Happy New Year to all of our RB Friends! This was supposed to be the last post of 2014, but my dinner guests arrived before I finished it, so I apologize about the delay;-) I wanted to start off looking back at the year that just ended. What a whirlwind of a year it was! So many things happened, both good and bad, and we just cannot believe it is already over. So, what did we do last year? Well, almost exactly a year ago, on New Year’s Eve 2013, we bought Chiquilín, our amazing big boy who has a heart of gold. He has since then gained around 200 pounds, has much less bad habits (for months we thought that he had kidney failure as he was drinking water constantly, but after doing all kinds of tests on him, it turned out that he had just started doing this as he was bored, having been locked up 24/7 where he used to live), and the most important thing of all – he is now such a happy boy! We rescued Pasco, a dog who had been thrown out on the street of Playa del Carmen by his owner, left to starve, just because he had some skin issues. Unfortunately after several weeks at the vet and some time at a temporary home for some rest, we had to let him go, as his body was too weak to continue (once again a water-related issue; his kidneys had almost no capacity left, probably because he had not had access to water on the street). Thank you again to all of our RB Friends who pitched in for his vet bill. We rescued Mininito (“Mini”), a tiny kitten, who had been left alone in the jungle, and then smashed by a door in a storage room, when he had been picked up and was waiting for rescue. Mini was going to be put up for adoption, after getting treated for his spinal damage, but Steffi, who was caring for him temporarily, decided it was best for him to stay with her (lucky Mini!) (Added by Steffi: Mini is the happiest kitten ever, but due to his incontinence - caused by some permanent spinal damage - it would have been nearly impossible to find a home for him.) We also rescued Cleo, another tiny and severely emaciated kitten, who had been ditched next to the highway, in the middle of nowhere, and decided to let me know by using her last strength to run out on the highway in front of my car. This was shortly after Mini was rescued, so Steffi decided to give her temporary shelter too, so that they both would have company, and surprise – she ended up staying in her home and her heart too. And then another story with a very happy end – maybe you remember Joya, a black lab mix, who was found with a horrible injury after either having been used as a bait dog, or having been cut by a machete? She was just skin and bones when she was found, but was the most grateful dog ever from day one. After joint efforts, (thanks to Lost Dog Foundation, Naiara Altuna and many more!) Joya was adopted by a wonderful family in Canada, is now called Shelby, and is as happy as can be. And for those of you who visited us last spring or summer, you might remember a Belgian Shepherd puppy, which was tied up next to the entrance gate in the jungle right before you get to the ranch. We will probably never get the true story behind this dog, but what we do know is that he was tied up on a very short rope there 24/7, and they would not let us even take him for a walk, even though we would beg the people that were looking after him. Every day, when leaving the ranch, I would feed this dog behind their back, and would sit with him for half an hour to give him some love and attention, and get him used to people, and it would break my heart leaving him behind every day. And then one day, we were informed that he had been sold to a dog fighter, who would use him as a bait dog, and that this person would pick him in a few hours. I rushed there, paid some money to buy his freedom, and took him before this happened. I was going to find a home for him, but there was just no way I could let go of this amazing young boy, who I named Zakk, because he had already conquered my heart. Little did I know then that he was so traumatized that he would destroy my home in panic every time I left for just an hour, and that I would end up having to hire a personal dog trainer for him to help him with his issues. It is just so sad how people can damage an animal in such a short amount of time, and I will continue to do everything in my power to make him feel safe again. We obviously also did some horse rescue work, which unfortunately we are not able to tell you much about publicly, as we are still working on some cases, and would not be able to continue if we reveal names or places. We are very happy to tell you about this work in person though, when you visit us. Currently, we are also helping Ben, one of three dogs at a property where they were giving away wood that had been left over from a construction site in Playa del Carmen. Ben could hardly walk the first time we saw him, was extremely skinny, had pus in his eyes and looked very weak. We were told by the people there that “he did not want to live anymore, was not eating or drinking and they were just going to let him die.” We took him to the vet, and put him on treatment for anaplasma (a tick-borne disease) and parasites, and started passing by every day to feed him. After a couple of days, right before Christmas, he was hit by a car, and we decided to check him in at a dog hotel, where he would be able to rest and get the medical attention he needed. We had received a couple of donations from wonderful ranch guests just before this happened, and decided to use them towards Ben’s bill (Thank you so very much to Wendy Poulsen and Anne Lise Rannestad!). We are now looking for a temporary or a permanent home for Ben, who is a 9-10 months old medium-sized golden retriever mix and is extremely cuddly. And lastly, while I was writing this, I was interrupted by the news that somebody I knew had died tragically three days ago. It was a guy who lived on the street down by the beach in my neighborhood, and who I would talk to almost daily during my walks with the dogs. This guy had a dog that he loved more than anything in the world, and who would be by his side all the time, day and night. As soon as I heard that he was dead, I rushed down to the beach to look for the dog, and I just came back from there. I found her lying there waiting for her owner to come back, and tears fell down my cheeks the moment I saw her. This is totally heart-breaking and I am not really sure what to do with her, but while I figure it out, I will make sure she gets food and water and some TLC every day. I am really sorry to round off with such sad news, but am hoping there will be brighter things in the horizon for this loyal girl, who will keep waiting for her Dad forever… Well, this was just a little bit about last year’s rescue work. So what are our plans for 2015? We will continue doing as much rescue work as possible, and working on educating people about how to take care of their animals. We will also work on our own education by learning more and more about how to take care of our horses the best possible way, hopefully learning some new things as acupuncture, massage and other things that will help our horses. We will also improve our language skills to be able to provide better service to our guests than ever before, and do everything in our power to make sure your visits to the ranch will be top-notch in all aspects. If you want to support our work, you can do so by riding with us, by buying one of our Rancho Baaxal calendars (see previous posts), or by making a donation. But please remember that you are also supporting us by following us here on Facebook, and spreading the word about us, as your moral support is just as important to us. We are hoping for a wonderful, amazing, productive and fun-filled year, packed with new opportunities and learning-experiences, and hope you will continue joining us on our journey! From all of us to all of you – a very, very Happy New Year! (Lisa)
Posted on: Fri, 02 Jan 2015 20:12:11 +0000
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