By Marlene Dunbar
CONTRIBUTOR
This past February, the Humane Society of Tijuana posted the following story on their website. It is the story of a Mexican family, who, despite their difficult circumstances, managed to find a way to provide care for the many homeless pets in their neighborhood.
Touched by the kindness and compassion of this family, Humane Society of Tijuana members, volunteers and supporters came together and built the family…a new house!
Humane Society of Tijuana Director Richard Massa told the Baja Times: This is not a regular project for HSTJ, and is not directly related to HSTJ goals. Rather, it is returning a favor to someone who made a great sacrifice to help the dogs we rescued from hoarding cases and was funded by special donors who wanted to thank the family for their extraordinary efforts and sacrifices to care for the animals.
HERE IS THE STORY : COURTESY OF FRIENDS OF HUMANE SOCIETY OF TIJUANA WEB SITE
Project Beatrice & Family - Angels to the Street Dogs of Tecolote
There are many heroes to the animals that FHSTJ/HSTJ has found along our journey, but few have a story as inspiring as that of Enrique and Beatriz. This young couple lives in Tecolote, which is a neighborhood located southeast of Tijuana. Enrique works as a night watchman. In addition to caring for their three-year-old daughter, Iris, Beatriz makes decorative candies and sells them to the neighboring communities.
Four years ago, Beatriz and Enrique married and bought their small plot of land in Tecolote with the vision of beginning a family. Soon afterward, they were expecting their first child. However, Beatriz had a difficult pregnancy, and her doctor informed her she was in danger of losing her baby. Suddenly, she found herself with a protective, maternal feeling like none she had ever experienced.
“Some women experience cravings for food. What I experienced was a craving to help animals,” said Beatriz.
They began rescuing dogs from among the hundreds of homeless animals present in the streets around their home. Soon, the people in the surrounding community noticed their generosity and began abandoning animals in front of their house. Before they knew it, they were completely overrun with street dogs. When Iris was born, the couple struggled to care for all the animals in addition to their daughter.
“There have been times that we had to choose between the pediatrician and the veterinarian. Our baby was sick, our dogs were sick, and we couldn’t afford to care for them all.”
Infectious diseases began to plague their dogs, and many unfortunately died. The family mourned the loss of their family members and buried each of them with care. Finally, Enrique had an idea. He found an internet café and began to e-mail every animal rescue organization he could find in Mexico in search of help. His e-mail was forwarded from the Humane Society in Mexico City to Lety Coto, the HSTJ president.
Upon hearing they had rescued over 100 street dogs, and that there were currently over 40 dogs at Beatriz and Enrique’s house, Lety was concerned for this family. However, when she visited, she was pleasantly surprised at what she found.
“There were over 40 dogs there, yes, but they were in wonderful condition. They were taking extremely good care of them!”
Lety quickly summoned support from the rest of HSTJ and held an Itchy Scratchy clinic for Beatriz and Enrique’s dogs in order to treat parasites. Shortly thereafter, a small sterilization clinic was held nearby to neuter all the male animals. With continued support from HSTJ, the dogs are still being treated for parasites, sterilized, vaccinated, and transported across the border for adoption into loving homes.
In return, Beatriz and Enrique have committed to helping our organization. Beatriz has been intimately involved with the dogs FHSTJ/HSTJ rescued from a hoarding case last February. She has dutifully helped to care for these animals while they have been rotated out of Tijuana and placed into homes in the U.S.
This family has asked for nothing from HSTJ and FHSTJ other than help in their endeavor to rescue the thousands of sentient creatures roaming the streets of Tijuana – a mission that was already a primary goal for our organization. However, their humility and devotion to the animals has touched the hearts of many of us, and we wish to do even more to help the struggling family.
The family lives in a one-room shanty with a dirt floor. Their roof is comprised of a tarp, and their front door is simply a curtain. There is no running water, electricity, or plumbing. Outside, in the midst of their exuberant pack of dogs, is a small garden where they grow their own food in a makeshift planter created from an old refrigerator. The last four years, all of their spare time and resources have been committed to caring for the dogs. Enrique keeps impeccable records on supplements and parasite treatments for each of their dogs (currently numbering 34). Beatriz and Enrique know each of their dogs’ names by heart, as the animals are considered part of their family. END
This story touched the hearts of Humane Society members, volunteers and supporters. Here are the photos of everyone pitching in to build this deserving family a new home!
To find out more about the Humane Society of Tijuana: log on to www.hstj.org and friends of hstj.org
Special note: there are many organizations that come to Tijuana just to build homes for people in need. One such organization is Casa de Amore. The Humane Society‘s work is focused on sterilization and mange clinics and education. Please contact your local church to find information on which groups come to Tijuana to build homes for people in need.
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