RÍO DULCE TO LIVINGSTON

RÍO DULCE, GUATEMALA

CASTILLO DE SAN FELIPE DE LARA - LAGO DE IZABEL, GUATEMALA

After a four-hour ride, we ran with our luggage several blocks in the rain from the bus station to the dock on the Río Dulce.  The meaning in Spanish is "Sweet River." but it could easily have been named "Heavenly River."
The source of the Río Dulce
is Lake Izabel.  The crowded water taxi headed away from the river to give passengers a close look at the Castillo de San Felipe de Lara, a small colonial Spanish fort. After a slow turn past it, we sped back into the river, soon passing wooden houses with thatched palm roofs,  people paddling dugout canoes and children dangling legs over the sides of short wooden piers.  After the quiet, winding river passes through a long, narrow lake adorned with white water liles, we entered a dazzlingly beautiful gorge.   The sides of it, which reach as high as 300 feet,  are completely covered with wildflowers, palms, teak and mahogany trees.  In the water and in their rookeries on the cliffs were scores of white herons, pelicans and cormorants.  Guatemala is home to 684 different species of birds.  After an hour-and-a half ride of Gaugin-like beauty, we arrived at Livingston, a Garifuna town on the Caribbean. 

The Garifuna people, who live on the Caribbean side of Guatemala and also in Nicaragua, Honduras and Belize,  are descendants of shipwrecked African slaves who mixed with the Carib people in the 17th century.

HERMOSAS NIÑAS GARIFUNAS EN LIVINGSTON

Sitting on a tiny beach in front of our hotel, we could see Honduras and Belize.  Livingston is small, with one main street leading from the main pier through town and to beaches on the other side.

ESCUELA EN LA ORILLA DEL CARIBE EN LIVINGSTON

  Because it´s disconnected by roads from the rest of Guatemala, there are very few cars in sight, and almost every car can be a "taxi."   Boats are the main kind of transportation.  Livingston is very different than every other part of Guatemala, even though there are some Q´eqchi Maya living there.

CALLE PRINCIPAL IN LIVINGSTON - MIRANDO AL CARIBE

It looks and sounds very Caribbean, especially at night when people stroll the one street lined with small shops and restaurants,  and the mix of Caribbean and African music begins to play.


Days later, as we sat in the plane waiting to take off from Guatemala City, our last view of this beautiful country was of a nearby dormant volcano.

VISTA EN EL AEROPUERTO DE LA CAPITAL

Colonia los Sauces is abut a 15-minute drive northeast of centro Vallarta.  The clinic took place across from a children´s grassy park in a bodega belonging to animal advocate and constant dog rescuer, Sofi Gonzalez and her architect husband. 

LOS SAUCES

When I arrived at 9 AM on Thursday,  there was a line of people waiting.  Most of the dogs were on some sort of leash.  The cats were mostly in cardboard boxes or in pillowcases. 

GATOS EN LA CLÍNICA DE LOS SAUCES

A woman who brought in her female Weimaraner for spaying mentioned that she wasn´t bringing in the male Weimar, who was the brother of the dog at the clinic.  She felt that if the female were fixed, no point to fixing the male, whom she had been allowing to couple with the female.   Statistic indicate that large dogs live 20% longer lives if neutered, as surgery reduces the chance of prostate cancer.  The dog had had two litters and all puppies were either born dead or died within a couple of days. 

On Wednesday, thirty-three cats and dogs had been sterilized at los Sauces clinic.  As Dr. Anthony was unable to attend the Thursday clinic, instructions were to cut off numbers of dogs and cats accepted at twenty. 

The line-up had been exactly twenty, so we were glad not to have to turn anyone away.  And then a very old man missing most of his lower teeth and wearing dirty, ragged clothes showed up holding a small brown and white female dog on a large rusty chain. 

He said he had walked a long way,and so we began the registration.   At first he said he didn´t know the name of the dog, and accepted the suggestion of "Carmela."  Then he said no, her name was "Lia."  After I crossed out the first name, he told me her name was "Paloma."  The kind owner didn´t have a phone number and didn´t know the name of his colonia, but he loved the dog and we felt certain he would come back for her.

HERMOSOS GATITOS RESCATADOS ESPERANDO CIRUGÍA EN LOS SAUCES

As I am leaving Friday, March 20 for a two-week family visit to California, no numbers can be reported at this time.  This information will be reported when I return.  PLEASE CHECK WEBSITE FOR UPDATED CLINIC SCHEDULE.


STERILIZATIONS AT LOS SAUCES CLINIC March 28-21

DONATIONS AT LOS SAUCES CLINIC:

DONATIONS AT MEZCALES CLINIC:  March 11-14  1,450 pesos

MISCELLANEOUS DONATIONS:  Donna Barr - a fellow yogi at DavannaYoga who owns a vet clinic with her husband - 18 boxes of Frontline and Advantage for cats and for dogs plus 7 individual Frontline dispensers and 4 individual Advantage tubes.

CORRECTION re a miscellaneous donation:  Troy Valens donated a 500 peso gift certificate to Friends of PV Animals, not a $500 USD certificate as previously mentioned.

RESCUED AND IN FOSTER HOMES:  "Rocco," the little Dobie mix found with "Canela," the beautiful Weimaraner.  They had both been seen living together on the streets for at least three months.  Mateo Jorge answered an SOS, fostered Rocco for several weeks and found a ride for him to Edmonton on March 20th.   Friends of Puerto Vallarta found a temporary home for Rocco there.

After ten days with me, "Canela" is now at beautiful Rancho Primavera 

(www.ranchoprimaveramexico.com)

 in el Tuito with Bonnie Jauregui.   We took Canela and Bonnie´s five other dogs, including "Bella," a Weimar  Paulina Stettner and I had rescued, for a long walk in the light rain.

BELLA AND CANELA IN RANCHO PRIMAVERA

The rain the day before had been a torrential one.   Canela, a beautiful, gentle and grateful dog,  will drive up with Mary Schofield to her new home in Oregon with Troy Valens, who has adopted Canela without having met her.



  "FUN RAISER" for local animal rescue groups underwritten by local animal advocate, Yvonne Kalman:  Sunday, March 29th at 6:00 PM- buffet supper, music and more - Casa Yvonneka in Amapas- to benefit: AngeliCAT; Colina Clinic; LADRA;  Friends of PV Animal (supporters of the Centro de Acopio); Puro Gato; plus 10% of total donations will be for PEACEAnimals free mobile spay/neuter clinics   For more information, contact:  yvonneka187@gmail.com or shannon@bestonproperties.com

ADOPTIONS: "Canela," the rescued Weimaraner - by Troy Valens in Oregon

NEW DIRECTORY OF RESCUED ANIMALS created by Mateo Jorge - for a three-minute tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfJvn1wTkWs 
http://gooddog.pw/my-account/

NEW DESIGNATED LINE WITH ADDRESS AND DIRECTIONS FOR WEEKLY CLINIC (SPANISH ONLY)  044 322 113 3955 

ESPERANDO EN EL ACOPIO

HOMES NEEDED:  For the thousands of dogs and cats on the streets here, for hundreds of cats and dogs in refuges and in foster homes,  and for dozens of healthy and beautiful dogs and cats at the Centro de Acopio, the city´s pound.

Please check our website on the "resource" tab for names and contacts of refuges, vets, etc.

Dogs at the Centro de Acopio are only walked twice a week by volunteers organized by Friends of Puerto Vallarta Animals. Food is always needed. The government contributes two weeks of food annually.

UNOS DE LOS VOLUNTARIOS PARA EL CENTRO DE ACOPIO

Friends of PV Animals, which accepts donations and purchases supplies and medicines for the Acopio,  is in the process of securing its AC ("Asociación Civil).  PEACE can now include this support organization for the Centro de Acopio under its umbrella, thereby offering tax deductions for donations.  

150 GATOS Y GATITOS ESPERANDO HOGARES EN PURR PROJECT RANCH

FOSTER HOMES ARE NEEDED FOR CATS AND DOGS.  PLEASE CONTACT THE ANIMAL RESCUE ORGANIZATIONS ON OUR WEBSITE IF YOU CAN HELP.

ESPERANDO HOGAR EN EL CENTRO DE ACOPIO

RIDES FOR RESCUE DOGS NEEDED for Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver.  All expenses for dogs paid for.  Please contact MEXPUP or NOBARS -  patty@mexpup.com; robin.nobars@gmail.com

GREATERGOOD - PLEASE CLICK!  Your daily clicks or direct donations help animals, people and the planet.  www.greatergood.org; www.greatergood.com

To donate to PEACEAnimals clinics, please click on this link.  http://bit.ly/1cWY0lP

SMILEAMAZON– When ordering on Amazon, if you click on the following link you can designate PEACEAnimals as a recipient of Amazon´s donation of  0.5% of some of your purchases.  http://smile.amazon.com/ch/20-3726038

SCHEDULE/HORARIO  

March 25-28 - el Tuito - sponsored by fundraiser last year organized by Kai Doyle and other local residents. Kai and friends raised enough funds for two clinics.  This will be the second one.  Bonnie Jauregui has invited Paulina Stettner, PEACEAnimals director, to stay as her guest at Rancho Primavera for the duration of the clinic.  

April 1-4 - SEMANA SANTA - no clinic

Clinic schedule, including directions and other clinic information are always on website:  www.peaceanimals.org and on this blog:  www.gretchen-peace-and-pv.blogspot.com

Please "like" PEACEAnimals on FaceBook.

LUNCH DONATIONS NEEDED FOR VET TEAM:  PEACEAnimals has a budget of 70 pesos per vet team (three persons) per day for 4 days a week for lunches. Please consider bringing lunches for our vet team to the clinics.  If you can do this, please let me know so we can create a lunch schedule.  By having lunches donated, these savings can be used for purchases of supplies and medicines.

VOLUNTARIA EN LA CLÍNICAS DE LOS SAUCES

WE NEED VOLUNTEERS AT THE CLINICS.    Please sign up:  infopeaceanimals@gmail.com

If directions needed, please call clinic director, Paulina Stettner:  044-322-779-3585 or our new dedicated line.  Directions are only in Spanish.

COST FOR ONE SURGERY WEEK CLINIC IS APPROXIMATELY  $1,800 USD. 

PLEASE CONSIDER MAKING A DONATION VIA CHECK, CREDIT CARD, PAYPAL, BEQUEST OR STOCK TRANSFER.  Note:  Stocks are transferred at full value without the donating stock owner being taxed.   Name of recipient of donations  for all donations is simply "PEACE."

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

 

  

Thank you for your interest and support.

Gretchen DeWitt – President – Board of Directors

www.peaceanimals.org 

www.gretchen-peace-and-pv.blogspot.com

https://www.facebook.com/PeaceAnimals

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NUEVA LINEA DESIGNADA PARA DIRECIÓNES EN ESPAÑOL DE LAS CLÍNICAS CADA SEMANA:  044 322 113 3955

NUEVO DIRECTORIO PARA ANIMALITOS RESCATADOS - creado por  Meteo Jorge - para aprender como usarlo en 3 minutos - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfJvn1wTkWs             
http://gooddog.pw/my-account/

INFORMACIÓN EN ESPAÑOL SOBRE LA ESTERILIZACIÓN PARA MASCOTAS Y LAS CLÍNICAS GRATIS EN NUESTRO WEBSITE - www.peaceanimals.org

FAVOR DE DONAR ALMUERZOS PARA EL EQUIPO. NOS CUESTA 210 PESOS 4 DÍAS LA SEMANA Y CON SUS DONACIÓNES DE COMIDA, PODEMOS USAR ESTE DINERO PARA SUMINISTROS.  GRACIAS.

¡¡¡¡¡NOS URGE VOLUNTARIOS!!!!! 

GRACIAS POR SU INTERÉS Y SU APOYO.

Gretchen DeWitt – Presidente de le mesa directiva

www.peaceanimals.org 

www.gretchen-peace-and-pv.blogspot.com

https://www.facebook.com/PeaceAnimals