I always talk about the main two problems in El Salvador being poverty and pollution but there is actually a third P problem! Puppies!! Well, to be honest, poverty leads to puppies.
El Salvador has an incredible amount of what we consider "homeless" dogs, but it is different here. The dogs tend to have homes and owners but they can't afford food or veterinarians so the dogs end up being skinny and diseased.
We do have a small animal rescue mission in our neighborhood that is helping to feed our local beach dogs and they bring veterinarians to the beach to do blood work, give vaccinations, and treat any medical issues. Usually, they need to be treated for heartworm and Ehrlichia. Once all the blood work comes back clean they can fix them so the never-ending cycle of starving and suffering beach dogs will end. Unfortunately, this process takes some time and they can get pregnant before they get fixed!
In February 2023, one of the guests at El Salvador Retreat fell in love with one of the local beach dogs. We were calling her Scruffy whenever we saw her, but that guest gave her a new official name of Sophia. Ever since, Sophia comes to visit more often and we have been feeding her.
Fast forward to April and we found Sophia on the beach, in heat, surrounded by eight alpha male dogs. We took her in full time to protect her and were up all hours of the night kicking dogs off of our property and repairing holes in the fence that they made to sneak through. It was a long week!
The mission down the street started taking her to the vet to begin bloodwork, vaccines, and treatment so she could be adopted by our previous guest and brought to the United States. A month later we found out she was pregnant. All that work to protect her for nothing, it was already too late.
Yesterday she gave birth to eight healthy puppies. As we sought guidance on how to get the puppies adopted we were told we should just euthanize them. El Salvador has so many street dogs here, it can be impossible to find a home for pups. We also found out that veterinarians here will abort the babies up to 45 days into the pregnancy, Sophia gave birth at about 48 days!
This was all shocking news to hear this morning. As you know, we are solution-oriented people and always determined to find a way to make things work.
So, would YOU like to adopt a puppy?!
If not, would you like to help us find them homes and share this with friends and on your social media?
Would you like to donate to help cover their medical costs and feed them?
Can YOU help us find homes for these eight adorable little beings?
We refuse to take their lives and are hopeful we can help provide them with a great life with no abuse, plenty of food and clean water, and someone to love them. We know they will love you unconditionally!
Think of how much unconditional love, laughter, and joy an animal brings to your life. Can you find some of that love inside yourself to help these little pups have a better future?
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