What can people do to help?

   As mentioned in a previous post, there are approximately 20 million dogs currently living on the streets of Mexico with another 500,000 being added to that total each year.  Sadly, those totals are a tiny fraction of the worldwide problem that exists.  If you’re reading this blog, you most likely wonder what can be done to help, or more specifically, “What can I do to help?”  The fact is, each person can do a lot to make things better and if everyone did a little, the situation could change drastically.

   First, if you want a dog, wonderful!  But always adopt from a refuge or shelter or simply take in a dog you find in the streets.  Please, NEVER buy your dogs.  Dog breeders simply make the situation so much worse, and for personal gain.  Often breeders keep their dogs in crates, isolated and never experiencing affection.  They are viewed just as commodities to churn out litter after litter of puppies to be sold.  No judgement.  I purchased, my first dog here in Mexico.  But knowing what I know now, I would never buy again.  It’s all supply and demand.  If people stop buying dogs, people will stop breeding them. 

   Secondly, always get your dogs sterilized.  I read an astonishing statistic.  Just 1 female dog and her offspring can produce 67,000 puppies in a six year span!  Wow!  How is that even possible?  Well, a dog can have 3 litters of puppies a year, with up to 7 puppies per litter.  Then each of those puppies can produce at the same rate, able to have litters of their own as early as 6 months old.  The growth is exponential.  So again, get your dogs sterilized.  Also, you can do much to alleviate the problem by taking local street dogs to be fixed.  Maybe you can’t keep them, but you can do a great service to pick them up, take them for the procedure, keep them over night (if possible) then simply bring them back to the area you found them.  They heal surprisingly quickly.  Some areas even offer this service at low cost.  We have taken dozens over the last few years.

   But maybe you can’t adopt or take dogs to be fixed.  What else can be done?  Perhaps save some table scraps or leftovers from your night out.  Find those hungry dogs and provide them with something to eat.  Believe me, they appreciate it.  Or even more simply, just be kind.  Most of these dogs are starving, not only for food, but for love.  A pet on the head or a scratch under the chin could give them a reason to wag that tail.

   And finally, a few words about our pet store, www.pamperingpups.store.  Our store was created to make a difference in the plight of these abandoned dogs.  Do you need supplies for your pets?  Profits from our store go to fund our refuge.  We have much to choose from, but if you don’t see what you want, contact us, and we will look to provide what you want.  

   Funny story.  When I started my pet store I stated that 100% of the profits would go to support the work at the City of Refuge.  Social media platforms and search engines put restrictions on my store because they didn’t think that claim was realistic.  To remove the restrictions I had to change the wording from “100%” to a “significant portion”.  The wording had to change, but our intentions did not.  Be confident that when you buy any item from our store, the profits don’t benefit us, it benefits them.  If gives them food, a comfortable place to sleep, love and a chance to find a permanent home for life.

   Every single one of us can make a difference.