Nell and I have always loved animals, especially dogs. When we first came to San Felipe, we were very upset se
eing all of the dead dogs along the highway, starving dogs in the streets, the pregnant females, and intact males chasing whatever was available. We decided then that in some way we wanted to help the dogs of San Felipe.
We rescued two dogs from here. We found our first Baja dog near our home in El Dorado Ranch, and our second was adopted from ZAPP after we lost our last German Shepherd. We live in a motor home part of the year, so another adoption was out of the question. So, we decided to foster VIVA puppies.
We have fostered 7 VIVA puppies so far. We really enjoy watching them play and explore their new world. Many need socialization and have had very little human contact, so we pet them, hold them, and touch their ears and paws to make future vet visits and grooming easier.
To get them ready for their forever homes, we work with them on house breaking, sleeping in a crate during the night, learning to walk on a leash without pulling or fighting the leash, coming when called, sitting, and only chewing the chew toys.
We have a wonderful time watching them grow and playing with them, but there is a down side: before long we have to let them go. Some have been harder than others, but we have found that the best way to deal with the “empty nest” is to get new foster pups and start the training all over again.
These VIVA pups are the lucky ones, and we are glad that we have been able to help a few of them go to loving, forever homes. We look around the streets of San Felipe and the dog problem is so much better than it was just a few years ago.
We know that VIVA is making a difference.