me this dog should be euthanized. She couldn’t even walk, and we’d put her through abdominal surgery. I was having a difficult time imagining Nicole managing all the work it would take to help her recover, if she was going to recover. However, there was a small, quiet voice (i.e. the one I’m learning over the years to listen to) that told me I needed to give her a chance.

On our way back into San Diego, we stopped in Chula Vista, and I rummaged through our storage locker for supplies. I found several donated medications we would need and plenty of IV fluid bags to carry us through the next few days.

The one thing I did not take into consideration was Bill, Nicole’s boyfriend. You see, Bill is not working right now, so he has plenty of time to care for Leia. He is recovering himself, as he was just treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

I remember when Nicole first told me about his diagnosis. I was terrified for both of them as ALL carries a rather poor prognosis in adults. But, incredibly, Bill has fought – he has fought through chemotherapy, through having his bone marrow irradiated and killed off entirely, through receiving a bone marrow transplant and being maintained on immunosuppressants. Thus far, Bill has beaten all the odds. He made the decision that he wanted to live, and so he has.

As he watched Leia struggle over the subsequent days, he recognized the look in her eyes. It was very familiar to him.

“I can see the fight in her eyes. She doesn’t want to give up; she’s not ready to go. I hold her every night and try to give her the same energy that pulled me through.”

With the help of her medications, Leia had regained her appetite by late Monday evening, and with Bill’s help she was unsteadily walking by Wednesday night. On Thursday, we went to see a neurologist, who confirmed for us that Leia was suffering from a brain injury, but because of the progress she had already made due to Nicole and Bill’s efforts, he felt her prognosis was reasonably good for return to function. Now the only hurdle we had to face was her dislocated hip. The rest would just require time.

Radiographs confirmed for us that Leia had a dorsocranial luxation of her hip. That Friday, we went ahead and replaced her hip without surgery with the help of Dr. John Ashbaugh at Snug Pet Resort. There is only an approximately 50/50 chance this will work, but Leia has now been out of her sling for a few days, and her hip has remained in place. Her neurologic function continues to improve, and she is doing extremely well.

That Thursday, as Bill was helping me get Leia ready for her X-rays, he commented to me how he was going to have a very hard time giving her up once she was better. I looked into his eyes, and I knew.

“Bill, I think she is your dog. There is no reason why you have to give her up.”

Nicole and I had a discussion in the car ride back from Mexico on Sunday whether everything happens for a reason. I told her I’d seen so much suffering and unfair heartache in my profession that I have a difficult time subscribing to such a notion at times.

“There is always a reason. Maybe she’s here to teach you something,” said Nicole.

“No, if she’s going to teach anyone something, it’s going to be you since you’re taking her,” I said to her cheekily.

We were both wrong. She isn’t here to teach anyone anything; she is here to give Bill encouragement. As he watches her improve even over a matter of days, he sees his own struggle. Both of these souls have been engaged in a fight for their lives, and against all odds, they are both winning. They are two peas in a pod.

Perhaps everything does happen for a reason. In this case, I can only say it is very, very obvious what that reason was. These animals mirror back to us our own struggles, our own insecurities, and most of all, our own love. They remind us of what we strive to be, as well as what we are.

Leia is not out of the woods yet; her story is not over. However, she is a shining beacon of hope that tells us that even a little bit of effort and a lot of heart can carry us through even the most trying times in our lives. As I’ve watched her and Bill together, I have been truly touched by the meaning of the bond that has grown between them in just a few weeks’ time. It is incredible to witness, and I wish I could share it with everyone around me. Everyone should be so lucky as to experience such a friendship, and it is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.

Update as of 4/25/2011: Leia is doing great! She is walking, playing, and living a great life now with her other rescue siblings. Her only known lasting affects of her injuries is that she has limited vision, but she gets around perfectly and has no problem playing with the other dogs. She likes consistency and she loves her special sofa where she can go to feel safe and secure whenever she gets frightened by anything. Leia loves to watch (listen to) sports with her daddy (Bill) in his man cave. She is also very skittish around cars which is totally understandable after what she has been through She is a wonderful gentile soul that loves all that life and her future has to offer..

Where Are They Now? A Hoarding Case Re-Visited; Part Five. The Story of Lady, one of 3 puppies

2011-07-11T11:23:00.000-07:00

A little more than two years ago, HSTJ responded to a hoarding case, a man was found to be hoarding 157 dogs in two locations of Tijuana. (a link to the article is below). As a result of mass publicity and the help of rescue groups, 80% of these animals were adopted out. However, the conditions of the animals that remained were horrible. HSTJ arrived to conduct a street clinic on these remaining animals, but as volunteers started processing the animals and treating them, we slowly realized that we could not just leave them there, we had to do something. Within an hour, we had found a property where we could temporarily house the remaining dogs, a huge undertaking for an organization of such meager resources, but the volunteers were strong, resourceful and determined. I don't think we realized how much work would have to be put into this project but in the end it was well worth the blood, sweat and tears.

Read the full story here: http://friendsofhumanesocietydetijuana.blogspot.com/2009/02/hstj-responds-to-needs-of-animals-of.html

I have decided to re-visit this story and follow up with as many of the owners of the rescued hoarding dogs, so that their amazing stories can be shared and live on forever.

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The Story of Lady, one of the three puppies rescued from the hoarding case

We weren’t really looking for a dog when we came across Lady. My fiancé Josh was finishing law school and had the Bar exam to study for in the summer. If anything, a new puppy was the last thing on our minds. But then we saw her nestled in a crate with another puppy at the Whole Foods adoption event. It was love at first site.

Luckily, we had my dog Calliope with us so she was able to meet Lady right from the get go. Lady seemed to look up to her right away, following her around the event and taking a few cues from her when she was afraid of a noise or another dog. We took Lady home that day.

A few weeks after we adopted Lady, we took her to the vet for a check-up and some vaccines. Through routine testing, we found out that she had giardia, a parasite that she likely picked up from the water in Tijuana or from another dog in the hoarding situation. She also had a lump on the inside of one of her back legs. The vet said it looked like she may have broken her leg when she was a tiny puppy and now had a bone callous since the leg wasn’t treated. Rest assured, though Lady has made a full recovery and her bone callous doesn’t bother her in the least. She runs and jumps with no problems at all. She is a resilient little thing with a big heart and energetic disposition.

Lady fills our lives with excitement and joy every day. She is a little over two years old now, but she still looks at the world through her puppy eyes. Just yesterday she followed a caterpillar across the patio in the backyard, trying really hard to figure out what that weird thing was! She and Calliope get along great and spend a lot of time wrestling, chasing birds, and hanging around the backyard. Another one of her favorite things to do is to burrow under the blankets and snuggle with us at night. Lady isn’t a small dog, so she takes up quite a bit of space, but she looks so comfortable. It is hard to kick her out even if that means we don’t get as much sleep!

We are so lucky to have Lady. She is a testimony to how special rescue dogs are. She has so much love and joy to share and does so unabashedly every day. Please do what you can to help dogs like Lady. I can’t imagine a world without companion animals like her in it.

HSTJ's June Street Clinics - Volunteers Are Hard At Work

2011-07-11T09:58:00.000-07:00

During the month of June, volunteers were hard at work conducting Itchy-Scratchy Clinics treating a total of 570 cats and dogs!!

Here are the stats:

Colonia Nuevo Milenio
DATE 4 /JUNE/2011
ANIMALS TREATED: 151
DOGS 148 CATS 3

Colonia Buenos Aires
DATE 7 /JUNE/2011
ANIMALS TREATED: 94
DOGS 92 CATS 2

Colonia El Jibarito
DATE 12/JUNE/2011
ANIMALS TREATED: 148
DOGS 140 CATS 8

Colonia Del Rio Parte Baja
DATE 21/JUNE/2011
ANIMALS TREATED: 134
DOGS 129 CATS 5

Colonia Cardenas
DATE 25/JUNE/2011
ANIMALS TREATED: 38
DOGS 32 CATS 6

You can view all of the pictures from the Juine itchy Scratchy Clinics here http://www.flickr.com/photos/hstj/sets/72157627112365776/

Enjoy viewing the pictures and thank you for your support, we truly could not help these animals without the generosity of our supporters and hard work of our volunteers. To become a sponsor of HSTJ's street clinics please join the Rescue 400 Club by pledging just $5 a month.

HSTJ's June 26, 2011 Sterilization Clinic in Playas de Tijuana

2011-07-11T09:50:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, June 26, 2011 HSTJ conducted its monthly spay and neuter clinic at the Universidad Iboamericana in Playas de Tijuana.

Thanks to all the volunteers from both sides of the border, we were able to spay/neuter 51 animals IN JUST ONE DAY... and with the best care possible, of course.

Thank you all for making this possible.

53 animals were registered at this clinic

51 were sterilized

37 dogs ( 18 Female, 19 Males)

14 cats (12 Females, 2 males)

Two animals were referred for a specific treatment at Dr. Cesar Clinic

A female dog with mamarian tumor, and a male dog with very avanced TVT

It was a very nice clinic and the volunteers seemed to like it very much!

Thank you to all of the wonderful volunteers and of course our supporters who make these clinics possible.

To see all of the pictures from the May 22nd clinic click here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hstj/sets/72157627021830581/

To help support HSTJ Monthly spay & neuter clinics, please become a member of the Rescue 400 club!

HSTJ Sponsors Baja California Statewide Conference for Reform at Local Dog Pound

2011-06-10T12:49:00.000-07:00

Humane Society de Tijuana

Summary -Baja California, Mexico Statewide Conference of Animal Welfare Groups

May 7, 2011 Tijuana, Baja California

With the financial support of Friends of Humane Society de Tijuana, the Humane Society de Tijuana [HSTJ] was able to co-sponsor a statewide conference along with The Association for the Protection and Care of Animals. The event was held in Tijuana on 7 May 2011 and attended by 45 persons representing eleven animal welfare/rescue groups from the state of Baja California, Mexico. Organizations from Ensenada, Mexicali, Rosarito, Tecate, and Tijuana were represented.

The focus of the conference was to 1) address the urgent need to reform administrative policies for dog pounds 2) identify and push for improvement of physical conditions in those facilities 3) urge the cities to conduct more spay and neuter programs to lessen the need to impound and euthanize animals 4)explore solutions that will ensure that pounds use humane drugs for euthanasia and no longer use electrocution 5) promote private organization spay/neuter programs- recognizing that spay/neuter is the only real solution to the problem.

[Note to the reader: Most Mexican cities operate dog “ pounds” which are in no way comparable to comprehensive full- service animal shelters found in most American cities.]

While HSTJ supports a policy of “No Kill” for rescued animals, it works to ensure that when other agencies and/or groups euthanize impounded animals they do so in a humane manner.

[L to R : Dr. Miguel Rodriguez, Luca Foundation; Richard Massa, President, Friends of HSTJ; Mrs. Cecilia Vega Leon, Associate Haghenbeck Foundation; Mrs. Leticia Coto, President HSTJ]

The principal speaker was Mrs. Cecilia Vega Leon, an associate of the prestigious Antonio Haghenbeck Foundation in Mexico City and a board member of the World Society for the Protection of Animals. She has a wealth of experience in assisting animal welfare groups to reform dog pounds throughout Mexico. Having made a visit to the Tijuana pound before the conference and having reviewed the assessments made by Humane Society de Tijuana over the past four years, she discussed the Mexican laws that pertained to the subject matter of the conference and then gave her assessment of what needed to be done to bring about the reforms. The visit and subsequent evaluation was designed to serve as an example that could be used by the participants in their respective areas.

[L-R. Richard Massa, Pres. of FHSTJ; Lic. Patricia Torres, Gente por Animales, Mexicali; Dr. Marco Antonio Tapia, Director, Antirrabico, Tijuana.]

In the presence of the Director of the Tijuana pound [Perrera/Antirrabico] Mrs. Vega Leon reported her findings. Among the several items cited, she gave special attention to the following:

The illegal selling of dogs that were not spayed/neutered.
The illegal supplying of dogs to the Universidad Autonoma de Baja California [University of Baja California] for vivisection.

[Note to the reader: Following this recommendation, the director of the pound announced he was sending a letter to the university stating that he would no longer supply them with animals.]

The failure to provide sufficient low cost and/or free spay and neuter services to the city and failure to adequately support those private organizations doing so.

[Note to the reader: The details from a report submitted to the state department of health in Mexicali were reviewed. It noted that 1600 spays/ neuters were done by the Tijuana pound [Antirrabico] and for which it was reimbursed by the state of Baja California. The numbers were hotly contested by representatives of private organizations currently doing spays/neuters in Tijuana. The director of the Tijuana city pound was unable to explain how or who submitted the report. This was followed by an open discussion about the city’s receiving credit and reimbursement for work done by private organizations.]

The need to reevaluate the administration of the Tijuana city pound budget and, if as stated by city functionaries there was no budget to support the above recommendations, the pound be closed since the law requires that city agencies have an operational budget and function within the law.
To stop charging the public for euthanizing animals brought to the pound because of illnesses or injuries for which the owner cannot afford to treat- especially since the drugs are already being provide to the pound at no cost by private organizations and persons. Failure to assist these people means that their animals die a painful death .

[L-R: Lizbeth Luna, AVPCA; Dr. Miguel Rodriguez, Luca Foundation; Leticia Coto, HSTJ, Richard Massa, FHSTJ, Dr. .Antonio Furlong, HSTJ ]The second part of the conference was the educational presentation made by Dr. Miguel Rodriguez, M.V.Z [DVM], Coordinator, Luca Foundation, Monterey, Mexico. The Luca Foundation is a Mexican foundation dedicated to animal welfare and specializes in providing humanitarian assistance to Antirrabico facilities [dog pounds] in Mexico. It provides educational programs to veterinarians as well as the general public. It has assisted numerous pounds throughout Mexico so that they could suspend the use of electrocution and adopt humane drugs as a means of euthanasia.

The day before his presentation, he along with Humane Society de Tijuana’s veterinarian a medical doctor [MD] and two other local veterinarians made a visit to the city pound where Dr. Rodriguez demonstrated the Luca Foundation formula as an effective, low cost and humane procedure that can be easily adopted by the Tijuana pound just as it has been in other Mexican cities. The veterinarians as well as the medical doctor agreed that the Luca Foundation procedure was better and less costly than the procedure currently used by the Tijuana pound.

Dr. Rodriguez made the following recommendations:

Instead of using an expensive formula of anesthesia drugs, Tijuana use the Luca Foundation procedure which is painless, humane, efficient, and inexpensive – costing only 11 pesos [only $1 US dollar] per animal.

[ A note to the reader: Less expensive American made animal euthanasia drugs are not legal in Mexico and they cannot be imported for use here. It is imperative to use drugs that are legal, cost effective, readily available in Mexico and humane. The Luca Foundation provides educational programs to address these challenges.]

Organizations supplying the pound with humane euthanasia drugs need not buy expensive anesthesia drugs directly from the pound or agencies connected with the pound. Instead, they can use Luca Foundation formula drugs which can be purchased from any local licensed supplier. These formula drugs are cost effective and less of a drain on an organization’s budget. More resources for humane drugs will assure the continued suspension of electrocution as the means of euthanasia.

The conference was a great success and it was agreed that the conference participants promote continued state-wide meetings to follow up on the progress of reforms and the promotion of animal welfare programs. HSTJ and the other co-sponsor of the event, AVPCA, were pleased with the attendance and the willingness of the other Baja California groups to continue with this type of united front in working toward animal welfare reforms in Mexico.

As a follow up , the Haghenbeck Foundation sent their findings to the director of the Tijuana Department of Health, the sub-director of the Tijuana Department of Health and the director of the Tijuana pound [Perrera/ Antirrabico] with copies to officials in the state and federal government . HSTJ will be doing periodic reviews and reporting back to the Haghenbeck Foundation. The president of the HSTJ and Haghenbeck Foundation associates have already arranged a meeting in Mexico City with the Mexican Federal government’s chief animal health official and other public health officials to discuss the situation in Tijuana and report their finding.

Friends of Humane Society de Tijuana is proud to have been able to support this activity that is a first in Tijuana. As you can see from this report from HSTJ, the conference was not only a discussion of urgently needed reforms but also included hands-on, on-site education. As a follow up, HSTJ is already preparing for the second phase which will be to have representatives from the Luca Foundation return to Tijuana to speak with professional educators about the need for animal welfare reforms in the city.

See the article in the Baja Times here http://www.bajatimes.com/articlesDetail.asp?sid=2753

Where Are They Now? A Hoarding Case Re-Visited, Part Four: The Story of Gypsy Paloma

2011-06-10T12:28:00.000-07:00

The Story of Paloma, Now called Gypsy

Paloma was her name. I saw her picture on the Friends of HSTJ website, back in 2009. She was from the hoarding case. Out of all the dogs I looked at, I kept going back to Paloma.

I already had a rescue pit bull mix, but since I lived alone, worked a lot, I felt my dog, Frigga needed a companion.

I finally broke down and emailed Michelle about Paloma. I told her my situation, not knowing if my dog would get along with another dog.

Michelle was very good about giving me details about Paloma and since I had interest, Michelle wanted to take Paloma from Tijuana and bring her to Solana Beach at the Muttropollis adoption event. I told my son, his girlfriend, my coworker, plus I had been putting up photos of adoptable animals at work, hoping they could all get adopted.

I brought Frigga to this event, so she could meet Paloma. Fortunately, it went very well, like they had already known each other. I took them both for a walk and they were so in sync together. I was told by one of the volunteers that they are going to be just fine. That was all I needed to hear, so Paloma was mine!

On the same day, my son and his girlfriend also adopted Honey, which they now call Canela. Later on, my co worker adopted a dog, now called Sami. Michelle said it was a great adoption event.

It took me over a week to find another name for Paloma. I decided on Gypsy. It just fit her carefree, fearless, personality. Her play fullness, smarts and such a love bug. Therefore, Gypsy Paloma is her name.

I have a regular camping get away on Palomar Mountain, where now, I have 2 dogs that can run free, together. This was all new to Gypsy and I learned that she loves to hunt and she goes off into her own world of just being free and so very happy. Like all animals should be.

Gypsy is a quick learner, very well behaved. She makes me laugh, because she is so smart and the cutest. She is very protective of me, which is a plus, when I am alone. She loves people and other dogs. She has a mind of her own, which makes her quite special. She likes to lick Frigga's face, at times, like that's Momma.

Gypsy is just a rad dog! I toss her treats and she catches them! Who knew?

I can't express enough, how happy and satisfied, Gypsy has made me feel. She keeps Frigga and myself on our toes, in a good way. Gypsy is an exceptional dog and I love her to death. Honestly, I never thought I would adopt such a dog, but thankful I did.

She now has a warm, happy, forever, loving home. Thanks to HSTJ and Michelle.

Please adopt, even if you are not expecting to. It will change your life and save another. There are homeless animals waiting for someone just like you!

HSTJ's May 22, 2011 Sterilization Clinic in Colonia Praderas de La Mesa

2011-06-10T11:26:00.000-07:00

HSTJ's May Sterilization clinic was held on Sunday the 22nd in the colonia: Praderas de La Mesa, which is located atop one of the hills on the south-eastern part of TJ.

As HSTJ has been putting much planning and effort into reaching more and more areas of Tijuana, we were able to help sterilize many pets from this community.

Upon arriving and checking in, it was evident that the pet owners, both young and old, love and care for their animals as best they can. Needless to say, though, Spaying or Neutering is just the beginning of responsible animal care. Before each pet is discharged from the observation/recovery area, he is also treated for fleas, ticks, ear mites, the nails are clipped, the teeth cleaned and if needed, de-worming medication is also available.

Individually, each pet owner and his family are carefully instructed on proper care and good habits. Each pet also receives the necessary antibiotics, vitamins, a full supply of Dog/Cat Food and some other goodies too, such as leashes or collars.

This was a new location for HSTJ, and was a great start for this area during spring breeding season. We had some requests from a nearby orphanage about their resident animals in need of attention and we were nicely welcomed by the residents, we were happy to help them decrease the pet overpopulation in their neighborhood. Some of the young boys from the orphanage came by with their resident pets to have them fixed and helped us communicate the importance of animal husbandry to the local residents. The boys even walked around the surrounding area with us to show us animals that could use some medical attention. One dog had a terrible issue with the chain around his neck and another had been bitten and needed some attention. We were able to help these animals and provide the owners with information on how to better take care of their pets' needs. The young boys were very proud of the great work they had done and were extremely eager to help us spread the word about the importance of spay and neuter. We just love to work with the children because it is our hope that they will help make a better world for the animals in the future! It was a very successful clinic and we hope to return to Praderas de la Mesa in the future. Overall an excellent clinic in May. It was good to have so many volunteer vets doing surgery.

Thanks to all the volunteers from both sides of the border, we were able to spay/neuter 44 animals IN JUST ONE DAY... and with the best care possible, of course.

Thank you all for making this possible.

Results :
Perros/Male dogs 15
Perrras/Female dogs 23
Gatos/Male cats 2
Gatas/Female cats 4

Total 44 animals.

*Also, in one very special case, a neighborhood animal was brought in and treated for an infected bite on the abdomen and penis.

Thank you to all of the wonderful volunteers and of course our supporters who make these clinics possible.

To see all of the pictures from the May 22nd clinic click here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hstj/sets/72157626903716798/

To help support HSTJ Monthly spay & neuter clinics, please become a member of the Rescue 400 club!

HSTJ's May Street Clinics - Volunteers Are Hard At Work

2011-06-10T11:24:00.000-07:00

The May 7th I.S. Clinic was held at Colonia “El Panamericano”. This is one of the poorest and most densely populated neighborhoods we’ve ever encountered in Tijuana. What you see upon arriving are massive low-cost housing units. Only a few are well-maintained and relatively free of crime, but most are high-rise, run-down conglomerations of enormous apartment buildings where graffiti and crime is very common. As you can imagine, we were hesitant to stay, but after seeing LOTS of dogs on the streets (and patrol cars making their rounds every 15 minutes), we decided to stay and try to treat as many animals as we could.

Since we’ve never been in this area before, neighbors here were understandably leary of our clinic for the first couple of hours. But as we were getting ready to pack things up, people started streaming towards us! In the end we treated 84 dogs and 39 cats. That’s an incredibly large number of cats for a Street Clinic! Volunteers attending were 4.

On this day we saw cats and dogs of all shapes and sizes. The main denominator here was ticks. At one point, after hearing from the residents how bad the tick infestation was, I decided to see for myself so I peeked into a building… and you could literally see hundreds of ticks climbing up the walls and roof of the hallway. We strongly suggested they purchase a chemical sold in most pet stores in TJ, which is very effective against fleas and ticks, and is also inexpensive.

One cat, Solecito, had ticks so huge attached to its chin, that when the owner, 15 year old Mayra, pulled them off, it left a gaping hole which quickly became infected. The cat was treated and Mayra was instructed on how to care for the wound.

Since most animals are kept inside the apartment buildings, we saw many cases of overgrown nails. These were properly clipped, and owners received indication of how to properly inspect their dog/cat‘s nails periodically.

On this day we treated kittens galore! With no one taking responsibility of these cats, and not being spayed or neutered, over the years they have reproduced like crazy. Most cats we were brought most likely didn’t have an owner, but rather than refer to them as strays, the kind neighbors who would bring them for treatment asked, “Would you treat this cat and her kittens, who aren’t mine, but just so happen to be living in our building, please?”. We happily complied.

We also saw and treated many litters of puppies. Only 1 puppy had been vaccinated. All others were advised to visit a vet for the puppies’ shots. The importance of this was highlighted, and so were the consequences of neglecting to administer these shots, which by the way are not expensive.

All throughout the day we kept seeing these strays pass by, unnoticed by the rest of the people, so we made a point of trying to treat them before we left. It was easy with cans of dog food, except for one little guy who was in the worst condition of them all. He had obviously been mistreated because of his skin condition, so he was very skittish. As I got close to him, you kept seeing he was very easily frightened, and would need some coaxing before he would even begin to eat. He was even more scared than he was hungry. It took a persistence, but eventually we got him. He was a dark haired, small sized male dog, about 7 years old. He was nicknamed Péke by the I.S. volunteers, and was treated for worms, ear mites, fleas, ticks, he had his teeth cleaned, was given vitamins, but also most importantly was treated for mange, both internally and externally.

Some neighbors showed disbelief upon seeing our endeavor to treat this dog. Others began to praise HSTJ for not ignoring the sickest or the worst looking animals, but rather making an active effort to help them. One neighbor even admitted she knew who this dog’s owner once was, and explained that when it got sick, they would no longer allow him in the house, and when he kept sleeping outside the door, the family would throw rocks at him to get him to leave the building. Unbelievable!!! His owners for at least the past five years kick him out of his home, and now he has to be out on the street with no food, water, or family!

Such a sad story, one of many we see everyday on the streets of TJ, which thankfully are becoming less and less common. Its clinics like these that help people come to know the responsibilities that come with owning pets. Not only that, but they realize the wide variety of resources that are made accessible in order to assist them. All this kind of changes their view on pets in general, and the entire community becomes actively aware of the way animals are being treated. We know this when we see several of the animals treated at an I.S. clinic arrive at our monthly Spay/Neuter Clinics. This attitude change is also apparent when follow-up visits are made to the area 1-2 months later. We plan to visit Péke again very soon.

But by far the most touching case we saw on this day, was of Chiquita, a white, medium size female who was in terrible shape. She is owned by an elderly lady named Doña Chayito who has about 12 other dogs in her apartment already. A good Samaritan named Sara, who has 7 dogs of her own and lives in the same building, helped her carry the dog because it shaking and wasn’t even able to stand, so she thought it wouldn’t even make it through the day. According to Sara, a family “gave the dog away” to Doña Chayito because it looked sick, and since then it hadn’t eaten anything for days.

Chiquita’s eyes were closed shut because of a bad eye infection. Her ears were so swollen, they were also closed shut. Since there was no way of taking this poor animal in for a vet visit, we did what we could with what we had. First we cleaned out the eye gunk and then administered eye medicine, we gave her a shot of a wide-range antibiotic, next came the regular: fleas, ticks, worms and vitamins.

I spoke with Sara privately and asked, “What are the chances that someone could take this dog to visit a vet?” and she sadly replied that Doña Chayito definitely could not, and that she or her husband couldn’t either. She also explained that her husband, although not much of a dog lover, already goes into Doña Chayito’s yard every morning, before he goes to work, and secretly feeds the dogs, just in case Doña Chayito doesn’t or can’t that day. She gave me her word, that if I left the medication for this pup, they would administer it daily, before they left for work. And that’s exactly what we did.

Everyone was amazed to see that by the time Chiquita was ready to leave, she was darting her eyes around, lifting her head and was already eating on her own. We also plan to visit her again soon.

Thank you for supporting HSTJ who makes clinics like this possible every week and thank you to all the HSTJ volunteers who put much effort into reaching out to the farthest areas of Tijuana.

The May 14 Itchy Scratchy Clinic was held at Colonia Jardin, a middle class gated community on the eastern part of TJ. We treated 5 dogs and 3 cats. People here weren't as receptive as we would've liked.

On our last visit to this area we were brought a brown female dog who was having a risky pregnancy. She didnt look well. We had strongly advised a vet visit, and provided puppy diapers because the dog was losing a considerable amount of fluids.

This time she looked much better! Sadly, 7 of the 8 puppies she had, died, leaving only one. The owner related that the vet visit was just the beginning of a long and costly ordeal that the entire family had undertaken in order to save their beloved family dog. In the end, their dog was able to make it through the pregnancy. This man finally said, "I learned my lesson. I am definitely going to be at the next Sterilization clinic. I don't ever want my Princess to go through this again".

The May 21 I.S. Clinic was held at Colonia Herrera, treating 27 dogs and 8 cats. Volunteers were 3. This was our first time at this community. People here are very interested in caring for the welfare of their animals. Despite that, these were some of the most flea infested pets we have ever seen! Cats AND dogs! Even the children who brought the pets were full of flea bites! We treated these poor animals, and suggested the owners also treat the areas where the animals live/sleep. Hopefully that will get rid of the fleas for good! We will still try to make a second visit to this area again.

The May 28 Itchy-Scratchy Clinic was held at Colonia Lomas del Porvenir. We treated 62 dogs and 6 cats. Although we have been in this area before, we always see new people, happy to bring their pets for treatment.

It is very sad however, to hear first-hand that not everyone wants to sterilize their pets. Many are still reluctant, because of the elevated costs at regular Vet Clinics. When they learn about our very low cost Spay/Neuter Clinics, many think its too good to be true, or that there's some sort of catch.

It takes a lot of convincing to get the people in this area to want to come to our Spay/Neuter Clinics, but its worth every minute to help decrease the number of strays on the streets of TJ.

Tyson's Amazing Story of Rescue

2011-05-10T21:12:00.000-07:00

A local resident in Tijuana tells her story of finding Tyson and HSTJ thanks her so much for rescuing this dog desperate for assistance. Thank you for opening up your heart and home to him.

This is not an easy story to read, however it is a true one and unfortunately there are cruel and uneducated people in this world.

Unfortunatey these stories of abuse and neglect are all too common, but we cannot get discouraged by these horrible stories, and know that we are helping one dog at a time, you may not change the world by helping one dog, but you will change the world for that one dog.

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One day when I was walking home with my children, we came across a a bleeding dog tied up with a wire outside of an apartment building out in the full sun and without food and water. I asked the "owners" about the dog and they said they fed him and had him tied up as punishment because he was aggressive with other dogs, I noticed there were some small breed dogs near by that were in very good condition.

Upon closer examination, I realized the poor dog had many open wounds on his legs and chest, the owner told me he had tied the dog to the back of his truk for excercise, but the dog was so weak that he could not keep up and was dragged down the street! It absolutely broke my heart and I was so angry. I begged the owners to please let me take him. Thankfully they let me. I untied him and slowly we coaxed him home. He was full of ticks, completely emaciated, one ear was badly damaged and both eyes were infected. he was limping terribly from a leg injury and it was later discovered that he had an inflamed liver from having a stroke and improper feeding.

I made a request on FaceBook and received a response from the Humane Society de Tijuana who provided me with veterinarian sevices and special food.

It has been seveal months since we rescued him. Tyson has put on a lot of weight and his wounds are healing nicely. As soon as he makes a full recovery, we will bring him to HSTJ's next sterilization clinic. Tyson is the sweetest, most gentle dog. He loves to be around my children and we love him so much. He has been through a lot of pain and fear in his short life and we hope that he now feels safe and loved with us. Thank you HSTJ for providing assistance with our rescue.

An Update on Tyson

We saw Tyson at our May 22nd clinic where his family brought him to be nuetered and he is just looking amazing!

Photogrpaher Monica Hoover took this fabulous photo of him and his beautiful and kind family and wrote a great blog entry on her site Rescued Cards Check it out!

These tales of Rescue make our jobs as volunteers that much more meaningful!

HSTJ is Assisting Other Tijuana Rescue Groups

2011-04-28T10:55:00.000-07:00

Provida Animal is a small rescue group in Tijuana who came to HSTJ for help. HSTJ began providing this group with dog food and sterilization services. In March of this year, Provida Animal adopted out 22 animals and 7 more in April!

It is so wonderful to see like minded individuals working in the threnches of Tijuana helping the animals in need!

It is due to our supporters that we are able to aid these great rescue individuals in their efforts to save lives and help easy the suffering of the TJ street animals.

If you are interested in adopting an animal from Tijuana, check out these great dogs and cats up for adoption right now! http://friendsofhstj.org/AdoptionProcess.html

And please consider joining the Rescue 400 Club by pledging just $5 a month to help HSTJ continue its programs in Tijuana, helping animals and other rescue groups.

HSTJ's April Street Clinics

2011-04-28T09:46:00.000-07:00

For the month of April, six street clinics were conducted by HSTJ volunteers! Here are the stats:

4/1/11 - Colonia San Bernardo 2 cats and 56 dogs
4/2/11 - Colonia Paseo Reforma 9 cats and 71 dogs
4/3/11 - Colonia Tecolote 23 dogs
4/9/11 - Colonia Bulevar Aguascalientes 28 dogs
4/16/11 - Colonia Cardenas 3 cats and 128 dogs
4/19/11 - Covent in Las Huertas 7 cats and 10 dogs

That is a total of 21 cats and 316 dogs treated for mange and fleas and ticks at our street clinics for the month of April!

Our Itchy Scratchy Street clinics are so important as people who would otherwise not be able to afford to take their animals to a vet and even properly feed them are provided basic care for mange, fleas, ticks, wounds and infections. Most importantly, HSTJ volunteers educate these people about proper care, nutrition, the importance of humane treatment and of course sterilization. The people are encouraged to bring their un-altered animals to our next spay and neuter campaign. In addition, all animals who attend our street clinics are sent home with a 6lb bag of food. If an animal is brought with a chain around its neck, we remove the chain and educate the owner about the dangers these types of restraints result in and provide a proper collar an leash when our resources allow. HSTJ relies solely on donations to conduct these street clinics. Please support the continuance of the Itchy Scratchy clinics by joining the Rescue 400 Club and pledging just $5 a month. That's all it takes to allow HSTJ to continue to provide care to the needy animals of Tijuana. Please join today!

HSTJ Volunteer shares her experiences at the April 16th IS clinic:

This week’s I.S. clinic was held on April 16, 2011 at Colonia Cardenas. This is a colonia on the western part of TJ, near the coast. We’ve been in this area before, and people in this neighborhood express their appreciation for HSTJ’s clinics. At this location we treated 128 dogs and 3 cats. Volunteers attending were 3. We had everything set up and ready by 7:30 am and wrapped things up around 1pm. It was a sunny day and as expected during the springtime, we saw/treated many puppies.

One heartwarming case was that of a very shy, 12 year old Esteban and his cat “Chispita”. He walked about 1 kilometer carrying his beloved cat in a hamper. He stood quietly observing as we treated his cat for worms, fleas, ticks and ear-mites; cleaned her teeth and gave her some vitamins. When we were done, he took Chispita and hugged her tightly, gave her a big kiss on the forehead and carefully placed her back inside the hamper. He gave much thanks for the cat food and said, “Lets go home Chispita”.

Another young boy named Sebastian brought his dog, a light brown, 2 year old pit bull mix who was NOTHING BUT SKIN AND BONES! The poor dog was so hungry, he was scarfing down the food so fast he would choke on it. The sad boy tried to explain that even though he and his mom both work, they were having a hard time providing for his siblings and the family dog. After giving his dog the I.S. treatment, we gave this boy PLENTY of dog food and vitamins. We assured him that he could count on HSTJ to assist with dog food, and the boy was ecstatic.

A woman named Luz brought by 5 dogs, among which 2 Chihuahuas had SEVERE tooth decay. It was so bad that the dogs were clearly in a lot of pain. She was immediately referred to a nearby low-cost Veterinary Clinic for proper diagnosis and treatment.

Also, an older man and his grandson brought a 3 month old puppy who was suffering from a bad case of mange. This was made even worse on account of a home remedy involving lard and ant powder. The lard on the skin on a sunny day can cause a terrible sunburn. Aside from the regular I.S. treatment, this puppy was treated for mange and was also scheduled for a follow-up treatment.

A new feature at this clinic was that each person will now be handed a flyer that contains info about the treatment their animal just received, a suggestion to visit the vet, and the phone numbers/web sites where they can get the latest dates and locations for our upcoming Sterilization Clinics and future I.S. Clinics all around TJ. With this we hope that even more pet owners (and pets) can benefit from HSTJ's clinics.

To see all of the pictures from our Itchy Scratchy Street Clinics, please visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/hstj/collections/72157625946736016/

To support to continuation of HSTJ's street clinics, please become a member of the Rescue 400 Club!

HSTJ's April 10, 2011 Spay and Neuter Clinic in Colonia Florido

2011-04-28T08:55:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, April 10th HSTJ volunteers conducted a spay and neuter clinic in an area of Tijuana called Florido.

A total of 52 animals were spayed and neutered!

20 female dogs
18 male dogs
7 female cats
7 male cats

One special case was a tiny male pit pull mix puppy was brought in, he was no longer able to urinate on his own due to a rodent bite to his little weenis! Our fabulous Dr. Gayle performed surgery on the little guy creating a new opening for his weenis so he can go pee pee again. Thanks Dr. Gayle!

Thank you to all of the wonderful volunteers and of course our supporters who make these clinics possible.

To see all of the pictures from the April 10th clinic click here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hstj/sets/72157626474607845/

To help support HSTJ Monthly spay & neuter clinics, please become a member of the Rescue 400 club!

Where Are They Now? A Hoarding Case Re-Visited, Part Three. The Story of "Coco Loco"

2011-04-19T12:22:00.000-07:00

What Coco has Taught me About Life, Love, Trust and Second Chances

Coco came into our lives in April, 2009 and we and she have not been the same since. She was involved in an animal hoarding case in Tijuana, Mexico. Well, she was more than involved, she was a victim. A True, blue, victim as you can see from the picture above. I have not seen this picture in a year and a half since we've had her and it brings tears to my eyes. Looking at it more often throughout her rehabilitation would have helped my frustrations. Alas, it is an ongoing process and one I am honored to share with Coco.

A wonderful, angelic, grass roots organization called Friends of Humane Society Tijuana, heard about this Mexican director who had property and was snatching dogs from the cold, rough streets of Mexico along with dogs that might have actually been considered someones “pet”. He was indiscriminate in the dogs he took and brought to his hellish property where they were left to defend for themselves with the occasional deposit of food they were forced to fight over. I heard there were a couple properties of large numbers of dogs, one with 100+ and all the horrors one would expect from such a desperate and deplorable situation.

I was newly married for the first time at the age of 37 with my own black Labrador I have had since a puppy. My new husband, Michael, and I rented a 4 bedroom house in Carlsbad, CA with a large fenced in back yard. I was instantly the full time step-Mother of two teenage boys and things were quite chaotic. That's about the time Coco entered our lives.

We were just going to foster her and take her to adoption events to find her a furever home. The first night we had her, she ran out the front door and hid under a neighbor's car. She trusted no one. She would not let me or anyone else pick her up. She would growl and snarl and try to get out of your arms and 35 lbs of feisty dog is a lot to handle. Nevertheless, I was able to get her into my bathtub and give her what closely resembled a bath, at least to get the worst grime and dirt off of her. My youngest stepson, Brandon, was able to convince her to come out from under the neighbor's car and she followed him inside our house and really took to him.

I decided she would sleep in his room while she adjusted to life in a home. She jumped up on our dining room table on day 2 while exploring her new digs! She was wild for sure and had no idea what it was like to have grass and consistent food and shelter. She would go into a frenzied state when I brought out the food bowls. She competed with Bali for attention and even snapped and tried to bite her once or twice. I put her outside and made it clear Bali had seniority and she was not in charge. It seems as if she was so used to competing with other dogs for everything she had she didn't understand that food and love were not really limited resources here in this new world she had found herself in suddenly. She was used to living in fear and pain and didn't quite understand that she didn't have to have that here in this life. We took her to get her groomed, but the groomer called us after 10 minutes to come back and get her. I asked if she could just muzzle her and the groomer was insistent that even with a muzzle, she was unable to groom her. Coco just didn't trust anyone at all.

The one thing Coco fell in love and bonded with made us realize she must have known how to be a pet at some time in the past. We got her tennis balls which she chased and retrieved, but the day we brought home the tennis Kong squeaker ball was the day her life changed for the better. She fell in love with that ball and would roll her entire body over and over it to get her scent on it. She would then get up in the morning and sniff all the tennis balls in the yard, ultimately finding her beloved squeaker ball by sniffing it out. She slept with the ball, carried it in her mouth and chased it until exhaustion. As long as Coco has her squeaker ball she is happy and content.

Brandon and I took her to a couple of adoption events. She got a little attention but no takers. She was becoming increasingly attached to us and was getting more and more comfortable with her surroundings. She was pretty much house trained from the beginning although there were a few accidents. She will still go on the back patio sometimes instead of the grass. She just wasn't used to grass. Coco eventually decided she had a job to do in our house and took it very seriously. She was going to be the front door watchdog. She started sleeping in front of the front door at night instead of with Brandon. I put her bed in her spot in front of the door and that has been her favorite spot since.

Coco is a tough girl. After deciding that she was our “watchdog” she started chasing after everything and anything that sounded like an immediate threat. This is especially pervasive when she and I are at home alone together without the boys. UPS truck, FEDEX, gardeners etc. she had no tolerance for anything that she perceived as dangerous to her pack or palace. I ended up getting a shock collar that had 10 levels and a buzzer. I would press the shock button on level 4 when she would give chase and would release as soon as she turned and responded to my call to come back to me. She then no longer needed the shock and would respond to the sound of the buzzer on the collar knowing she was on notice. I haven’t used it in quite a while but need to put it on her intermittently when she starts to chase people and dogs walking down the street.

Coco loved her little bolster doggie bed. She first had a zebra striped one for her spot in front of the front door and then I got her giraffe print one for outside our bedroom where she liked to lay. She luxuriated in the zebra striped one for many months. Then she would try and get on the couch and I would push her off.

Finally I stopped making her get off of the couch and got a doggie cover for it. Once she became a couch princess a strange and inexplicable new pattern emerged. She refused to sleep in her beloved zebra striped bed. She slept beside it, she slept on the cold tile next to it but she would not even get in it for me to pet her like she used to love. She avoided it like some substandard health care clinic in Tijuana after being treated at Cedars Sinai. I finally put it in the garage and brought down the giraffe print one to see if that was of a higher quality in Coco land. It wasn’t. She was on the couch now, bitches, and she wasn’t going back to anything that even resembled her prior lower socioeconomic status, no matter how comfortable it was. I admire that. A lot of humans go back and forth for a while, not real certain if they deserve it. Coco the dog knew she deserved it and fought and scrapped and endured for it and she wasn’t going to give it up for anything.

Coco let the mobile groomer shave and bathe her as long as I was there to treat her and help hold her. There was only one mobile groomer she liked and she ended up leaving the company so I now shave her down with my own high end clippers. She tolerates baths and loves to swim in the doggie lagoon and retrieve balls.

One day, I was in our neighbor’s driveway chatting and Bali, Coco and Ellwood were hanging out with us. Suddenly, a dog burst out of the front door of the house across the stress from where we were standing and ran straight towards us. The dog didn’t even pause before it jumped on Coco and clamped onto the side of her face. I sprang into action and grabbed the offending dog by its collar and held it almost in the air. It would not let go of Coco until it pulled out a big tuft of fur. The owner came running and got her dog back into her house. Coco was bloody so I scooped her up and my neighbor took us to the Vet. She was so traumatized and the Vet had to anesthetize her to find the wound and clean it. When I came back to get her later that day the Vet said he found two puncture wounds on the side of her face and she didn’t require stitches or drains thank goodness. He said she hated everyone there and was going to have me get her out of her kennel. I found her in her kennel with the cone of shame around her neck looking absolutely miserable. I went into her kennel and she was still groggy from the anesthesia. She growled slightly when I reached out to her. I said “Coco, it’s Mommy” and the instant she recognized me she flew into my arms, so grateful I came back for her. It might just be my perception but I really think she trusts me more and listens and behaves better since that incident. I guess getting your ass kicked and getting rescued by Mom can humble and increase trust at the same time.

Coco taught me, actually reminded me, to believe in myself and to know that I deserve the best and to hold out and fight for it no matter how long it takes or how hard the journey. There is a couch in a palace in Carlsbad with a family who loves and nurtures and supports my growth if I believe that is what I need. Just have to fight for what you know is right, choose your battles carefully, and never, ever give up. When you do find someone who believes in you, just for you, give them time to prove their loyalty. After your instincts tell you they have proven themselves enough for you to give them the generous gift of your trust, be loyal to the end. Protect them and advocate for them. Give them your undying love and devotion because they gave that to you believing in you before you could be the kind of dog that they knew you would be. That is what made you into the beautiful life you live today. Someone saw the light in you and invested and sacrificed to bring out the potential that they see in you. Perhaps they see themselves or the potential for themselves in your disadvantaged life and hope to make themselves or their situation better through you. Or perhaps they just know that your souls were meant to nurture each other and have intersected for the beautiful relationship that has ensued. Your paw to my hand and your soul to mine. We are bonded for life and I am honored to share our lives in this world together my Coco Loco.

Making a Difference One Cat at a Time!

2011-04-19T11:33:00.000-07:00

Every month, teams of HSTJ volunteers perform street clinics in various poor neighborhoods throughout Tijuana educating the people on humane treatment, proper nutrition and the importance of sterilization. At these clinics, flea and mange medicines are administered and volunteers check wounds, eyes and ear infections and also provide basic grooming services when necessary, such as clipping away matted fur or clipping long nails.

During an Itchy Scratchy Street Clinic this month, HSTJ volunteer Lisette and team were presented with by far the most extreme case of overgrown nails they had ever seen. Here is Lisette's story:

The most extreme case we saw today, was without a doubt a female cat brought by the Rodriguez family. The first thing Christela (the mom) asked was if we could clip the cat’s nails. I began to ask if there was a reason in particular, and was SHOCKED to see this cat’s nails. For some reason they could not retract and had grown so long that they curled over and around the pads on the bottom of her foot, cutting into the poor kitty's pads and in some places the pads were badly infected. The pads appeared to be very pink and swollen. There was also a foul odor that emanated from the infected nails.

I very slowly and carefully clipped the nails. Several pieces that came off left a gaping wound on the pad and the odor got worse. As I applied disinfectant spray, I was about to ask why on earth they hadn’t taken this animal to the Vet, and realized that they seemed to have very meager resources. The father explained that they’ve had her since she was a kitten and she WAS normal, but then they noticed that she started to stay off her feet and would bleed every time she walked around. When I asked if they could take her to a Vet, they looked at each other and replied no, that they wanted to, but could not afford it.

I took their name, address, and phone number and assured them I would find an HSTJ Vet able to provide no-cost treatment for this poor agonizing cat.

This family was overly grateful, including the two little girls who were in tears when they saw their cat suffering. We were so happy to have brought this cat some relief and to have educated the owners that it is important to keep their kitty's nails short to prevent this from happening in the future.

It is because of our wonderful supporters that we are able to aid in life saving treatments of animals throughout TJ, and this is just one case of many that we see each and everyday.

As you know, we rely solely on donations to continue to serve these animals and we urgently need your help to sustain our current monthly programs.
Our goal is simple, We need 400 people to pledge just $5 a month!
Currently, with the equivalent of 150 $5 sponsors, we are 35% of the way towards this goal!

If you are not already a part of our Rescue 400 club and would like to join us in supporting our life saving efforts, please join today:
Join the Rescue 400 Club

For 16 cents a day or for the cost of a coffee and pastry in the U.S., your small monthly pledge goes a much longer way in Mexico helping the animals in need.
$5 a month can:

pay for the anesthesia injection for one animal at our sterilization clinic
feed a large dog for one week
pay for two vaccinations
pay for the post-op medication people are given after their animal is sterilized consisiting of oral antibiotics and multi-vitamins
pay for one injectable mange treatment- a dog infected with mange usually requires 2-3 treatments

Collectively, becoming one of the 400 allows us to continue with our comprehensive programs. Be one of the 400 and help save an animal from a life of pain, fear, and disease.

Please Join the Rescue 400 Club today - the animals of Tijuana are counting on you.

HSTJ is a purely Volunteer Organization and 100% of your donation goes to the animals. Our volunteers pound the pavement looking for donated postage, paper for flyers, and advertising space to ensure that all administrative costs are donated.

For more information, e-mail Michelle

On behalf of the animals, thank you so much, for your continued support - we truly could not do it without you.

HSTJ's March Street Clinics

2011-03-31T08:43:00.000-07:00

During the month of March, HSTJ conducted four street clinics treating 183 animals for parasites, fleas and ticks!

Here are the stats:
March 19, 2011 - Colonia Yohoaca
Dogs: 22
Cats: 4

March 20, 2011 - Colonia Las Huertas
Dogs: 53

March 26, 2011 - Colonia Lomas del Porvenir
Dogs: 65
Cats: 3

March 27, 2011 - Colonia El Soler
Dogs: 35

For pictures from the Itchy Scratchy clinics, visit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hstj/collections/72157625946736016/

HSTJ's March 13, 2011 Sterilization Clinic in Playas

2011-03-31T08:32:00.000-07:00

On March 13, 2011, HSTJ voolunteers conducted a sterilization clinic in Playas at the Universidad Iboamericana fixing a total of 33 animals! Welcome new volunteer Valerie!

Here is the break down:

26 dogs: 12 females 14 males

7 cats: 3 females 4 males

Thank you to all of the volunteers and supporters who made this clinic possible. To learn more about HSTJ, please visit the web site http://www.friendsofhstj.org/

To view all of the pictures from the clinic visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/hstj/sets/72157626155621457/

Where Are They Now? A Hoarding Case Re-Visited, Part Two - The story of "Tijuana Tilly"

2011-03-30T10:37:00.000-07:00

Exactly two years ago, HSTJ responded to a hoarding case, a man was found to be hoarding 157 dogs in two locations of Tijuana. (a link to the article is below). As a result of mass publicity and the help of rescue groups, 80% of these animals were adopted out. However, the conditions of the animals that remained were horrible. HSTJ arrived to conduct a street clinic on these remaining animals, but as volunteers started processing the animals and treating them, we slowly realized that we could not just leave them there, we had to do something. Within an hour, we had found a property where we could temporarily house the remaining dogs, a huge undertaking for an organization of such meager resources, but the volunteers were strong, resourcful and determined. I don't thinkwe realized how much work would have to be put into this project but in the end it was well worth the blood, sweat and tears.

Read the full story here
http://friendsofhumanesocietydetijuana.blogspot.com/2009/02/hstj-responds-to-needs-of-animals-of.html

I have decided to re-visit this story and follow up wth as many of the owners of the rescued hoarding dogs, so that their amazing stories can be shared and live on forever.

***********************************************************************

Where Are they Now, Part Two - Here is Tilly's heart-warming story

This cute story from Tilly's perspective was written to me a week after I brought her across the border March 8, 2009:

Dear Michelle,

Thank you so much for rescuing me. Not that Mexico isn't a beautiful country filled with wonderful people. It is just that I think that coming to America will open up a whole new world for me. The work that you do for fur people like me is just incredible. I will be for ever grateful to you for changing my life. My new "Peeps" are grateful as well I think. I keep hearing them talk about what a gem I am and that I couldn't be more perfect for the family. I am already "their girl"...they tell me that over and over....I can never hear it enough. I think I am special too and have a lot to offer. You probably are amazed at my command of the english language....2 words....Rosetta Stone. I always felt I was destined for a life in a foreign country so I think I spent my time wisely. Less butt sniffing...more studying that has been my motto.

So my first night in the US. So exciting. I had the most amazing ride to my new home. I must say that i took in all of the sights while sitting quietly on my new Peeps lap. We got home and I do mean HOME...it felt like I belonged there all my life. I had a great dinner and probably drank a little more than I should ( whew...lucky no hangover this morning). Next it was Spa time. What a sensation...a warm bath....towel dried and then a blow dry and a comb out. What a looker I am. Next it was off to bed. My peeps put me under the covers and there I stayed until it was too hot...Ay chillala and I thought it was hot in ole Mexico. I settled in to my own bed around midnight and I don't think I moved all night. Big day I had as you well know. I bet you might have done the same thing when you got home.

Well today was a new day for me. We got up and took this incredible walk in Kit Carson Park. What a place, you can't believe the foliage...some much to pee on so much to sniff. I was great on the leash. I am pretty sure I have much more energy than my new Peeps and for sure my little bro Petey. So we all walked together for an hour and then I got to have another 30 min run...well run for me...a Plod for my Peep Becky. She isn't quite able to keep up my pace. I will work on her and have her in to shape in no time at all.

We are back from the park...had a little brunch...laid out on the patio and bagged some rays. I hear that we are off to Petsmart for a few items that I will need. I know that this is just the begining of many new adventures. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.

Michelle, you are my guardian angel, You have changed my life and I know the life of my Peeps forever.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU
With love and gratitude
Tijuana Tilley
aka Tilly, The Tills, Love Bug

*****************************
Tilly Update, written February 24, 2011

Dear Michelle.

Well I have been here in these great United States just about 2 years now. What a 2 years it has been. I have had the opportunity to travel to some pretty neat places. I must say the Eastern Sierras have to rate up there as a favorite. Not only are there beautiful mountains,running streams with the coldest water ever, I get to spend time with 10-12 of my favorite fur people. We area sight on the trail. All of running ahead of our peeps, chasing squirrels and generally just enjoying the freedom of no leashes, no cars and lots of space to run.

I loved my trip to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons (although they really discriminate against those of us who have four feet). In spite of all their rules we had a memorable trip with lots of new smells and some of the craziest looking creatures I have ever seen.

I love the mountains but I now have a great appreciation for the ocean as well. We are a boating family now. I love to spend a few days each week at the bay lounging on the boat. Nothing like the wind blowing through your blond locks out on the open seas. My favorite place to hang when we are not out on the water is the dock. I am the official Dock 3 Dock Dog. One day I will catch one of those pesky seagulls. It is hard to catch a nap with them squawking all day.

I don't want you to think that it is all just fun and games however. I spend a lot of time coming up with new ways to show my peeps my love and gratitude. I have learned to come when I hear my peeps holler for me. I even sit at their feet so they can pat my head. These humans have this crazy tradition called a kiss...something I knew nothing of. Seems crazy to me but they actually love it when I lick them on the face....they always tell me"oh Tilly... good kiss". Apparently they are not witness to all of my personal hygiene habits.

I have put on a few lbs since my arrival in the US. I get a lot of exercise but I do love to eat and the food here is quite good. I get my fair share of treats because apparently I do some pretty adorable things. I love my life and I am so grateful for my friends at FHSTJ.

With Love and Gratitude

"Tijuana Tilly" (Tilly for short)

The Amazing Rescue of Barbas and The Dangers of TVT

2011-03-30T10:19:00.000-07:00

A few months ago one of HSTJ's volunteers received a call from a friend who told her that the night before he witnessed a truck that appeared to have run over a dog. He thought the dog was dead but the next day, he saw that the dog had been dragged to the side of the road and as he approached the dog, he said the dog was alive but his back legs appeared to be paralyzed! He took the dog immediately to the vet whose prognosis was that that the dog would likely not walk again.

Regardless of this bleak fate, he decided to take the dog home to recover and named him Barbas. With a special diet and medication, a few months later, Barbas amazingly began walking again! He was not theemost graceful runner but he appeared to be out of danger! A few weeks ago Barbas began to bleed from his penis and the diagnosis was that the dog has TVT (Transmissable Veneral Tumor) and will require at least 4 chemotherapies to solve the problem. Chemotherapy treatments in Tijuana can cost up to $65 a session. I fyou are interested in spnosoring Barbas for his treatment, please Make a Donation.

There are many infectious diseases that we encounter down in Tijuana that are rather uncommon in the United States. For each disease the reasons vary as to why the prevalence is higher in a third world country, such as lack of vaccination, a lifestyle of living primarily outside, frequent contact with hundreds of other dogs, etc.

One such disease is Transmissible Venereal Tumor, or TVT. This ailment is most unusual because it is not caused by either a virus or a bacteria. TVT is caused by infectious tumor cells that become explanted either due to licking or mating. It is a mysterious disease because no one knows for sure from where these tumor cells originally came. They have a completely different number of chromosomes than a dog’s normal cells, and for that reason their origin remains a mystery.

Like any venereal disease, TVT most often begins when a dog mates with an infected partner. The tumors will grow very slowly over a matter of months, and usually the first sign of the disease is bleeding from the genitalia, although the tumors will sometimes begin in the mouth and nasal cavity as well. The tumors will continue to grow until they protrude from the orifices and spread to other areas of the body. The animals tend to be very painful at the sites of tumor growth, and the tumors will often bleed excessively.

Fortunately, the tumors are treatable with chemotherapy. They are one of the few cancers in dogs that are 100% curable, and the vets that work with HSTJ have treated several cases of TVT now. However, the best way to prevent the disease in the first place is to spay and neuter the dogs. HSTJ/FHSTJ has undertaken this large task not only to prevent the overpopulation of unwanted street animals in Tijuana, but also to improve the animals’ overall health. TVT, along with a few other diseases, can be prevented from spreading by spaying and neutering the dogs.

Barba's Before and After Photos - Please consider sponsoring Barba so he can receive the proper treatment for his TVT, please Make a Donation if you are able.

Where Are They Now? A Hoarding Case, Revisited - Part One, The Story of Jake

2011-02-23T18:46:00.000-08:00

Exactly two years ago, HSTJ responded to a hoarding case, a man was found to be hoarding 157 dogs in two locations of Tijuana. (a link to the article is below). As a result of mass publicity and the help of rescue groups, 80% of these animals were adopted out. However, the conditions of the animals that remained were horrible. HSTJ arrived to conduct a street clinic on these remaining animals, but as volunteers started processing the animals and treating them, we slowly realized that we could not just leave them there, we had to do something. Within an hour, we had found a property where we could temporarily house the remaining dogs, a huge undertaking for an organization of such meager resources, but the volunteers were strong, resourcful and determined. I don't thinkwe realized how much work would have to be put into this project but in the end it was well worth the blood, sweat and tears.

Read the full story here
http://friendsofhumanesocietydetijuana.blogspot.com/2009/02/hstj-responds-to-needs-of-animals-of.html

I have decided to re-visit this story and follow up wth as many of the owners of the rescued hoarding dogs, so that their amazing stories can be shared and live on forever.

Where Are they Now, Part One - Here is Jake's heart-warming story

I don't know what I would have done without my rescue dog

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
About a year and a half ago, after a relationship break up, I decided I wanted to get a dog. I always wanted a Jack Russell. So, I checked the Craigslist Pets section. Amazing, miraculous timing. There, just a few ads down from the top, was my Jake. The "Friends of Humane Soceity Tijuana" had rescued and saved some dogs from a horrific hoarding, some 157 dogs. I believe they rescued 30 of them, and Jake was one of them. I loved his picture, and wrote/called immediately. Jake was under the care of a Foster home. The young woman and her boyfriend brought Jake to my place, so I could meet him, and he meet me. They also wanted to make sure that he was getting a good home. I loved him immediately. I don't know if he loved me right away, but he did love the Pup-a-roni treats I had gotten for him.

I had to go to their adoption event that Saturday, in order to apply, and adopt Jake. I went, filled out the paperwork, and took my new best friend home. He had been in a horrible situation. I know he could have not been the largest, most aggressive dog at the hoarding house. I am sure he had to fight for food, water, a place to sleep, and fight for his life. He also still has, to this day, a chain mark around his right hind leg. Nice hoarders, huh? As a result of this part of his life, he is easily frightened, is very wary of people, does not like other dogs, and took about a month at my place to not look depressed. He was so depressed, that I actually thought it was not going to work out.

Well, it seems like the very next day after thinking that, Jake snapped out of it. He was prancing around, started to eat more, and have a personality. I work from home, so he is always with me. Where ever I go, he goes with me. If I go out to eat, I only go to restaurants with a pet friendly patio. He is, without a doubt, my very best friend. I thank the Friends of Humane Soceity Tijuana, for saving Jake, and for placing the ad for him, at the right time for me to see it.

People always say how nice it was for me to rescue Jake. That might be true, but how I think of it, is that Jake rescued me right back.

Adopt a rescue dog!!!! They know they have it better than before, and they will love you for it. Here is the web site for Friends of Humane Soceity Tijuana. Tell Michelle WE sent you.
http://friendsofhstj.org/

Brian and Jake

Another Amazing Story of Rescue to a Happy Home

2011-02-21T16:54:00.000-08:00

Nearly swept away by the rain, starving and suffering from a prolapsed uterus, here is Guera's amazing story of rescue and rehabilitation.

Lisette, a dedicated HSTJ volunteer and animal rescuer tells Guera's story of rescue:

May, 2010 - I first saw her on my street about two months ago. I thought it was a male with it's testicles bleeding. Her hind fur was always moist and bloody. I started feeding her, as she seemed to be staying permanently at an abandoned house on my block.

Well, one day it was raining hard. My street turns into a canal for this Colonia's run-off with a great current.

As always, at about 6 am, I was outside. And by now, Guera knew her feeding schedule by heart, so she was already waiting on the other side of the street. She was so insistent on crossing that stream to get to the food, I guess she was very very hungry. I did not know what to do when I saw her pacing up and down for about 15 minutes. As soon as the current started to decrease, she started crossing little by little. But then it seemed that the debris was knocking her down, and the current started dragging her torwards the main canal. I got in as far as I could and managed to get her safely on my side.

I tied her up, and then made her a makeshift covering, dried off her fur and gave her a warm blanket. She finally got her much desired breakfast.

Guera turned out to be a female and what I thought were inflamed testicles, was in fact her prolapsed uterus. I took some pictures she was still on the street. Obviously some one threw her out when this condition started. As soon as Dr. Veronika heard, we took Guera to get fixed. The surgey was challenging, since the uterus had been out for a long time, there was much inflamation, making it hard for it to stay inside. In the end, it was a successful surgery. Much thanks to Dr. Veronika. You will also see pics of before and after the actual surgery.

Guera was all skin and bones, but since has gained a lot of weight. Her fur that was once caked with mud and dry blood, had to be shaved off. But is now coming in nicely.

Guera was fostered in Tijuana while she recovered and became healthy again. She was adopted February 13, 2011 from the Canines & Cupids adoption event held at Petco in Sports Arena to a most wonderful couple and their daughter. Guera has been re-named Tonga and she has truly been given a second chance!

Here is a little bit from her new family:

Thank you to the Friends of HSTJ for saving Tonga 'aka' Guera (Blondie!). We are SO thankful to have found you at the PetCo adoption event. Despite a rough start in life, this dog is the sweetest, most lovable creature ever. If not for the caring hearts of animal lovers in Tijuana who rescued her, and excellent medical care at HSTJ, Tonga may not have made it.

Thankfully she now is enjoying daily walks, park time, toys, good food, doggie treats, warm beds, and new kitty friends (that we are starting to warm up to.)

I encourage everyone who reads this to support Friends of HSTJ and get the word out via social networking of the great work they are doing. I have worked with non-profits, and I know how challenging it can be right now in this economic climate. The Rescue 400 Club is only $5 a month, and will provide much needed medical/healthcare to dogs in need. That's basically a coffee at Starbucks..once a month!

I have joined today, and I hope others will consider it as well. If not for the donations of other kind people before me, our sweet Tonga may not be here today. I know there are many other animals in need, just like her. Thank you..thank you...I empathetically thank you. Tonga gives a solid 'wag' and big wet kiss to all the great volunteers!

To help HSTJ help dogs just like Tonga and end the needless suffering of street animals, please Join the Rescue 400 club by pledging just $5 a month and support HSTJ's spay and nueter clinics.

http://friendsofhstj.org/BecomeaSponsor.html

HSTJ's February 19, 2011 Sterilization Clinic

2011-02-21T16:28:00.000-08:00

HSTJ's first formal spay and neuter clinic for 2011 was held on Sunday, February 19th at the Universidad Iboamericana in Playas de Tijuana. 38 animals were fixed, 10 cats and 28 dogs, plus we had a very special case, a pit bull mix had an eye condition in which its eyelashes were growing inward rather than outward, and Dr. Veronika was able to perform the surgery to correct the problem.

Monica Hoover, a San Diego photographer volunteered at this clinic taking some really great pictures. Thank you Monica!

Vicky Bravo and fellow volunteers brought 17 of the dogs to be fixed from the hoarding case they responded to at the Hotel Indigo a couple of months ago. HSTJ has been providing Vicky Bravo and her team with food, some medicines and of course providing free spay and nueter services to their rescues. We would like to commend Vicky Bravo and her team for a job well done.

Here is the break down of the clinic numbers:
10 cats, 4 females and 6 males
28 dogs, 11 females and 17 males

To view all of the pictures from the February 19th clinic visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/hstj/sets/72157625980772051/

Please help support and continue HSTJ monthly spay and neuter clinics by pledging just $5 a month. Join the Rescue 400 club today and help end the sufferring of so many animals romaing the streets every day.
http://friendsofhstj.org/BecomeaSponsor.html

HSTJ Assists Nuns at Tijuana Convent With Their Rescues

2011-02-01T09:30:00.000-08:00

HSTJ was contacted in September 2010 by a nun at the Eudist Servant's Convent in Tijuana about several dogs and cats they had rescued from the streets of their local neighborhood. HSTJ has been assisiting these nuns ever since providing an ample supply of dog food, cat food, kitten food, kitty litter and ampoules of Advantage and Revolution along with other miscellaneous items. This coming weekend HSTJ will conduct a mioni Itchy Scratchy Clinic at the convent to treat their rescues and the neighboring street animals.

Among the rescues, the nun at the Eudist Servant's Convent in Tijuana has been fostering 3 adorable, healthy and very loving kitties and has asked for our help in promoting them to hopefully finsd them their forever home here in the states. Here are pictures and information on each kitties as given to us by their rescuer:

"TJ & Peni: brother & sister. They showed up on our street few months ago. My guess is that they were dropped off because someone knew of my aiding animals. They were obviously use to people & seemed bewildered as to why they were on the street. They were maybe 5 months old at the time."

This is TJ (male 8months old) ADOPTED!

This is Peni (female, 8 months old) ADOPTED!

"Jude: We found him huddling on top of the fence in our yard in October, in the pouring rain. We still can't figure out how he got there as it was pretty high up & he was very little -- maybe 2 months old. It doesn't appear that he will grow into a very big cat, he seems small for his age even now."

Jude (Male, 5 months old)

For more information or to arrange a visit with the animal in San Diego, please call Richard at (619) 922-3394 and leave a message if you get voice mail. He will call you ASAP.

HSTJ's January 2011 Itchy Scratchy Clinics

2011-01-31T08:40:00.001-08:00

Three IS clinics were conducted during the month of January treating a total of 339 dogs and 43 cats, here are the stats:

Saturday, January 8th at Colonia Libertad, 33 dogs and 9 cats

Saturday, January 22nd at Colonia Parte Alta, 162 dogs and 13 cats

Saturday, January 29th, at Ruben Amaya Canyon, 144 dogs and 21 cats...

The January 8th I.S. Clinic was held in Colonia Libertad, treating 33 dogs and 9 cats. One interesting thing we found there was a large amount of cases, both dogs and cats, with ear mite infestations. Most pet owners had never even heard of ear mites, so they were briefed on what this condition is and its symptoms and pets were successfully treated. A vet visit was strongly recommended for follow up treatment.

One special case was that of Cachito, a small Chihuahua, approximately 5 years old, who was rescued from the streets of TJ by a young couple. As is visible in the pictures, his lower jaw is broken just between his two front teeth. This makes it difficult for him to eat. No one knows what caused Cachito to be like this, or for how long he roamed the streets before being rescued, but besides being on a soft diet, he is happy to be off the streets and in a loving home.

At the January 29th, at Ruben Amaya Canyon, we had several special cases, but one particular case stands out. A small brown pup that was run over and had a large wound on the top of its head. The entire family had pitched in and taken him to visit the vet. Now the wound appears to be healing nicely. Since this family could not afford a follow up visit, we provided them with ointment to help protect the area from an infection. Another case was that of a small size maltese mix, who seemed to have trouble/pain walking. Upon inspection I noticed that his nails had grown so long that they actually curled around and around like a pig's tail. Walking with this condition was causing him much pain, but had gone unnoticed by the owners because his hair was so long! We showed the family what the problem was and clipped his nails for the family and the dog was much more comfortable. At this clinic we found that 2 out of 10 dogs had mange... and the owners try all sorts of home remedies to get rid of it, but nothing seems to work. Some pet owners received special shampoos to aid in treatment. All received plenty of vitamins, and a full supply of dog/cat food. All in all, many of the dogs and cats we saw were pretty well taken care of. Those that required treatment were either helped at our clinic or referred to a nearby Vet for proper diagnosis and treatment. Volunteers attending were 6.

To see all of the photos from the January 2011 IS clinics, visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/hstj/collections/72157625946736016/

Helping The Individual Rescuer- HSTJ Successes and Challenges

2010-12-30T15:24:00.000-08:00

One of the goals of HSTJ is to help individual rescuers. Each year, HSTJ distributes tons of food along with medicines, medical shampoos, flea/ tick treatments, and de-worming preparations to independent TJ rescuers who are taking in street animals. HSTJ also provides free and low cost spay and neuter clinic for the animals of these dedicated people, many of whom live very modestly and yet are willing to share their resources with the animals who desperately need their help. Many find homes for their rescues after successfully rehabilitating the animals. However some, while having good intentions, actually end up creating horrible situations by “collecting” animals from the streets without an adequate plan for housing, medical treatment, and general care; not to mention the need to spay and neuter and find homes for them. This year, 2009-2010 has been an especially challenging year because of two such large cases involving hundreds of dogs.

The most challenging of the two cases involves an elderly individual who has been “collecting “ animals off the streets for several years and housing them in an abandoned hotel. He was one of the first in Tijuana to actually start an animal protection organization many years ago; however, through the years, this particular operation has come under question by many private rescuers, neighbors, volunteers working at the site and HSTJ as well. Through the years, nobody has been successful in getting the authorities to intervene. HSTJ has, on several occasions, offered to visit the “hotel” to treat the animals for parasites, evaluate the condition of the animals and remove those needing urgent attention. We were denied access by the owner. Fortunately, this year, one of the volunteers working at the site took matters in hand and asked for our help in the form of food, medicines, hygiene supplies, and flea/ tick treatments so that they might be able to continue to work inside the “hotel” and reform some of the conditions that exit. HSTJ is supplying all the requested items. We were also able to get photos and video of the conditions and it was even worse than anticipated. The person is what we call a “hoarder” of sick and injured dogs who are living in abominable conditions; many in cages for so long that they are too weak to stand and living in filth. Many are diseased and/or wounded. It is a real nightmare.

We tried to convince the owner to allow us to take some of the animals most in need of medical care, e.g., those suffering and dying without medical attention. Unfortunately and under Mexican law we cannot force the owner to surrender the animals. Also, knowing that we would not get much attention from the authorities, HSTJ took a licensed veterinarian and an investigative reporter from Tijuana’s El Mexicano newspaper to the site which resulted in convincing the owner to surrender 17 animals to the women who were volunteering at the site and who then turned them over to HSTJ and other rescuers standing by to receive the animals. A long and graphically detailed article appeared in the paper and did get some reaction from the public; but , to date, the authorities still have not intervened. HSTJ continues to supply the volunteers at the site with food, medications, cleaning supplies, and misc items. HSTJ has also embarked on a public information campaign and continues to ask that the authorities intervene and allow rsponsible rescuers to remove the animals from the site.

For those who read Spanish, see the following copy of the El Mexicano article that reported on the conditions at the dog hotel run by Alejandro [Alex] Iñigo in downtown Tijuana and which is entitled “Dogs Surviving in Hell.”

Sobreviven perros al infierno
Por
Jose Israel IBARRA GONZALEZ / EL MEXICANO lunes, 01 de noviembre de 2010
Se publicó en: Edición impresa

TIJUANA.- Encerrados atrás de los cuartos de un antiguo motel de la calle Bugambilias en el fraccionamiento Del Prado, fueron descubiertos más de 60 perros con sarna, enfermedades venereas, desnutridos y golpeados. Este domingo 31 de octubre un grupo de voluntarios pudo rescatar a 17 de un sufrimiento que no se le puede desear a ningún ser vivo.

La cita fue a las 12 del día frente al hospital que lleva el nombre de la colonia, ahí estuvo la señora Victoria Bravo, una voluntaria de San Diego que conoció del caso después de leer un artículo en un periódico estadounidense.

Antes de entrar fue necesario utilizar un cubrebocas para evitar respirar el olor al excremento con sangre de los canes, así como protegerse del contagio de enfermedades virales, pues nunca han sido atendidos por un veterinario.

En las manos y en los pies fue necesario rociar un líquido para evitar que las garrapatas y las pulgas se acercaran mientras eran sacados los 17 perros que fueron trasladados en 2 pick ups a un predio en la colonia El Soler para ser curados por los voluntarios, el objetivo era llevarse los más posibles.

El hombre que los tiene encerrados se llama Alejandro Íñigo, que está encargado de administrar un estacionamiento ubicado en las derruídas instalaciones del otrora motel. Alega con Vicky Bravo que se están llevando más de los 12 perros que habían acordado, pero otro de los voluntarios se apresura a subir un par más.

El rescate

Para ingresar a la parte trasera de los cuartos hay que pasar por un pasillo sucio donde se encuentra amarrada una perra brava que intenta safarse de una cadena, mientras tanto los voluntarios se apuran a sacar a los animales que están en las mejores condiciones, los que puedan salvarse, el resto de los canes intentan salirse cuando abren las puertas pero no se pueden llevar a todos.

Antes de entrar a las jaulas improvisadas con tela de alambre, donde tienen cajas de triplay con huecos para que duerman, está una gran tina con desperdicios, es la comida que destinarán al resto de los animales, que pelean por comer y mantener un espacio en medio de un total hacinamiento.

Alejandro Íñigo, dice ser el presidente de la Asociación Pro Derecho de los Animales, un bandera que para nada se cumple en esta perrera de “enfermedad, sufrimiento y muerte” que está ubicada frente un hospital donde pueden volar las enfermedades. La operación de rescate no tarda más de 30 minutos.

“Apenas lo pudimos convencer de sacar a 12 perros, pero alcanzamos rescatar a 17”, señala la señora Bravo, una vez que se salió del lugar.

Íñigo -dicen los voluntarios- pide dinero para la manutención de los animales, una situación que no cumple, ya que los tiene en condiciones pésimas; además que no están castrados, por lo que se reproducen y los cachorros mueren, en medio de la inmundicia de las instalaciones de tierra.

Maltrato Animal

La “World Society for the Protection of Animals” utiliza en su campaña global en contra de la crueldad animal un pasaje que dimensiona la importancia de los seres vivos: “Cierto día en que Gandhi predicaba, uno de sus discípulos le preguntó: Maestro ¿Quién es mi prójimo? El generoso Mahatma le respondió: “Todo lo que respira es tu prójimo”.

Carlos Chacón, gerente regional de Educación de WSPA para México, Centroamérica y el Caribe, explicó en su reciente visita a Tijuana, que a cualquier animal en cautiverio hay que garantizarse 5 libertades, que son estar: 1)libre de hambre y sed; 2) libre de incomodidades; 3) libre de dolor, heridas y enfermedades; 4) libre de miedo y estrés; y 5) libre para expresar su comportamiento natural.

En el caso “Bugambilias” los perros no cumplen con ninguna de estas condiciones, sin embargo, nunca una autoridad ha entrado a verificar lo que está sucediendo, como ocurrió en el caso “Coward” en febrero de 2009 cuando fue descubierta una perrera clandestina donde tenían a 157 canes en condicines deplorables para cualquier ser viviente.

La WSPA (Sociedad Mundial para la Protección de los Animales) tienen 15 oficinas regionales a nivel global, con 1012 sociedades incorporadas en 156 países; tiene un estatus consultivo en Naciones Unidas, Consejo de Europa, Organización Mundial de la Salud y la Organización Mundial de la Sanidad Animal.

Al gerente Carlos Chacón se le preguntó ¿por qué se da la crueldad hacia los animales? -como sucede en el caso “Bugambilias”- Y respondió que es por la ignorancia; un círculo de violencia; el egocentrismo y el antropocentrismo; los antivalores y el irrespeto a la vida.

Para cambiar esa realidad es necesario tener una legislación para la protección y el bienestar animal, sin embargo, señaló que en el caso de México la ley es muy laxa, los “delincuentes” sólo reciben amonestaciones pequeñas y los jueces dejan para lo último este tipo de casos de violencia animal, debido a que tienen otros problemas que consideran más graves.

Por esa razón la WSPA trabaja en proyectos de campo, desarrollo de sociedades miembro, además de campañas de concientización y educación, en las que se abordan desde los ámbitos formal y no formal, con conocimientos y valores.

Casos encontrados

Uno de los perros encontrados en la perrera clandestina este pasado día de Halloween no tenía una quijada, un dolor que le hace provocar gemidos constantes de sufrimiento; otro caso es el de una perra con TVT (Tumor Venéreo Trasmisible).

Este último caso consiste en una serie de células tumorales que se contagian por contacto sexual. Este tumor -que se contó con la oportunidad de fotografiarlo-, se desarrolla mediante una proliferación de tejido, en este caso, en los genitales, invadiéndolos tanto interna como externamente.

Existen dos clases de tratamientos, uno quirúrgico y otro farmacológico, pudiendo en ciertas ocasiones realizarse ambos tratamientos simultáneos. Aunque en este caso el animal se quedó por el temor de que contagiara a los otros 17 rescatados.

Aunque no deja secuelas una vez curado, el tratamiento farmacológico, mientras se está realizando puede producir algún trastorno a nivel hepático o a nivel de la piel y tejido subcutáneo, pero una vez finalizado el mismo, se recupera perfectamente, excepto que la mascota responda mal al mismo, pudiendo sufrir un shock en cualquier momento.

Estos son algunos de los muchos casos que están ahí adentro, en el antiguo motel del fraccionamiento Del Padro y la calle Bugambilias, perros que están espera de ser rescatados de ese “infierno viviente”, señaló la voluntaria norteamericana Vicky Bravo.

Agregó que los interesados en adoptar a los perros rescatados o darles medicamento o comida, pueden escribirle a su correo vbravo6289@yahoo.com, en donde les dará la información necesaria.

Alertó para que ningún tijuanense continúe llamando a Íñigo para entregarle dinero o perros, porque sólo es condenarlos al sufrimiento constante, que ya quedó demostrado tras este rescate.

Violencia que genera violencia

Pero la crueldad animal va más allá que el simple maltrato, una investigación realizada por Sthephen Kellert Ph.D. y Alan Felthous M.D., acerca de la “crueldad infantil con los animales” y la relación con los futuros criminales -llevada a cabo en las prisiones de Kansas y Connecticut en Estados Unidos-, sugiere que la agresión entre los delincuentes adultos puede ser fuertemente correlacionada con la historia de abuso familiar y crueldad infantil con las mascotas.

Los resultados del estudio fueron dados por el gerente regional Carlos Chacón en Tijuana durante un curso otorgado en el Centro de la Cultura de la Legalidad a profesores que educarán a sus alumnos para evitar el fenómeno.

“La crueldad infantil con los animales es un indicador potencial de relaciones familiares problemáticas y futuro comportamiento antisocial y agresivo”, dijo.

Chacón explicó que trabajan porque exista un trato ético hacia los animales, para que cuando una persona decida tener una mascota de compañía sea para darle las garantías de una buena vida y que no la vaya dejarla abandonada, cayendo en manos de “supuestos” benefactores como sucede en el caso “Bugambilias”. (iig)

HSTJ's December Itchy Scratchy Clinics

2010-12-30T08:52:00.000-08:00

In December, HSTJ held one Itchy Scratchy Clinic on December 7, 2010 in the Colonia Buenos Aires

53 animals were dewormed and treated against fleas and ticks this day

48 dogs
7 cats

Holiday Yappy Hour at La Jolla Brewhouse

2010-12-15T09:39:00.000-08:00

Thank you to all who came out to the December 14th holiday Yappy Hour at the La Jolla Brewhouse! So many adorable and festive costmes, both human and canine! Santa and Mrs Claus even made an appearance!

Thank you Bruce for volunteering yoiur time totake some great photos with Santa.

All in all, a great time and for a great cause. Through the raffle, we raised money for HSTJ's spay and neuter clinics!

Congratulations to Tom Thibault, the winner of the Rescue 400 Club drawing!

To view all of the photos from the Yappy Hour visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/hstj/sets/72157626103558182/

Holiday Yappy Hour - Eat, Drink & Be Merry with Your Dog!!

2010-12-08T08:25:00.000-08:00

Join Friends of Humane Society de Tijuana for a festive Holiday Event at the La Jolla Brewhouse, Tuesday December 14th from 5-8p.m.!

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanza or simply the joy of eating, drinking, and being merry, especially with your favorite canine friend, you should come on out to this pet friendly event.

The holidays are here! Get in the spirit for a fun and charitable event! Holiday attire is welcomed, who said Halloween was the only time for costumes? Santa and his elves will be attending as well. Photos with Santa with your fur babies will be offerred, only $5, which includes one beer or wine - all proceeds to benefit HSTJ's spay/neuter programs!

Great giveaways, a raffle to include prizes from Whole Foods, restaurant certificates, Theatre Tickets, and more!

The La Jolla Brewhouse has a pet-friendly patio and in addition to the great drink and food specials, will be offering a canine menu for your favorite canine friend.

La Jolla Brewhouse is located at 7536 Fay Ave in La Jolla, CA 92037. The phone number is 858-456-6279

We hope to see you there!

Donate a Dog House this Holiday Season

2010-12-02T11:12:00.000-08:00

These winter months are cold! Do you have a dog house that you are not using or would like to donate? The majority of animals in Mexico will be surviving outside and many of them will go without shelter during these winter months. Donate a dog house and we will deliver it to a dog in need in Tijuana. Email Nicole@friendsofhstj.org for more information.

You know it is cold when cats and dogs will share a dog house just to get warm!!

HSTJ's November Itchy Scratchy Clinics

2010-12-01T12:29:00.000-08:00

During the month of November, 3 Itchy Scratchy Clinics were conducted treating a total of 149 dogs and 18 cats. That is 167 animals!

To view the pictures from these clinic click http://www.flickr.com/photos/hstj/sets/72157625320480827/

The November 6th clinic was held in the Canyon Ruben Amaya. -Animals treated: 62 dogs and four cats.
-Volunteers attending at this clinic: Lety, Luis Mondragon, Karlita and Lisette.

The November 13th clinic was held in the Colonia Libertad (HSTJ's first time in this industrial part of TJ) -Animals treated:48 dogs and nine cats.

The November 27th clinic was held in Segunda Meza Treating 39 Dogs and 5 cats.
-Special cases: The first furry pet we were brought was in very bad shape. He was a young brown and white pup. His owner, Marisol mentioned that he had been vomiting and having diarrhea, so her aunt wa giving him aspirin several times a day. Lety immediately sent them to a vet located close by for any diagnosis and possible treatment. This is just an example of how some people in Mexico weren't accustomed to vet visits, thinking that because of the cost, it would be unrealistic to even bother. But now most that live in or around the areas where we hold Itchy-Scratchy Clinics, begin to ask around for reputable, yet low-cost vet clinics, in order to complement the treatment their pets have already received with us.

Yet another special case was that of "Mamut", a little black pooch with a severe case of mange and several lacerations on his body. Volunteer Lety made sure that he not only received direct treatment for his condition, but also follow-up visits are to be done until he has made a full recovery.

We were also brought a whole family of dogs that had a severe case of mange. The mommy along with her five puppies, as with any other four-legged visitor, recieved the full I.S. treatment for: mange, worms, fleas, ticks, ear-mite, teeth cleaning, nails clipped, doggy vitamins and were also given a full supply of pet food. Stay tuned for updates about his recovery.

These Wonderful Dogs are Still Looking for the Furever Homes

2010-12-01T12:05:00.000-08:00

Mitzy needs a home where she'll be included as part of the family. She is social and loves kids. She knows many tricks such as "paw", "shake", "sit", "down", "stay", "come" "stop" and "leave it". She sleeps in her den (crate) and goes there to nap through out the day.

Mitzy loves to be walked and to go to Fiesta Island and other dog beaches where she can run free.

Mitzy is a 2 year old female shephard, terrier mix.

Johnny is 5 yr. old bulldog, Shar-Pei, terrier mx....based on his looks and adorable bulldog under bite. He is wonderful with adults and children. He would make an incredible therapy dog because kids just seem to come out of their shell when he is around. He is good with other dogs and has not been tested with cats. He would love nothing more than to chase a ball or to just cuddle with you on a sofa and relax....he is a very mellow guy. He does great in the car and is very good on the leash. Wherever you are, that is where he wants to be! Contact Nicole@friendsofhstj.org if interested

Sammy is a super sweet and loveable guy, a 2 year old terrier mix, he is 44 pounds. Sammy is looking for an active person who is able to give him the love and attention that he deserves. He has lifetime training at Snug Pet Resort, he is potty trained, walks well on a leash, can heal and knows his basic commands! Doesn't he sound perfect?!?
Do you have it in your heart to take sammy home with you?
As you will recall Sammy was rescued from the streets of Tijuana as a puppy and it was discovered that he had limited sight, you would not know it with how he chases butterflies in the yard and runs with the other dogs.
Sammy was adopted into a home, however due to difficult times, Sammy is needing to be immediately re-homed.

Read Sammy's story of rescue http://friendsofhumanesocietydetijuana.blogspot.com/2009/12/sammys-story.html

Izzy is a 10 month old female wire haired terrier schnauzer mix. She loves to cuddle and play ball and would make a wonderful addition to any family. Meet Izzy this Sunday! Contact Christy@friendsofhstj.org for more information.

HSTJ's November 21, 2010 Sterilization Clinic in Playas

2010-11-23T08:31:00.000-08:00

It was a rainy day clinic on November 21, 2010 at the Universidad Iboamericana in Playas de Tijuana, but that did not stop the dedicated volunteers and people from the community from coming out to the clinic.

We sterilized a toal of 28 dogs and cats!

Welcome new volunteers Marie and Samantha and of course thank you to all of the volunteers for braving the weather and helping animals in need.

Several vets that volunteer with another organization attended the clinic to learn HSTJ's technique and clinic style.

We had one of our largest patients at this clinic, a huge female great dane mix that you could tell had had way too many litters, no mor for you missy!

We also had a sweet beagle mix that had been attacked by another dog and had sufferred an enormous gaping wound on his back. Dr Antonio was able to neuter him, clean and suture his wound and then educate the family on proper after care. It looks like that dog is going to be all right!

Thank you Dr. Antonio! It is truly amazing what these animals are able to endure and continue to survive. We are glad to help!

Our next full clinic will likely be after the cold weather and holidays. See you in February!

To view all of the pictures from this clinic, visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/hstj/sets/72157625453654854/

Please help support our clinics by pledging to donate just $5 a month, that is only $0.16 cents a day! Join the rescue 400 club today! http://www.friendsofhstj.org/BecomeaSponsor.html

HSTJ's October 24, 2010 Sterilization Clinic in Playas

2010-11-11T11:40:00.000-08:00

In continuing with our mission to decrease the street animal population through sterilization, HSTJ sterilized a total of 34 animals at the October 24th clinic in Playas! Wow, 11 cats and 23 dogs! That brings HSTJ's total sterilizations for 2010 to 383 animals!

Unfortunately a very limited amount of pictures were taken at this clinic :(

Next clinic we promise to do better!

Click here to see all of our photos http://www.flickr.com/photos/hstj/collections/

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HSTJ's October Itchy Scratchy Clinics

2010-11-11T09:55:00.000-08:00

Colonia Gilardo Magana was a new area visited by Team Lisette, she reports the following: This Colonia has dirt roads, and no plumbing or sewage disposal. Despite being such a poor area, I was amazed to see most nearby come, bringing their little animals. They were so grateful, that they offered what little they could as their voluntary donations for HSTJ.

On a curious note, I observed that most homes have a broken down fence, if any at all. Their pets are able to roam as far and wide as they'd like, but strangely won't go beyond their own block. After asking why, I was told, and also saw for myself, that they are very PROTECTIVE of their homes.

Something else I noticed was that at least 70% of the dogs we treated (for: worms, fleas, ticks, ear mites, teeth cleaning, etc;) were suffering from what looked like a bad eye infection. Some a lot worse than others. Perhaps due to all the bacteria in the dirt, which eventually comes in contact with their eyes. A vet visit was strongly recommended for proper diagnosis and treatment, though I could tell from their reactions that most wouldn't or couldn't. So I did the best I could with the material I had. In the worst cases, I entrusted the owner with eye ointment/drops for further treatment. We saw some cases of mange, and a little pup with a strange disease. But the common denominator here was eye infections. This little community left a lasting impression on us, and we hope to come by with a follow-up clinic soon.

October IS Clinics

PLACE: COLONIA GILARDO MAGANA
DATE: 1/OCTOBER/2010
ANIMALS DEWORMED AND TREATED AGAINST FLEAS, TICKS AND MANGE 42
DOGS 37 CATS 5
VOLUNTEERS ATTENDED TEAM LISETTE

PLACE: COLONIA NUEVO MILENIO PRIMERA SECCION
DATE: 8/OCTOBER/2010
ANIMALS DEWORMED AND TREATED AGAINST FLEAS, TICKS AND MANGE 42
DOGS 42 CATS 0
VOLUNTEERS ATTENDED TEAM LISETTE

PLACE: TERRAZAS DEL VALLE
DATE: 26/OCTOBER/2010
ANIMALS DEWORMED AND TREATED AGAINST FLEAS, TICKS AND MANGE 47
DOGS 45 CATS 2
VOLUNTEERS ATTENDED: ISABEL, MANUEL AND KARLA.

PLACE: COLONIA SALVATIERRA
DATE: 31 OCTOBER 2010
ANIMALS DEWORMED AND TREATED AGAINST FLEAS, TICKS AND MANGE 143
DOGS 135 CATS 8
VOLUNTEERS ATTENDED: ISABEL, MARIA, JESUS, CLEMENTE AND JESSICA.

For pictures from all of the October IS Clinics, visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/hstj/sets/72157625292403602/

Gizmo's Amazing Story of Rescue

2010-11-10T21:53:00.000-08:00

During an HSTJ Itchy Scratchy clinic in the colonia Nueva Aurora, one of HSTJ's volunteers, Brian was walking around the neighborhood looking for animals that needed treatment when he happened upon little Gizmo here who was in the front yard of a house with his mom. Brian came back to the clinic and brought Lety and Dr. Sarah with him to have a look at the little pup.

Lety coaxed him to her, and then went and spoke to the owner. He was apparently the last survivor of his litter. He had such terrible mange that he had no hair whatsoever, and he was covered in motor oil (a useless and dangerous remedy). When Dr. Sarah examined him, she discovered that he was extremely dehydrated and parasite-ridden. His worms were so bad that he had a prolapsed rectum from the diarrhea.

Lety washed off the oil as best she could, and Sarah gave him subcutaneous fluids. She also attempted to put a pursestring suture in his rectum to hold it in place, but she couldn't get him to hold still well enough to get local anesthesia into him, so she just ended up using ambusol to get it back into place (a trick a cow vet friend taught her).

The poor thing was in miserable condition. Dr. Sarah felt he had a good chance of survival if given the proper care, but she didn't have high hopes. It was up to Lety, who decided to take little Gizmo home and nurse him back to health.

Lety describes that after Sarah gave Gizmo the first aid, Lety took Gizmo to a local veterinarian office, where the vet said little Gizmo had very little chance of survival as he was badly damaged due to the parasites and dehydration. For three days Lety stood by Gizmo who was connected to an I.V. with saline solution and medication until his stomach could retain liquid food, then every hour he received a teaspoon of Ensure.

Lety had little Gizmo in a pet carrier and she would carry him around the house with her to monitor him. At night, she would put him on her bed with her. She also brought him with her to work so that she could continously check on him.

When Gizmo made his full recovery, he had bonderd with Lety and her other dogs so strongly, cuddling at night with them and following
Lety everywhere, how could she not fall in love with him. She decided to make Gizmo a permanent addition to her fur family! A danger of working with a rescue organizaiton, you will always find room for one more in your heart and home :)

It is because of our dedicated supporters and volunteers that we are able to help animals just like Gizmo, prioviding them with food, medical attention and treatment.

Help HSTJ help more animals like Gizmo. Please join our Rescue 400 Club by donating just $5 a month, that is $0.16 cents a day to help an animal in need.

Humane Society de Tijuana [HSTJ] Hosts Professional Educators’ Conference Presented by the World Society for the Protection of Animals.

2010-11-10T21:20:00.001-08:00

One of HSTJ's goals is education and awareness about the humane treatment of animals. In concert with that goal HSTJ recently sponsored a two day educational conference. HSTJ invited The World Society of the Protection of Animals [WSPA] to present its teacher training program “Respect for Living Things” to 45 professional primary and secondary school teachers as well as teacher trainers. Themes included ethical treatment of animals, need to spay and neuter pets, and several other topics.

The government of the Mexican State of Baja California provided free facilities at a new hi-tech educational center and supported the teachers who were awarded continuing education credit with the intention that they impart this knowledge to their students. The WSPA presenters were sent by the Latin American headquarters of WSPA in Costa Rica who paid the presenters and supplied teaching materials to the educators.

HSTJ also provides direct, one-on-one education to adults and children who bring animals to the HSTJ street clinics and which takes the form of discussions, handouts, and demonstrations. Friends of HSTJ is proud to have a direct role in supporting not only the clinics but the educational aspect of these events.

We know that imparting knowledge is the key to bringing about a change in attitudes regarding the humane treatment of animals and reaching the children is a high priority. It is the key to saving these animals from becoming abandoned and living in misery on the streets. Many of the animals brought to the street clinics are brought by children and young adults and this is a good sign that attitudes are changing.

To view all of the pictures visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/hstj/sets/72157625237109351/

Yappy Hour at La Jolla Brewhoue Tuesday, October 26, 2010

2010-10-22T09:30:00.000-07:00

We hope to see you on Tuesday October 26, 2010 at the La Jolla Brewhouse to help raise some much needed funds for HSTJ's Spay and neuter clinics!

5pm-8pm at La Jolla Brewhouse, located at 7536 Fay Avenue, La Jolla

See photos from last year's Halloween Yappy Hour. http://www.flickr.com/photos/hstj/sets/72157622611089011/

Two Great Dogs Up for Adoption!

2010-10-04T16:30:00.000-07:00

Adopt Beau

Beau is a 6 yr. old Collie. He is a very sweet guy who gets along with just about everyone he meets. He is great with people, kids, and other dogs. He has not lived with cats, but he seems to have little interest in them when he comes in contact with them. Contact Nicole@friendsofhstj.org if interested

Adopt Johnny

HSTJ's September 2010 Itchy Scratchy Clinics

2010-10-04T16:05:00.000-07:00

A total of 202 animals were treated at the September Itchy Scratchy Clinics, here are the stats:

DATE: 5/SEPTEMBER/2010
PLACE: COLONIA MEXICO
ANIMALS TREATED AGAINST FLEAS, TICKS, WORMS AND MANGE:
34 32 DOGS 2 CATS

DATE: 6/SEPTEMBER/2010
PLACE: COLONIA SOLER
ANIMALS TREATED AGAINST FLEAS, TICKS, WORMS AND MANGE:
52 DOGS

DATE: 19/SEPTEMBER/2010
PLACE: COLONIA SOLER
ANIMALS TREATED AGAINST FLEAS, TICKS, WORMS AND MANGE:
52 DOGS

DATE: 24/SEPTEMBER/2010
PLACE: COLONIA XICO
ANIMALS TREATED AGAINST FLEAS, TICKS, WORMS AND MANGE:
64 59 DOGS 5 CATS

HSTJ's September 26, 2010 Sterilization Clinic in Playas de Tijuana

2010-10-04T16:04:00.000-07:00

HSTJ's September 26th clinic was conducted at the Universidad Iboamericana in Playas de Tijuana.

A total of 57 animals were fixed this day.

Here are the stats:

-total of 60 animals registered, but 3 were not spayed/neutered (1 cat and 1 dog had eaten shortly before the clinic and 1 cat was taken for euthanasia)

-19 cats (8 males and 11 females)

-38 dogs (14 males and 24 females)

For pictures from this clinic, visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/hstj/sets/72157625075416538/

Message from the President about FHSTJ/HSTJ Services and Related Costs.

2010-10-04T11:41:00.000-07:00

In response to questions that have arisen as a result of publicity about another organization's costs of operation, we want to take this opportunity to share information about our operational costs by providing a summary of our annual IRS 990 report. We want our supporters to see how their donations are used. We take great pride in making sure that we are as efficient as possible with every penny received because every penny counts in rescue. Humane Society de Tijuana and Friends of Humane Society de Tijuana are not affiliated with any other humane society and operate independently and transparently.

In an effort to offer complete transperancy, Friends of Humane Society de Tijuana has published a statement regarding our 2009/2010 Fiscal year budget

*********************************************************************************
Dear Donors and Volunteers:

As we finalized the our fiscal year 990 report for the IRS [July 1, 09- June 30, 10] it became obvious that it would be less confusing to donors and volunteers if we used this data for annual reporting instead of an end of calendar year report.

I am pleased to share a summary of that report. However, before noting the data below, it is important to remember that neither Friends of Humane Society de Tijuana nor the organization which it supports, Humane Society de Tijuana, has anyone on salary or getting stipends . No board member, volunteer, or advisor receives a stipend or salary. Neither organization pays salaries or stipends to fundraisers. Fundraising expenses are limited to publicity, rental space and communications. FHSTJ/HSTJ limits its payment for services to direct animal care e.g., veterinary services; animal, food, equipment transportation; cleaning and hauling.

It is also important to understand that the bank balance at the end of the fiscal year is NOT a reserve, but rather, money already encumbered for the future clinics, truck repairs, and equipment replacement. Only five thousand of the balance is a true reserve in the event that Tijuana faces a natural disaster like that which occurred in Mexicali . It is important that we have a few dollars to see us through a disaster.

Summary of data in the FHSTJ- IRS 990 report for the fiscal year July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010

Income: $56, 597

Expenses: $35, 947

Bank Balance: $28,944

This money was used to augment the meager income and in-kind support which the Humane Society de Tijuana [HSTJ] received from donors in Mexico and which was less than $5000.00. Friends of Humane Society de Tijuana does not send any money to Mexico. Rather, it pays the bills and/or purchases items for HSTJ so as to not create a tax liability for HSTJ. FHSTJ accounts for each dollar spent on HSTJ programs.

With this meager budget, a team of 78 FHSTJ volunteers augmented the 35 member Mexican volunteer corps and:

2,539 animals were treated at free street clinics [Itchy-Scratchy Clinics];

54,000 lbs of donated pet food was distributed at various clinics;

459 animals were spayed/neutered at free and low cost clinics;

24 Tijuana colonias [poor neighborhoods] were served; and

95 special hardcore cases were rescued and treated of which 40 were adopted in the San Diego, CA area.

We feel that our results are outstanding considering our budget restrictions. We feel our cost per animal is not only reasonable but exemplary because we spend all our donations on direct animal care.

Please visit our web site: http://www.friendsofhstj.org/ and check the latest reports on clinics and events so that you can see how your donations are being used.

Your continuing support is critical. To date we have received less in donations for this same period last year and we urgently need to boost the level of donations if we are to continue serving the thousands of animals as we did last year.

Thanks for your continuing support.

Richard Massa

President, Friends of Humane Society de Tijuana

The Amazing Transformation of Oso the Little Bear

2010-10-01T14:30:00.000-07:00

Oso is a furry Chow-Chow mix. He ws found by Dr. Veronika outside of a sushi place in tijuana, limping across the street. He was in very bad shape and according to Dr Veronika, wouldn't have made it longer than 12 more hours. He had a severe case of mange and several oozing wounds. He was so weak he could not even stand, and so thin, it looked unreal.

After a long bath, no more ticks and fleas were sucking his bood. Dr Veronika prescribed treatment, which volunteer Lisette administered everyday. After she had him for three days, it became apparent he was responding to treatment well, in fact he was back to his playful self, although still limping.

As the weeks went by, though, and his wounds healed, huge water filled lumps formed. Dr Veronika had to preform surgery and extract a foreign object, most likely a foxtail that had traveled deep inside the previous wounds.

He was also fixed and is now waiting to make a trip to his new home in Dr Veronika's native Austria.

See the amazing transformation first hand, what a little TLC and medicine can do for an animal. These conditions are very ommon among the street animals in Tijuana. It is because of our caring volunteers and veterinarians that dogs like Oso are given a second chance.

Please help HSTJ continue to save animals from the streets just like Oso, Join the Rescue 400 club by pledging just $5 a month.

http://friendsofhstj.org/BecomeaSponsor.html
Or make aone-time donation today!
http://friendsofhstj.org/OneTimeDonation.html
Thank you for your support.

PartyLite “Give and Take” Fundraising Opportunity for the Animals of Tijuana

2010-10-01T12:13:00.000-07:00

Talk about taking fundraising to a whole new level! Unlike traditional fundraisers that benefit a sole charity or organization, the PartyLite program is all about give and take. When you purchase candles through the PartyLite program, not only do you receive high-quality products, you also have the satisfaction of knowing that 50 percent of your purchase goes directly to a deserving organization. And, who qualifies more than Friends of the Humane Society of Tijuana?

PartyLite makes it easy by offering just three products for $20 or less (see below) with a variety of scents from which to select. Individual sellers can encourage friends, family, and co-workers to get a jump-start on holiday shopping and as a pitch let them know that boxes of tealights or votives can be divided into mini-gift packs. Most importantly, every purchase helps Friends help the animals. It’s a win-win!

If you are interested in participating in this wonderful and exciting opportunity, please contact MaryJane at friendsfundraiser@cox.net by 6:00 pm on Tuesday, October 12th. She will coordinate with the sales rep to get brochures and order forms to those who will be “selling for the animals”.

The three-week selling period begins on Monday, October 25 and ends on Friday, November 12.

Our goal is no less than 20 individual sellers. Thank you!

End of Summer Yappy Hour at La Jolla Brewhouse, Next Tuesday September 14th!

2010-09-09T08:18:00.001-07:00

HSTJ's August 22, 2010 Spay/Neuter Clinic Colonia Mariano Matamoros

2010-08-31T09:01:00.000-07:00

HSTJ's August 22, 2010 Spay and Neuter clinic was held at the DIF center in the Colonia Mariano Matamoros.

27 animals were sterilized this day 11 cats and 16 dogs.

This clinic brings our spays and neuters to a total 62 for the month of August!

Overall a very successful clinic, our wonder dog Napolean came with his rescuer Dr. Veronika and hung out while she performed surgeries, he was so well behaved.

We had one special case, the white boxer mix with the very red eyes you see in the pictures, volunteer Nicole says "Our lady was not feeling well for a few reasons....she just had a litter of puppies a few months back and they did a number on her reproductive organs and could have caused issues down the road. Her eyes were very infected and had not been treated properly for months. At first it was thought that she had an eye infection, but after 2 vets looked at them closer, it was the consensus that she had entropion of the eye lids that was causing eye irritation when the eye lashes rub over the eye as she blinks. Dr. Veronika was able to surgically remove a small section of the under eye tissue to make the eye lashes point away from the eye and correct the irritation problem. Lady is healing wonderfully and she is an exceptional patient. Her Spay went perfectly and she is walking, eating, and drinking like normal."

Thanks Nicole for rescuing lady and thanks Dr. Veronika for fixing her eyes!

We saw many dogs infested with ticks, volunteers were picking ticks off of some dogs the entire time they were in recovery. We had several cups filled with alcohol that we would dump the ticks we pulled off. I wish I had gotten a picture of these cups, they looked like a science experiment showing so many different species of ticks, it was truly amazing. Hopefully those infested pups will feel some relief without all that baggage, we treated them with revolution as well to keep those pesky buggers off! These summer months are rough!

Welcome new volunteer Amy! Thanks for your mad tick picking skills!

To view all of the pictures from the clinic, please visit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hstj/sets/72157624798652026/
To become a member of the Tescue 400 Club by pledging just $5 a month to help continue our clinics, please visit: http://friendsofhstj.org/BecomeaSponsor.html

HSTJ's August 2010 Itchy Scratchy Clinics - Dog Food Drive in Effect

2010-08-30T21:00:00.000-07:00

Here are the details of each clinic:

Date: August 7
Place: COL. Nueva Aurora
235 Animals Dewormed and treated against ticks, fleas and mange.
211 dogs 24 cats

Date: August 14
Place: COL. Vista Del Valle
55 Animals Dewormed and treated against ticks, fleas and mange.
48 dogs 7 cats

Date: August 15
Place: Mariano Matamoros/Florido
42 Animals Dewormed and treated against ticks, fleas and mange.
40 dogs 2 cats

DATE: August 17
Place: Colonia Buenos Aires/Florido
93 Animals Dewormed and treated against ticks, fleas and mange.
85 Dogs 8 Cats

Date: August 21
Place: COL. El Nino
57 Animals Dewormed and treated against ticks, fleas and mange.
46 dogs 11 cats

Date: August 28
Place: COL. Maclovia Rojas
101 Animals Dewormed and treated against ticks, fleas and mange.
87 dogs 14 cats

For pictures from all of the Itchy Scatchy Clinics http://www.flickr.com/photos/hstj/sets/72157624719199820/

Sneaky.... Not His Behavior, That's His Name!

2010-08-26T09:04:00.000-07:00

Here is a heartwarming tale of Rescue, when one of HSTJ's volunteers Michelle E. was drawn to a street dog being cared for at one of our clinics. The street dog, now named Sneaky is truly lucky to have found Michelle, here is their story:

"I first saw Sneaky when he was tied to the fence at the children's center in the poor Colonia Nueva Aurora in Tijuana, Mexico."

"I noticed that in addition to being filty, mangey and hungry, he also had a lacerated foot. After he was neutered at the clinic, Dr. Sarah stitched up his foot. She was awesome."

"Sneaky was let out of his recovery crate and went back to the streets where he struggled to get through each day and night. When we left the children's center I drove to the end of the street to turn around and there he was, laying in the dirt. Luann and I looked at each other and I knew we couldn't just leave him there. With help from the kids we were able to catch him, we loaded him into my bus and took him across the border. Sneaky went from a skinny, terrified dog with a skin condition and lots of issues to this very sweet, beautiful boy. He did not like being crated or staying in the house. He managed to escape but came back a few days later."

"He loves everyone and everything. He is very food oriented. He will share his food with his friends. It took him a long time before he would totally trust people. Now he goes up to anyone."

"Sneaky's best friend is Jackson, an old great dane who's owner had taken to a park and was left tied to a tree. Jackson couldn't even stand. We adopted Jackson last August. Sneaky loved him from the moment he saw him. He washes his ears and face, and brings him food."

"He found a tiny hummingbird while on a walk with his daddy. He had to see his little friend all of the time during the three days we had the bird before wildlife rehab took it. Sneaky loves the beach, riding in the car, and helping daddy drive SNAP's Neuter Scooter where I also volunteer."

"One habit Sneaky has that is unusual is that he digs for bugs. I believe he did this when he lived on the streets in Mexico in order to survive. Sneaky is very protective of his family and is just such a sweet dog. It turns out he is a sharpei but he was in such sad shape when I rescued him. Because of dehydration he had no wrinkles and it was a bit of mystery as to what kind of dog he was. He weighs twice as much as he did when we first brought him home. He knows he has it good and he is very appreciative. He is grateful to have a bed to sleep in, food to eat, and people to love him. We love him as if he were our child."

"I am grateful to all of the loving and caring team of Humane Society de Tijuana who dedicate themselves to helping each and every animal. Sneaky loves you all and owes his life to you."

And we are grateful to you Michelle for saving a life and bringing this lovely dog into your home. Thank you for your hard work and dedication to HSTJ and the animals of Tijuana!

A Visit with Napolean in Solana Beach August 7, 2010

2010-08-10T11:46:00.000-07:00

Napolean came for a visit to Solana Beach the weekend of August 7th. We brought him to the La Colonia County Park to run around and meet some of the people who helped to make his amazing recovery possible. What a joy to see Napolean run like the wind in his new wheels.

Thank you Pet Photographer Jenn Petit who started the Blog Fuzzle a blog of San Diego Adoptable Pets.

Here are some pictures and short videos of his outing.

Napolean is still waiting for his forever home. If you are interested in getting more information on our Napolean, please contact Dr. Sarah at sarah@friendsofhstj.org

WATCH THE VIDEO WHEN HE FIRST GOT HIS WHEELS HERE

FOR PREVIOUS POSTS ON NAPOLEAN VISIT http://friendsofhumanesocietydetijuana.blogspot.com/2010/05/napoelan.html
AND
http://friendsofhumanesocietydetijuana.blogspot.com/2010/07/update-on-napolean-hes-not-only-walking.html

TO BECOME A SPONSOR OR TO MAKE A DONATION VISIT
http://friendsofhstj.org/BecomeaSponsor.html

HSTJ'S August 1, 2010 Spay/Neuter Clinic in Colonia Mexico

2010-08-05T08:57:00.000-07:00

HSTJ conducted a spay and neuter clinic on Sunday August 1st in the Centro Comunitario in the Colonia Mexico
35 animals were sterilized this day, here are the stats:

22 DOGS - 2O FEMALES / 2 MALES -
13 CATS - 1O FEMALES / 3 MALES -

Welcome new volunteers Dr. Brian and Sally!

We had one very special case at this clinic, read what volunteer Alex wrote about the puppy whose life was saved this day.

"A lady from colonia los pinos, found this puppy in the streets, he was extremely dehydrated, she brought him to the clinic and asked our volunteers to help for the recovery of the sick puppy. She had gone to a vet in her neighborhood who said he would not survive. She travelled from the extreme opossite side of TJ to our clinic in hopes of helping her rescue.

Dr Antonio performed a catheter central in carotide area for extreme fast hydration, medicines were prescribed and purchaserd for the rescuer. As seen in the pictures, it is amazing how fast the puppy within 2 hours of death, now getting up on his feet and trying to walk. We asked the owner to give the medication like the vet prescibed and send to us pictures of the recovery of this lucky street guy found on a hot summer day.

Also insist on neutering him once he is healthier."

Thank you Dr. Antonio for bringing this sweet boy back to life!

To view all of the pictures from the August 1st clinic visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/hstj/sets/72157624747161492/

HSTJ's July 2010 Itchy Scratchy Clinics - Dog Food Drive in Effect!

2010-07-26T08:24:00.000-07:00

Because of our faithful supporters and dedicated volunteers, HSTJ has been able to increase its Street Clinics during the summer months to bring relief to the animals suffering from tick and flea infestation. During the month of July, HSTJ volunteers conducted eight Itchy Scratchy Clinics treating a total of 1,004 animals!
Through donations received, mange and parasite medication has been replenished and sustained, however our dog food supply is extremely low and we must conduct a drive to replenish our supply. Please contact michelle@friendsofhstj.org to make a donation of food.

Here are the details of each clinic:

DATE: 1 JULY 2O1O
PLACE : COLONIA BUENOS AIRES NORTE, BOULEBARD CUCAPAH
86 DOGS DEWORMED AND TREATED AGAINST FLEAS/TICKS/MANGE
PERFORMED BY: ISABEL / MANUEL / CINTIA / YERONIFFE / ELIU

DATE: 5 JULY 2010
PLACE: COLONIA MARIANO MATAMOROS
41 ANIMALS DEWORMED AND TREATED AGAINST FLEAS/TICKS/MANGE
DOGS: 39 CATS: 2

DATE: 6 JULY 2O1O
PLACE: PRIVADA GILBRALTAR VILLA DEL REAL, COL FLORIDO
92 ANIMALS DEWORMED AND TREATED AGAINST FLEAS/TICKS/MANGE
DOGS: 89 CATS: 3
PERFORMED BY: ISABEL / MANUEL / CINTIA / YERONIFFE / ELIU

DATE: 10 JULY 2010
PLACE: COLONIA EL FLORIDO
223 ANIMALS DEWORMED AND TREATED AGAINST FLEAS/TICKS/MANGE
DOGS: 210 CATS: 13

DATE: 18 JULY 2O1O
PLACE: COL. SALVATIERRA, PLAZA CIVICA
199 ANIMALS DEWORMED AND TREATED AGAINST FLEAS/TICKS/MANGE
DOGS: 18O CATS: 19
PERFORMED BY: MARIA / JESSICA / JESUS / CLEMENTE / ENRIQUE / ALEX

DATE: 24 JULY 2O1O
PLACE: CENTRO COMUNITARIO COL. MEXICO
1OO ANIMALS DEWORMED AND TREATED AGAINST FLEAS/TICKS/MANGE
DOGS: 99 CATS: 1
PERFORMED BY: SANDRA /ANAHI/ KARLA/ ALEX

DATE: 27 JULY 2O1O
PLACE: PRIVADA GILBRALTAR VILLA DEL REAL, COL. EL FLORIDO
56 ANIMALS DEWORMED AND TREATED AGAINST FLEAS/TICKS/MANGE
DOGS: 54 CATS: 2
PERFORMED BY: ISABEL / MANUEL / CINTIA / YERONIFFE / ELIU

DATE: 31 JULY 2010
PLACE: COLONIA GILDARDO MAGANA
207 ANIMALS DEWORMED AND TREATED AGAINST FLEAS/TICKS/MANGE
DOGS: 185 CATS: 22

Thats 1,004 animals in 8 I/S clinics for the month of July!

Below is a narrative from volunteer Lisette of her experiences at the clinics she volunteered at:

On July 5, 2010 an Itchy-Scratchy clinic was held in Colonia Mariano Matamoros DIF, a low class neighborhood in the far east hills of Tijuana. The volunteers attending were: Leticia Coto, Luis Mondragon, Karlita, Rocio Davila, Lisette Ramirez and Michelle Santos. We were there from 9 am - 2 pm, treating a total of 39 dogs and 2 cats. Virtually no people showed up during the first three hours, so we walked up and down the streets surrounding the DIF Cinic, knocking on the doors and inviting people to bring their animals, all of which did. We saw many cases of mange and ticks. Also one case of rope burn on the neck, as a result of a collar on too tight. On a curious note, we saw a dog with 6 toes on every paw. Every person was given free dog food or cat food, and briefed on our upcoming Sterilization events and a possible future clinic near their area.

On July 10, 2010 an Itchy-Scratchy clinic was held in Colonia El Florido 3ra Seccion, a very low-class, dirt-road neighborhood in the far east hills of Tijuana (just across the highway from the location of the July 5 clinic), only this time we were at a school. The volunteers attending were: Luis Mondragon, Karlita (our little photographer), Mirsa Reyes, Lisette Ramirez and Michelle Santos. We were there from 10 am - 4 pm, treating a total of 210 dogs and 13 cats. Though people in this poor area try to take care of their dogs, we saw several flea infestations, as well as an epidemic of grayish-black colored miniature ticks. One special case was that of Roque. A male dog with two canine teeth on each side. The owner explained that when Roque eats, his gums bleed severely, possibly on account of the extra teeth. Another case was that of a female pug , who has what seems like a pouch of liquid on her underbelly. The current owner knows nothing about her previous history, except that she has already been sterilized. There was also a female gray and brown cat, that had kittens over a year ago, but since weaning them, has what feels like tits full of curdled milk. The owners also mentioned having sought veterinary diagnosis, but received no answer. This cat has some evident discomfort and soreness in the area.

A petition was started and signed by the majority of the pet owners in order to bring to their area a Sterilization Clinic. They were also very happy that HSTJ Itchy-Scratchy Clinics are now reaching the further eastern part of Tijuana, which is a highly populated area. All received dog or cat food, as well as other pet accessories.

July 31, 2010 On Saturday July 31, the Itchy-Scratchy clinic was held in Gildardo Magana, a mid-class neighborhood in the west-side of Tijuana. The volunteers attending were: Luis Mondragon, Karlita (our little photographer),Rocio Davila, Leticia Coto, Lisette Ramirez and Junior&Carmelita Ramirez. We were there from 7:40 am - 1 pm, treating a total of 185 dogs and 22 cats. We had a black and white stray that seemed to linger around throughout the whole morning. After treatment, a kind person asked for the owner, and finally led the little pup to her house where he had found a new home. We saw a surprising number of puppies and kittens, as well as several severe cases of mange, all of which received the appropriate treatment. One outstanding case was that of a small white pooch that, according to the good intentioned owner, had his leg broken after a two story fall, and, having no resources to pay for a vet visit, the owner did what was within his means, making a makeshift cast and treating any external wounds to the site. The poor pooch was also worm and flea infested. We treated this puppy for worms and fleas and did whatever else was in our power to make him feel more comfortable. The owners' address was also taken for future referral to a no-cost vet visit. There was also a female dog, brown and black, with an abscess in her lower eye. A vet visit was recommended for diagnosis and proper treatment.

Yet another dog with a fracture in his front leg was brought as well. The person that brought him stated that he had just recently been given the dog, but had thought the fracture should heal on its own. A vet visit was also recommended in this case. As is the custom, all visitors received dog/cat food and pet accessories too.

TO VIEW ALL OF THE PICTURES VISIT http://www.flickr.com/photos/hstj/sets/72157624677511113/

Update on Napolean - He's not only walking, he is running!!

2010-07-19T10:35:00.000-07:00

Napoleon received his cart last weekend, and as you can see he took right to it! Thanks to all our supporters, Napoleon is able to walk again, and we cannot tell you how much we appreciate your generosity in helping us with this endeavor!

Now that he has his wheels, it is time for us to consider where Napoleon can go long-term. Caring for Napoleon has been a learning experience for all of us, and it likely will be a learning experience for the special person or persons who wish to take him into their home. When Dr. Veronika first rescued him, there was some hope that he might recover function to his hindlimbs. However, over time it became apparent that Napoleon will never recover function, and a veterinary neurologist confirmed this for us.

In many cases, an animal that will never walk again would be a candidate for euthanasia. However, our group only supports euthanasia in very dire cases, and none of us could picture Napoleon being ready to go. In spite of his injury, he is a happy dog who just wants to explore and conquer the world!

The right person to take him would need to have a lot of time and patience for his care. First of all, Napoleon cannot control urination or defecation, so he needs a diaper. His caretaker will need to ensure that he is kept as clean as possible. Additionally, Napoleon has never let his injury slow him down much, so he will drag himself wherever he wants to go when he is not in his cart. Therefore, it is very important that he be kept confined to a small space when taken out of the cart.

He also seems to do best with wraps on his hindlimbs to prevent decubital ulcers from forming on his knees and ankles from rubbing on the ground, and these will need to be changed frequently.

When in his cart, it is very important that Napoleon be monitored at all times so that he won’t get into trouble! Since he cannot feel his hindlimbs, he will not know if his positioning in the cart has gone off track, and he could injure himself if this happens. That said, it would be best if he is taken out in his cart frequently so that he can keep up a good quality of life just like any other dog without mobility problems would.

One concern with an animal who cannot control urination is the predisposition to urinary tract infections. For this reason, Napoleon needs his bladder expressed four times per day. He also requires a prescription urinary diet and routine monitoring of his urine for signs of bladder inflammation.

As you can tell, Napoleon is a lot of work. His foster mom, Dr. Veronika, is committed to keeping him healthy until someone willing to care for him contacts us, so he will remain in Mexico until we have a good prospective home. This guy has a lot of spunk and lets nothing slow him down. He is not fond of dogs larger than him, and he definitely likes to be the dominant force in the room, so his owners will need to be both patient and firm with him. However, he has a lot of love to give and will be a great companion for the right person or family.

If you believe you are the right person to take in Napoleon and become his caretaker, please fill out an adoption application. If you are considering it and have further questions about his care, you can e-mail Dr. Sarah at sarah@friendsofhstj.org.

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE

FOR MORE ON NAPOLEAN VISIT http://friendsofhumanesocietydetijuana.blogspot.com/2010/05/napoelan.html

TO BECOME A SPONSOR OR TO MAKE A DONATION VISIT

http://friendsofhstj.org/BecomeaSponsor.html

HSTJ's June Sterilization Clinics

2010-07-06T19:46:00.000-07:00

We hope you had a safe and enjoyable July 4th holiday weekend. June was a busy and successful month for HSTJ! On June 6th, a mini clinic was conducted at the home of one of our volunteers, where volunteer vet, Veronika, sterilized 10 animals, 1 dog and 9 cats.

Our regular clinic for June was held on the 27th in the Colonia Castillo, this clinic was sponsored by the SPCA International, who recognized that HSTJ's services play a much needed part in decreasing the street animal population in Tijuana. HSTJ sterilized 32 animals, 16 dogs and 16 cats. Thank you SPCAI!

Also during the June 27th clinic, we had an individual from another TJ animal welfare organization who was interested in observing our surgery and recovery techniques and protocols. We were happy to share our knowledge and we were pleased to know that other groups are interested in helping to make strides in decreasing the population of Tijuana street animals in a way that is good for the humans and safer for the animals.

That is a total of 42 animals for the month of June! To view all of the photos from the June 27th clinic, please visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/hstj/sets/72157624389401328/

HSTJ's June Itchy Scratchy Clinics

2010-07-06T19:45:00.000-07:00

HSTJ now has two different teams of volunteers conducting Street clinics. The first team of volunteers conducted 4 Street Clinics in the month of June treating a total of 341 animals against worms, fleas, ticks and mange! 323 dogs/18 cats

The second team of volunteers conducted 3 Street Clinics in the month of June treating a total of 203 animals against worms, fleas, ticks and mange! 174 dogs/29 cats.

That's a total of 544 animals treated through the June Street Clinics!

Thank you so very much to HSTJ's wonderful donors and members of the Rescue 400 club who have helped to make this possible. Thank you to dedicated volunteers Lety, Jesus, Maria, Clemente, Rosa, Jesica, Sandra, Anahi, Karla, Enrique, Lisette, Michelle, Rocio, and Luis who work so hard to reach these animals in these very poor colonias.

To learn more about the Rescue 400 Club please visit:
archive.constantcontact.com/fs037/1102557710212/archive/1...
To see photos from all of the street clinics, visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/hstj/sets/72157624381757222/

Here are the stats and pictures:
June 5th at Colonia Loma Bonita treating 32 dogs
June 6th at Nueva Aurora treating 139 animals, 135 dogs/4c cats
June 13th in Colonia Mexico treating 122 animals. 114 dogs/8 cats.
June 12th, HSTJ went to a new area, Pedegral de Santa Julia treating 48 animals. 42 dogs/6 cats.
This colonia is located between the hills near the highway libre to TKT. This area had many houses that were burned and made of carton and wood, no public transportation is available and they have a really low quality of public services.

Many people were afraid and untrusting about the IS program, because in the past some corrupt individuals had come through the area offering mange "vaccines" which made many of the animals sick, some even died. HSTJ volunteers gave the residents information about the program and plenty of brochures with the information about the complications of mange and the danger of Riketsia, the tick borned illness in these areas so that the people can feel more informed and speak with their neighbors so that next month when HSTJ returns, we can treat more animals after gaining their trust whitout the concern caused by their past experience. It was clear that these people cared very much for their pets, they just lacked the resources to properly care for them.

A second clinic on June 12th was conducted in the Colonia Hidalgo by Lisette's team treating a total of 14 dogs

On June 19th Colonia Jardine de La Meza treating a total of 71 dogs and 18 cats. Among the most severe cases was poor little Blanquita. Her mange was recurrent, even after being on "treatments" for months. Finally the owner just gave up. We started her on Ivermectin and scheduled her for follow up treatments, which will get her a more permanent cure. Another special case was Pinta, a black andwhite skeleton of a dog. About a month or two ago she was run over. Sadly the wheel went right over her skull, blinding her in one eye, but leaving her without any other major injuries. She was lost and scared, not being able to see well or find food, she also became very emaciated. A good samaritan showed her the way to her owners who are now trying to help restore her overal health. A vet visit was suggested, but the family responded that this was out of their means.So she was given full de-worming, flea, tick, ear mite, teeth cleaning, eye cleansing... (the standard Itchy-Scratchy treatment), and was also started on a regimen of vitamins and protein rich dog food.

Dogs aside, we also saw several cat litters, some with four or five kittens per cat. Every person was given free dog food or cat food, and briefed on our upcoming Sterilization events and locations.

June 26 the Itchy-in Colonia Lazaro Cardenas, a mid class neighborhood in the west side of Tijuana. This was a follow up of a clinic held there aproximately 2 months ago. treating a total of 89 dogs and 11 cats. In one case we saw a white and brown fluffy little pup had what seemed to be a severe eye infection. With lots of yellow gunk oozing out. It was cleaned and then referred to a vet for diagnosis and treatment. Also there was a light brown dog who's chain/collar was chafing her neck so bad it was bleedy and stinky. The wound was cleaned and then treated with a gentle dog-friendly Antiseptic and a new collar was provided. As always, every person was given free dog food or cat food, and briefed on Sunday's Sterilization Clinic at Colonia Castillo.

A Story About A Dog Named Summer - From the Streets of TJ to the Suburbs of Solana Beach

2010-07-05T13:13:00.000-07:00

There is a running joke among veterinarians that our own animals are typically the strangest cases. Up until recently, this supposition had never held true for me. I had one cat that I had acquired from the San Diego Humane Society back in 2001, and she had never had a single health issue… until I became a DVM. Somehow, those three initials after my name changed my life and my world in ways I didn’t realize were possible.

My cat had always had a hatred for other animals, and so she had helped me maintain her status of ‘only child’ by being something of a brat to any non-human entity within 20 feet of her. This was probably a good thing, as veterinarians and others working in animal-related fields have a tendency to "accumulate" animals rather easily. Not only do we like animals, but we have access to poor, abused, neglected, and unfortunate souls that would otherwise go the way of the rainbow bridge if it wasn’t for us, so it becomes rather easy to develop a menagerie over time.

But, I had avoided this scenario. I, my husband, and my cat were one happy family for a good 7 years until I began volunteering for HSTJ. I avoided the issue for some time and managed to leave the sick and suffering animals in Mexico behind so I could come home to my warm bed two blocks from the ocean, but they were never far from my mind. However, my life changed from this comfortable existence in October of 2008.

HSTJ ran a sterilization clinic in a TJ colonia called Nueva Aurora, the most ironic misnomer I think I’ve ever encountered. Nueva Aurora means ‘new dawn’ in Spanish, yet this place would never measure up to its beautiful name. The colonia is literally built on top of a city dump. Shanties line the dirt roads in a neighborhood inhabited by some of Tijuana’s most debilitated souls. And of course, in any place where the people suffer and strive to live, the animals have it even worse.

Street dogs are a common finding all over TJ, and Nueva Aurora is no different. Since HSTJ began their work there, the animals appear to have fewer and fewer overt health issues, but there are still many cases of mange, parasitism, and starvation. Our work there is never finished.

Summer first made her appearance at our clinic and caught the attention of one of our volunteers, Luann. Luann noticed immediately that she was limping and asked me to take a look at her. On examination, I could tell she had a dislocated hip, but she seemed to be getting around rather well in spite of it. She was an approximately two year old dog, so I supposed perhaps she was able to compensate for her injury because she was still young. Alas, there was nothing we could do for her there at the clinic; we were not equipped for a major orthopedic surgery, and so I left her, just as I am forced to leave behind the thousands of suffering animals in TJ every time I go.

However, the entire week, I could not stop thinking about her. Something in her eyes and her personality caught hold of my heart and refused to let go. We were going back to Nueva Aurora the following weekend to run an Itchy/Scratchy clinic, and so I made the decision toward the end of the week that we would look for her and find her. My naïve plan was that I would bring her back to the states, perform a surgery to fix her hip with the help of my colleagues, and subsequently find a foster situation where she could recover. Then we would adopt her out.

With Luann’s help, I did indeed find Summer again. We brought her across the border, and I immediately vaccinated her, dewormed her, bathed her, treated her for fleas, and made her as comfortable as I could in our home. Although she still had all her hair, it was immediately obvious to me that Summer was suffering from sarcoptic mange (a guess, based on its prevalence in the neighborhood) as she was intensely itchy, so I began her on treatment for that as well.

Later that week, I brought her into my hospital to take radiographs of her hip. What I found was unbelievable. I estimated she had probably been injured a couple of weeks before I found her (presumably hit by a car), judging from the look of her lesions. She had a broken pelvis (in three places), a broken right femur, and a luxated right hip. She also had several compressed lumbar vertebrae (i.e. the vertebrae furthest down the spine). I drew blood to test for tick-borne diseases and check for any signs of organ malfunction, and I began her on painkillers. During this time, my husband and I talked it over, and we realized our little upstairs condo was not going to work out long-term if we were to keep this dog through her surgeries and recovery. We found a place in Solana Beach with a yard, and shortly thereafter we moved.

I decided Summer was going to need some time and a lot of crate rest to recuperate from her injuries before I whisked her away to surgery, so I did just that – gave her a comfortable bed to lie in and lots of rest. However, I began to notice she was increasingly drinking more and more water, and then having to go out more and more. Concerned, I took her back into my clinic and took a urine sample, thinking perhaps she had a urinary tract infection. However, we went ahead and did an abdominal ultrasound, only to discover Summer was pregnant.

I happen to be a pro-life sort of person; I am not a political activist, but I am somewhat religious and feel that God should be the one to give and take away life. This philosophy has rarely or never carried over into my profession as I see the detriment animals suffer from overpopulation, and I feel that humans are the ones who have put them into this predicament in the first place. In my mind, it is our responsibility to fix it by whatever means we can. However, I struggled with the decision of what to do about Summer’s pregnancy. She had suffered a great deal from all her injuries. I felt she might still be able to deliver, judging from how well her pelvis was healing, but would she be able to carry the litter to term? The decision was made for me when she became acutely painful on her uninjured hind leg. She had ruptured her cruciate ligament in her knee due to the weight gain from the pregnancy. Heartbroken for her, I brought her into my clinic so my boss could perform a spay and abort her litter as I didn’t have the heart to do it myself. I felt she probably would have made a good mom, but it wasn’t meant to be… not if I wanted her to live.

Summer spent the next three months recuperating and putting on weight and muscle condition that was desperately needed. I began her on glucosamine/chondroitin supplements to try to fend off the inevitable arthritis. However, she continued to drink and urinate excessively. I ran a battery of labwork, never finding an obvious cause for her signs. I finally made a guess based on her bloodwork and treated her presumptively for whipworms (her fecal exams had always been negative, but that doesn’t always mean they don’t have worms). Her signs seemed to abate over time, and to this day I still don’t know for sure whether whipworms were involved, or whether her body was simply suffering from some hormonal confusion due to the spay/abortion. I suspect it was the latter.

In February, I took Summer up to Orange County to be evaluated by an orthopedist. He suggested we go ahead and fix her cruciate ligament while performing a pectineotomy on the other leg, which would relieve some of the tension due to her dislocated hip. During her recovery from the surgery that following week, I began to notice blood spots on her bed. Confused, I examined her surgical site, which was healing nicely and showed no signs of bleeding. Finally, one morning when I brought her outside, I noticed blood dripping from her vulva. Immediately, my first thought was that she had a very bad UTI. I took her in for a urine sample, which cultured nothing and showed no significant findings on urinalysis. I was flummoxed until I remembered something I had seen down in Tijuana that I had never seen in the U.S.: transmissible venereal tumor (TVT).

TVT is a very strange condition in that it is actually a transmissible cancer which dogs pass to each other, most often during mating. It is not a virus or a bacteria, but the cancer cells themselves that are infectious. I remembered seeing a dog in Summer’s neighborhood with a very large tumor. I took Summer into my hospital and sedated her. Once I was able to perform a more thorough examination of her girly parts, the diagnosis was confirmed with the visualization of several bleeding tumors. I got a biopsy and sent it off just to be sure. With the confirmed diagnosis in hand, Summer was begun on chemotherapy.

The good news was that TVT is generally extremely responsive and curable with chemotherapy. It also doesn’t require very high doses, so Summer remained relatively happy and healthy during her 5 rounds of chemo. After she was cured of that, I worried as I noticed the knee she had surgery on was not resolving the way it should. There was also a lot of popping and crepitus coming from the joint when I manipulated it. After talking it over with the vet that did her surgery, I realized he had left part of the meniscus in (a piece of fibrocartilage that the cruciate ligament normally attaches to). That was likely the source of the trouble. My plan was to go ahead and do another surgery to remove the meniscus, and then perhaps pursue surgery on her hip after she had recovered from that.

However, I became sidetracked for a couple of weeks as I was working hard to get a paper submitted for publication. During this time, Summer began profusely vomiting and suffering from diarrhea, and no amount of diagnostics revealed what the problem was. I had her on a fairly good limited ingredient diet, so I was confident that surely the food wasn’t the problem. I mean, how many animals develop a sensitivity to Wellness whitefish and sweet potato? I kept her on a bland diet of chicken and millet for a few days, during which she seemed to recover. I began to add back in her normal commercial diet the way I advise clients to do, and immediately she began vomiting again. Huh.

Back on the chicken and millet, and then I moved on and added in a different commercial diet. However, during this time I just kept noticing that Summer seemed… ‘off.’ I couldn’t put my finger on what was wrong. She was lethargic and seemed depressed. I began to question my abilities as a veterinarian, as surely any good vet could figure out what was wrong with her own animal. But, her bloodwork was normal, and I could never really find much on physical examination. I sent in a urine culture, grasping at straws and thinking perhaps she had a UTI, but that came back with no growth once again. I noticed she seemed to have inflamed ears that smelled yeasty, so I began her on an ear flush, but my intuition told me I had not yet found the true problem. Some nights she would lie there, seemingly miserable and unwilling to get up. I found she was having a waxing and waning low-grade fever during these episodes. I was becoming increasingly frustrated with myself and my inability to come up with answers.

One evening as we were treating her ears, she yelped in pain on manipulation of her head and neck. I began palpating along her spine, and she actually reached around and nipped at me when I delicately placed my hand in the area between the thorax and the lumbar region. There was a palpable injury there which had never seemed to bother her in the past, but it suddenly dawned on me what was probably wrong: diskospondylitis.

This is an extremely difficult diagnosis to make, and so I had to work hard not to beat myself up too much. Typical signs for disko include lethargy, low-grade fever, and what we in our profession refer to as “ADR.” ADR, as in “Ain’t Doin’ Right.” There is hardly any specific sign that will point you that direction, and the only thing that managed to tip me off was the spinal pain. Diskospondylitis is a poorly understood disease, but it results from either a fungal or bacterial infection of the discs (i.e. the pieces of fibrocartilage that sit in between the vertebrae). It is most often associated with things getting lodged in the spine, such as grass awns, but it can also be a sequelae to a previous traumatic injury or a systemic infectious process.

Radiographs confirmed my diagnosis, and blood cultures showed she had an infection with an organism that was susceptible only to the most expensive antibiotics (of course). Diskospondylitis can take months to resolve. Summer underwent a dental cleaning six months later, at which time it was discovered she had a very bad tooth root infection. It is possible this was the source of the organism infecting her back; we will never know for sure. She also had a follow-up knee surgery a month later, where the remaining meniscus was removed. The cruciate injury is resolved, but unfortunately she already has a great deal of arthritis in that knee due to the loose tissue that was left in the joint.

Summer spent 6 months on antibiotics, and then I re-checked her radiographs to find she had minimal to no improvement. On top of that, the arthritis and injury was very apparent throughout her spinal column, her knee, and her hips. I came home from the clinic, and when my husband asked me how the X-rays looked I admit I burst into tears.

“What was I THINKING??? She has got to be in so much pain, and she’s only 3 years old! She won’t be able to live a full life… she won’t be able to live without pain, and I can’t fix it!”

As my husband comforted me, Summer walked over and sat in front of me. Her tail wagging, she reached up and licked my face clean of tears. My heart was breaking for her, but she had no concept of why I was so upset. Of course she had no idea it’s because I know things that she doesn’t – things that will affect her down the road. My husband spoke a truth I hadn’t been willing to face.

“Sarah, I never expected she would live a really long time. But, she’s here now, and she’s happy. You saved her life, and what more can you ask? She has everything she didn’t have – a home, good care, and people that love her. So, just enjoy the time that we have with her and stop worrying about how long that will be.” I tried to take his words to heart, but it has remained a difficult road.

Following her re-check, I increased Summer’s dose of antibiotics and did another 6 month course, and the infection finally looks like it’s subsiding. But, the rest of the injuries remain. I also recently discovered she has mild urinary incontinence resulting in vaginitis (i.e. inflammation in her girly parts), and so I had to begin her on another medication for that. This is probably due to her spinal injury and/or her pelvic trauma, but truth be told I’m amazed that she is able to potty relatively normally. As anyone can tell, however, the problem list continues to grow.

And so, we continue on our journey, my poor Mexican street mutt and I. I reflect back on a year and a half ago when I thought this might be as simple as a hip surgery and recovery. I had no idea what I would be getting myself into. However, I do feel that things happen for a reason. Summer could never have been in the charge of someone other than a vet, and she would have died had I left her there in Nueva Aurora; of that I have absolutely no doubt. God was watching out for her, and maybe for me, too, in a strange way. See, in spite of all the heartache and misery we have both endured through Summer’s ordeal, she has brought so much light into my life. Not only that, but when my husband was diagnosed with a painful neuromuscular disorder the following year, she was there to remind him that life was worth living in spite of pain. I will do anything I can to save her. She has cost me so much money (even as a vet) that every penny I made from the side job I had at my clinic was poured entirely into her. Summer has had a couple of other medical maladies now, including injection site reactions and GI upset from high dose antibiotics. It never seems to end, but I hope for now nothing else will pop up. I simply cannot know with this dog, but I love her, so I will keep fighting to help her. She told me from day one that she wanted to live; she still wags her tail and still gives me puppy kisses first thing when she sees me. I am not immune to the realization that surely she must be suffering, but until she tells me she’s giving up, I am not giving up either.

Sarah LaMere, DVM

A post-script from Mr. La Mere: Summer was a very vital inspiration for me in a period of time that, really, I don't know how I would have gotten through without her. Any day I felt like feeling sorry for myself for my own pain and movement issues, Summer was there wagging her tail and wanting to enjoy life with me.

HSTJ's May 23, 2010 SN Clinic

2010-05-26T20:16:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, May 23rd HSTJ held a sterilization clinic in Playas de Tijuana at the Universidad Iboamericana.

Welcome new volunteers Andrea, Suzanne and Tanya. This clinic ran very smoothly thanks to you! A total of 20 animals were fixed this day.

Thanks to donations received this week, we were able to bring lots of dog food down to be distributed to all of the patients.

We had one dog that was brought to the clinic to be spayed and the owner had such a tight chain around its neck, it began to chafe and cut into the dog's skin.

We removed the chain right away, shaved and cleaned the area, gave the animal a safe harness and educated the owner about the dangers and harm that chain was causing to the animal. Hopefully the owner will heed our advice and never allow that to happen again.

For all of the pictures from the May 23rd clinic, visit our flickr account at

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hstj/sets/72157624137915616/

HSTJ's May 15, 2010 Itchy Scratchy Clinic in Colonia Roberto Yahoaca

2010-05-25T11:56:00.000-07:00

On saturday, May 15th, volunteer Lissette and team reached one of the more impoverished colonias in TJ, Colonia Roberto Yahoaca, a fairly new colonia with no paved roads and only a few homes in this area have electricity and running water. A very rural low resource community. A total of 78 dogs and 12 cats were treated, almost every pet in this small rural community received treatment.

There were several cases of mange, and a few special cases, one dog with a severe eye infection whom we were able to give some eye ointment to, another who had lost mobility suddenly, the family believes it was bit by a bug, another whose tail was terribly infected and portions had fallen off.

HSTJ can only priovide as much treatment as we are able, mainly helping to relieve flea, tick and mange symptoms and care for superficial wounds and infections. While educating the public about keeping cleaner conditions for their pets and proper nutrition and care in the impoverished state of this colonia, it is impossible to expect that these owners would be able to take their animals to a vet for the more of these extreme ailments.

We are looking into possibly organizing a Sterilization clinic to help curtail the continuance of stray animals in this area.

For more pictures from this clinic visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/hstj/sets/72157624135121468/

HSTJ Visits Local Tijuana Kindergarten

2010-05-25T11:38:00.000-07:00

Volunteers Lety and Alex visited a local Kindergarten in Tijuana to educate the children on humane treatment of animals.

Lety brought her dog Bamboo with her as Bamboo is really great with children and they could have some hands on training with him.

Lety and Alex focused on teaching the children how to touch and pet an animal gently and kindly, so as not to be bitten.

They cut images from one of the coloring book we received from the education materials donations to make puppets so that each child could speak for an animal.

Some of the adorable comments made by the children in speaking for their puppet were:
Feed me
Give me water
Do not kick me
Play with me

A really fun day for all and a great opportunity to educate these future adults that animals deserve to be treated humanely and properly fed and cared for.

Rubio's Story of Rescue

2010-05-21T14:04:00.000-07:00

Do you remember back in August of 2008, this very small kitten, Rubio was found discarded in the trash. All four of his paws were stuck to a glue type mouse trap. He was left to die, helpless and alone. One of our volunteers, Lety found him and took him immediately home. With a lot of baby oil, warm water, patience and love, Lety was able to free poor Rubio from his deadly predicament. Rubio stayed with Lety until he was about 6 months old when he found his forever home with his new mom Sandra, Sandra says:

"Rubio is loving his new home with his two new older brothers (Percival and Matilda) and his friend Roxy (pitbull mix). He also has fun with our German Shepherd, Samantha, and enjoys playing with the cats of the neighborhood. He loves to sleep most of the time, especially on my bed, hogs all the food at breakfast time, enjoys to plays with the laser pointer and hangs out all day on the cat tree. He is really used to his home now and I just wanted to thank you all for rescuing Rubio and giving him a second chance in life."

It is exactly these success stories of rescue and love that motivate each and every HSTJ volunteer to continue working for the animals of Tijuana. We are so happy for Rubio and Sandra for finding each other!

Help Napolean Walk Again!

2010-05-19T12:02:00.000-07:00

Napoleon’s Story starts back in the end of April, 2010 when one of our wonderful volunteer veterinarians named Veronika, who lives in Tijuana, was told about a dog that had been hiding underneath the front porch of a friend’s house for 2 days and would not come out.

It was thought that he had a broken leg but they could not get a good look at him where he was hiding. Veronika decided to go over there and flush him out to see what kind of medical care he needed.

It turned out that he was a very friendly dog and must have known that she was there to help him because he let her do what she needed to, to assess the situation.

The conclusion was that he had a pretty severe spinal cord trauma from a car accident or something that hit him pretty recently because his legs were not atrophied yet.

She decided to consult another veterinarian to help her better diagnose his injury. This Dr. told her that he thought Napoleon had a good chance of recovery as they did the necessary tests to check on him further.

After some good food and some time to recover, she noticed that he was not improving and decided to work with another colleague in order to see what else she could do for this happy dog. They did another series of physical tests and realized that he doesn’t have any deep pain sensitivity in his hind area and that it most likely is a permanent injury and he would not recover his ability to walk.

To us, it was devastating, but in Napoleon’s mind, he had already recovered. He gets around just fine and he still has the ability to go potty properly. He loves walks and is super affectionate with people. His name fits him just perfectly because he is not a fan of dogs that are larger than him.

Because he is so happy and so active, we would like to give his poor hind legs a break from the tough ground by getting him a cart for better mobility. He is already a proud and happy guy, but could you imagine him if we gave him his legs back?! He could conquer the dog world!!

Please help us give Napoleon this gift - Help Napolean Walk Again! A cart to allow this costs $400, please help us raise the money to purchase a cart for Napolean. Click here to make a special donation for Napolean. Donation to Help Napolean Walk

Are you interested in fostering Napolean or Adopting him? Please contact Nicole at nicole@friendsofhstj.org

Currently Napolean is being fosted in Tijuana at the home of Veronika, but we ned to get him over to this side of the border as soon as possible so that he can find his forever home and get the attention and love that he craves so much:-) Can you help him? For more information, contact nicole@friendsofhstj.org.