BajaNomad

How to deal with semi-stray Baja dogs?

Mika - 10-26-2009 at 10:08 AM

Hi,

I got back from my fall Baja trip, but I'm already planning another trip around Christmas/New Year.

One thing that has been in my mind since my return is how to help dogs in the neighborhood where I go. Specifically, there are two dogs near the house I normally stay, and last time I saw them they were covered with engorged ticks. Those dogs are not starving to death, but they are clearly underfed, and they are often covered with flees and this past time so many ticks.

They are very sweet dogs. One of them is not totally comfortable with people, but they both run toward me with wiggling tail whenever I arrive at the gate. They often hang around the yard whenever I am at the house.

I cannot figure out if they belong to somebody. One person thought they were strays, but another person said those are neighbor's dogs. I have not really spoken with the neighbor and I am still not sure what the "ownership" of dogs really means in rural Mexico.

Anyway, I would like to bring them some medicine like Frontline for tick prevention. I know those meds. have to be applied every month, but if they get it whenever I visit (2-3 times a year) I feel it will make a small difference. Then again, I do not want to do that if that will be a problem with the rightful dog owner(s).

Also, how about feeding them? They look always hungry and they are very thin. I give them some treat, but again, I do not want to offend their real owner, so I refrain myself from really feeding them. I have my own dogs in the states (they are from Baja!) and I will be upset if a stranger feed my dogs. How will this action be seen in Mexico?

I understand it all depends on the situation, but I thought people in this forum have similar experience. Thank you for any advice.

Packoderm - 10-26-2009 at 10:35 AM

Frontline 2-3 times a year is a godsend compared to never. That alone could get you a fast track to heaven. The improved skin might rekindle the real owner's sense of ownership. I've fed such dogs before, but I have felt your same concerns. However, I'd risk the offense and feed the dogs if you can spare the food.

DENNIS - 10-26-2009 at 11:13 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Mika
Then again, I do not want to do that if that will be a problem with the rightful dog owner(s).



How "rightful" can they be? Anybody who turns a blind eye to a suffering dog is less than human.
The dogs would be better put down than left to die a slow death.
Cultural trait or whatever it may be, this is a common scene down here and only because of rules and regulations in the states do we not see more of it there. I'm not sure that we're more humane but, we are more regulated and in this case, it works.

Nobody can say they love dogs any more than I do and your dilema has been mine in the past. Find a vet to assist you in your decision. They will.

noproblemo2 - 10-26-2009 at 11:28 AM

Is there anyone nearby you could trust to put the treatments on them monthly and feed them regularly if you were to supply the needed items? Frontline is very good for the majority of animals, however if either have certain health issues, it can cause more harm than good. I think we all have seen animals like thses down here, I know we adopted one of them last year, or rather it adopted us and now rules the house.... Good for you for caring!!!!

mulegemichael - 10-26-2009 at 11:30 AM

a puppy wandered into our yard when we were doing jimena cleanup...it had a rope cinched tight around it's neck and it looked like it was starving; skinny, weak, muddy...i cut the rope off and beachgirl started feeding it...in a couple of days the pup was under our feet constantly..we gave her a bath, got her some meds for heartworm and fleas/ticks and she started filling in rapidly...just got the stitches out a couple of days ago cause we took her in and had her "tutored"...now we have a very happy dog at our place...named her zoey...problem is tho, she can jump our side fence and because she is mostly lab and we live on the river she is a mudball most of the time and consequently we are constantly sweeping and mopping our front porch where we like like to socialize and read...so we're presently looking for a good home for her....as a stopgap measure we're having an amigo bring us down an "invisible fence" so she won't roam...if she got hit on the hwy or got poisoned it would break beachgirls heart....any body want a dog?...she already sits, stays, comes, understands "no" and is housebroke...a VERY smart dog?....a soooooo gentle..

Woooosh - 10-26-2009 at 11:48 AM

We have a few neighborhood dogs (we call them perro-chinos) we hit with the ADVANTIX and give food scraps to. They have owners who don't care for them or feed them enough. After one of the dogs improved so much in looks (mange gone, filling out and really beuatiful) he came by one day washed, groomed and with a collar! Once the owners saw how beautiful he became from our care- he took over on his own. Lucky dog. (he still comes by every day as we don't feed food scraps to our labs).

rhintransit - 10-26-2009 at 12:24 PM

the frontline/advantage sounds good and has the advantage of being inobtrusive.
I have found some Mexican 'owners' insulted when I fed snacks/treats to 'pets' who were clearly underfed. one lady told me indignently that 'gringos don't think we feed our dogs' (well...duh in some cases). what I did in that case was to take my bones and scraps to her and ask if she would like them for the dog, and she accepted. if you can find an owner that might be one way to go about it...offering 'left over' dog/cat food when you leave or bones sometimes and dog treats or such that your pet 'doesn't like/won't eat' the spoiled little gringo animal that it is...
saving face may improve the animal's life

DENNIS - 10-26-2009 at 12:47 PM

On the other hand, I feed my dog well and methodically. In spite of that, my neighbors treat her like the neighborhood garbage disposal. One of them even gave her a full course meal on a plate. Like my dog eats carrots. :lol:

Anyway, back to topic. My vet says the Frontline back of neck little squirt thing doesn't work well or at all for ticks. He sells a Frontline spray. I tried to find it at Petco and they had never heard of it. I found and bought it online. PetMeds maybe??
Frontline is relatively expensive but, it's the best.

Osprey - 10-26-2009 at 01:12 PM

Mika, can I sneak a little dog story into your thread?

Tuerto




There’s little crime in this tiny Mexican fishing village so I leave my small fishing boat right on the beach. Couple of months ago I grabbed a cold beer, jumped in my old jeep, went down to see how much sand had blown in, to see if I should bother to clean it out or maybe wait until the wind abated. The sudden and powerful calamity caused by the arrival of the unmufflered smoke-belching jeep blasted a great flock of vultures into the air. Most of the big birds flew just a short distance, landed, faced the challenger, looked as though they had a very good reason to stay close by, stick around a while. My heart stopped when I realized I had interrupted their feast -- a small puppy had been abandoned on the beach. It had tried to hide, to crawl under my boat. It was still alive, bleeding, crying out in pain and fear. As I picked it up I could see the big birds had pecked at one eye, another wound was apparent at the soft, almost silken tissue just inside the right rear leg.

There are no knackeries or slaughterhouses here; no Animal Control Division people, dog pounds or little green and white trucks, no roadkill pickup crews. Whatever creature falls to the earth will be eaten by birds or other animals - a little hide, a few bones the only remnants of the thing’s existence. I couldn’t bear to leave this poor, starving little thing to the vultures. The little guy was more sores than puppy. He looked as though he had mange but later, at the vet’s office in San Jose, we learned it was fungus. The fungus was probably the reason some Mexican family left him on the beach.

Some shots, good food and medicine for the wound, the fungus, medication for the damaged eye has done the trick. The little fella is about six pounds now, no more sores, nice shiny coat, with one eye clouded but moving with the other. One Eye in Spanish is Tuerto so that became his name.

My place is on a bluff so I have a good view of the ocean. I enjoy just lounging under the palm shade on my patio, watching the sun set, drink in hand, listening to classical music. The dog keeps me company, crawls awkwardly over my ample belly to bite and lick my beard, my gray-white moustache hoping to find there a vagrant drop of my sweet Mexican brandy. The puppy’s eyes hold me; they look old, wise, human. At times he sits, stares out over the water as though pondering a complex problem or perhaps searching the horizon for the return of some errant canine navigator known only to him.







The skin of my arms and hands was weathered but evenly tanned, all of one texture before he came onboard. Now I seem to have inherited his sores - not sores really, I am riddled with puncture wounds from his needle-sharp teeth. My blood is very thin from medicine I take and from spending so many years in the tropics. The dog’s eyes sparkle, grow darker when he occasionally draws blood. Perhaps he gets a hint of bile; I have not shared the secret of my chronic liver condition with my family - it’s just a matter of a few more months. I tied up all the loose ends, signed all the estate papers before I left Seattle so my family will have all the security we planned for.

This summer the final prognosis from the doctors, some other things, came into my life that I didn’t cope with very well. The little dog is like a balm. I cannot hold him above the waves, run with him along the shore and stoke the embers of my discontent, my regrets at the same moment. It is my joy to watch him sleep. His dreams evoke spasms, puling. How could he build nightmares from a life of no more than sixty days, most of it spent sleeping or at his mother’s teats? The brief but almost fatal attack on the beach was over in seconds. No, the dreams must be archetypical, loaned to him by all his blood ancestors. A rare and terrible torment, being chased by monsters never before seen or encountered. Starving, killing animals for food, being killed by others for food, mating rights or territory; more horrific, being killed for none of those reasons.

New goals, new challenges at this late date. While I still have a little time I intend to replace the puppy’s nightmares. My wife Marlis, I hope, will someday see the dog full grown, asleep in the comfort of my favorite chair. His new dreams will recall the rich, smokey flavor of bits of steak from my plate, the magic sweetness of a dollop of my shared ice cream dessert. He’ll snore contentedly rather than whine with fear as his puppy dreamwork reruns our roughhousing, beach combing and horizon searching.

While Marlis and my son Kelly are still back in the states I just want to stay active as long as I can. I’ll take the little boat out tomorrow, try to catch some fish, share a few beers with my neighbor Carl.

Went to the beach this morning to see if my launch area is clear of driftwood, checked the boat. The launch area was clear, the boat was filthy - all along the gunnels and seats were big smelly globs of white vulture droppings. It took me an hour to rid the boat of the disgusting goo deposited by the big ugly birds. Funny......they've never done that before.

Woooosh - 10-26-2009 at 01:28 PM

you can buy Advantix (the tix is for ticks) at costco now. Color of retail box reflects weight of dog. about $10/dose. (If you get the "big dog" size you can split it between a few smaller dogs.)

noproblemo2 - 10-26-2009 at 01:34 PM

Osprey, What a beautiful story to share, Thank You....

[Edited on 10-26-2009 by noproblemo2]

rob - 10-26-2009 at 01:48 PM

Here at the ranch we regularly (2-3 times a year for the last 8 years) pick up puppies/adolescents left to die in the desert (or maybe its because they heard the gringos will take them in - double win, get rid of puppy, no bad conscience). So far, we have always managed to find homes for them - usually on rural ranches.

I would NOT follow Dennis' advice - I can't think of a better way to make a mortal local enemy (which are the ones that count) than putting down someone elses dog, no matter what the rationale. Better to ask around and buy it if you are really driven . . .

I speak as a dog lover.

vivaloha - 10-26-2009 at 01:59 PM

Osprey Loved the story too...

back to the topic at hand - to care for and feed or not to care for and feed lonely baja semi owned dogs...

well, here's how we do it. living in condo-land here in gringoville, southern california they do not allow us to have any man's best friends living with us...okay, so we got over that but when in baja its so nice to have a dog around to do all the things a person does in baja...beach walks, cactus cruising, left-over patrol, small time vigilance for curious burros or grabby hands, just the basics of fun with a dog in baja...well, in the spot we hit in baja there is a "ranch" where there are 9 horses, 11 dogs, and a few cats. the ranch folks (one old white man and one old mexican woman) have horse whisperers who come out and work with the horses, ride them, tend them etc...the dogs though, pretty much on their own except for a once a day feeding of who knows really what, but not enough cuz the dogs are skinny, skinny and always hungry...so we started a program of "RENT A DOG" where we adopt a dog each winter for the two months we stay. We feed, play with, pet, and enjoy the dog and he enjoys us and then at the end of our stay we tell him good bye and he / she continues to live his modest ranch lifestyle...

i've cleared it with the ranchers, and the woman said, "just like humans make friends, our dogs make friends with the beach-goers and its completely okay for you guys to enjoy our dog(s) during your stay here...they know where their home is..."

so basically i would advise communication and then work out a "rent-a-dog" situation to add joy to the dog's life...

vivaloha

knuckles - 10-26-2009 at 02:27 PM

Some of the best dogs are camp dogs that go from house to house. We have been lucky in that we have a full time neighbor who loves them as much as we do. Old age has claimed a couple over the years and we miss them as if they were our own. They belonged to no one but themselves and with a little human help, they thrived.

A coordinated effort helps with a proper diet and the expense. Great security guards as they have an inane sense of who is good and bad.

noproblemo2 - 10-26-2009 at 02:42 PM

Just a Dog (Keep a Copy of this with you so the next time someone says "It's Just A Dog" give them the copy...
From time to time, people tell me, "lighten up, it's just a dog," or, "that's a lot of money for just a dog."
They don't understand the distance traveled, the time spent, or the costs involved for "just a dog."

Some of my proudest moments have come about with "just a dog."

Many hours have passed and my only company was "just a dog," but I did not once feel slighted.

Some of my saddest moments have been brought about by "just a dog," and in those days of darkness, the gentle touch of "just a dog" gave me comfort and reason to overcome the day.

If you, too, think it's "just a dog," then you will probably understand phrases like "just a friend," "just a sunrise," or "just a promise."

"Just a dog" brings into my life the very essence of friendship, trust, and pure unbridled joy.

"Just a dog" brings out the compassion and patience that make me a better person.

Because of "just a dog", I will rise early, take long walks and look longingly to the future.

So for me and folks like me, it's not "just a dog" but an embodiment of all the hopes and dreams of the future, the fond memories of the past, and the pure joy of the moment.

"Just a dog" brings out what's good in me and diverts my thoughts away from myself and the worries of the day.

I hope that someday they can understand that it's not "just a dog", but the thing that gives me humanity and keeps me from being "just a man or woman."

So the next time you hear the phrase "just a dog" just smile... because they "just don't understand."

~Author Unknown~

rhintransit - 10-26-2009 at 04:02 PM

thank you Osprey...

BajaNuts - 10-26-2009 at 06:15 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by rob
Here at the ranch we regularly (2-3 times a year for the last 8 years) pick up puppies/adolescents left to die in the desert (or maybe its because they heard the gringos will take them in - double win, get rid of puppy, no bad conscience). So far, we have always managed to find homes for them - usually on rural ranches.

I would NOT follow Dennis' advice - I can't think of a better way to make a mortal local enemy (which are the ones that count) than putting down someone elses dog, no matter what the rationale. Better to ask around and buy it if you are really driven . . .

I speak as a dog lover.




I'm not understanding this post from Rob, but guessing it might be referring to a deleted post?


Thanks for the stories, amigo Osprey. Fiction, non-fiction or a mix of both?


And yes, if it's "just a dog", they're probably "just a jerk".:fire:

bajabass - 10-27-2009 at 06:39 AM

The semi-strays here at the ejido in La Mision love it when we get there. One will distract my new collie puppy Winston, then the others decimate his food. I just kinda turn a blind eye, and smile, knowing they eat well at least once a week!:biggrin:

Osprey - 10-27-2009 at 06:54 AM

Bajanutz, I'm a fiction writer. Basically a liar. One of the best.