Hope For The Animals - Guatemala

Another day of abandoned dogs in Guatemala

2011-09-20T04:03:00.001-06:00

Unfortunately, another day of dumped animals. The little puppies were
abandoned, luckily they can lap a little so don't need bottle feeding,
four little sweeties, and then several kittens were also brought in.

Would anyone like to take home one of these adorable animals?

Spay and Neuter Clinic by Mayan Families in Guatemala

2011-08-12T18:17:00.001-06:00

Last month we held a parade in town in Panajachel.. It was to promote
vaccinating your animal with Rabies vaccine and also to spay and
neuter to reduce the amount of unwanted animals suffering in the
streets.

The parade was a huge success. We held a spay and neuter clinic the
next day and operated on lots of dogs and cats.

The Mayor of San Andres Semebetaj contacted us after the parade and he
asked if we would come and do the same thing in his town.

We were very happy to be able to do that.

On Tuesday we held a large parade with the help of the children from
the elementary school in San Andres and also the children from the
Mayan Families/Mission Guatemala Pre-school in San Andres.

On Wednesday we held the spay and neuter clinic and had 28 mostly dogs
...but a few cats....come along.

The clinic was held at the local community health center. The Mayor
and all the people involved were so helpful.
They have a very big problem with lots of dogs in the streets, we saw
several packs when we first arrived.

We are very happy to help with this problem and wish that we had the
funds to be able to do these clinics daily.

If you would like to help us stop the amount of unwanted animals in
the street and all the terrible suffering that they endure....please
help with a small donation.
It is $25 US for us to spay /neuter an animal. This prevents so much
future suffering.

Mayan Families in Guatemala awarded "The GuideStar Exchange Seal"

2011-06-06T07:37:00.000-06:00

Exciting News! We have just been awarded "The GuideStar Exchange Seal"!
The GuideStar Exchange Seal program is an exclusive list of organizations who have been validated by providing full organization transparency.
As a result our organization becomes a seal holder and can use it to promote Mayan Families as being fraud-free, trust-worthy and safe to do business with.
Here is the link:
http://www2.guidestar.org/organizations/20-8433997/mayan-families.aspx

Bathing Beauties!

2011-05-25T20:49:00.003-06:00

These bathing beauties are ready for a new home! Please donate generously and help us spread the word! No homeless animals. www.mayanfamilies.org
Here are the photos! https://picasaweb.google.com/mayanfamilies/May252011ThePuppiesGetABathErinKokdil?feat=directlink

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More Rescued Puppy photos

2011-05-25T08:37:00.000-06:00

Mayan Families "Hope for the Animals" latest batch of Puppies and Dogs available! Many more to choose from! Cats, Kittens and Adult Dogs also available! All are sterilized with up to date shots!

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Photos of Dogs, Puppies available for adoption!

2011-05-19T11:53:00.000-06:00

Mayan Families "Hope for the Animals" Program has over 40+ Dogs, Puppies, Cats and Kittens available for adoption! We are also building dog house shelters to keep them safe until they get adopted!

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May 14th Clinic, 29+ animals sterilized!

2011-05-17T09:12:00.000-06:00

Mayan Families conducted it's April Clinic on May 14th because the Vet, Dr. Miguel was sick on the originally scheduled day. At this clinic Mayan Families Spayed and Neutered 29+ Dogs, Puppies, Cat and Kittens!

We always have available for adoption, Adult Dogs and Cats, Puppies and Kitten, males and females. Please help Mayan Families "Hope for the Animals" program spread the word!

Puppies available for Adoption!

2011-04-23T15:14:00.000-06:00

Mayan Families has a whole mess of puppies--3 different litters--that are just about old enough to go to good homes. They come fixed, vaccinated, and well socialized with other dogs and people. Just send me a message or comment on the picture if you want more info, in general or about a particular puppy. I'm going to put up a few more puppies periodically until they're all on here (I think there are 9 total). Two of the moms are street dogs, (one has a home that wouldn't care for the puppies), but all three are great with people.

Please adopt a Guatemalan Dog, Puppy, Cat or Kitten!

2011-04-11T09:50:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone,

Please adopt a Guatemalan Dog, Puppy, Cat or Kitten! Ask us how by e-mailing Dwight at dwight@mayanfamilies.org

They will be spayed/Neutered and have had their shots!

Thank you for helping save the life of a Dog, Cat, Puppy or Kitten!

Clinic news

2011-04-11T09:48:00.002-06:00

Caroline, thank you so much! This is so nice of you. It is a big job and it takes a lot of us to get it done each month but when we first started I had to bribe people to come by giving them a pair of shoes or a t.shirt or something, now we don't have to do that, and people come willingly. That I feel is amazing and is due to a lot of the education classes that we do at the schools. Helen goes to schools 2-3 times a week and gives talks to children about how to treat animals and how to look after them and encourages people to bring their dogs and cats to spay and neuter.

I wish we could afford to spread this program further but it is so hard to come up with the funds for it. We have people from all over Guatemala asking us to come there and do clinics.

I got a complaint from someone the other day when I posted on Facebook about all the dogs and cats we have that are needing a home. I jokingly said that the dogs were all bilingual and that they could go to the U.S. and Canada....she took a lot of offense at this and said that when children are starving we shouldn't be promoting the animals. It is a fine line because I know that a lot of people will feel the same way but we are not going to stop.....as animal lovers you just can't . The suffering is too much and while we are just a drop in the bucket, we will keep on dropping!!! :)

Thanks for your encouragement!

abrazos,

Sharon

From a Nashua classroom to a Mayan burial pit - NashuaTelegraph.com

2011-04-11T05:42:00.000-06:00

From a Nashua classroom to a Mayan burial pit - NashuaTelegraph.com

Spay and Neuter Clinic

2011-04-10T16:10:00.000-06:00

I was just looking through the photo album for the last spay/neuter clinic, when 43 pets were spayed or neutered in one day. First, photos #102 and #117 should win some photo contest!! - in the first one, the little boy holding his puppy who has just been brought home from the clinic, sporting a new collar that I am sure is courtesy of Mayan Families, is just precious! Likewise the second one, with the two puppies nestled in a lady's arm, one pup with his paws wrapped around the other's neck. Priceless!

I also wanted to say, as an animal lover, former vet tech and having worked a lot in rescue, how incredible it is that Mayan Families and the veterinary staff can consistently pull this off every month. I mean, it's not just the 43 surgeries, but the pickup and drop off of the animals - not always so easy as the photos show ie some dogs having to be captured, some wearing muzzles, and one person's apparent bite wound - the dog food and collars given to the owners, wow! There is another photo of the vet or maybe vet tech with sweat pouring off his face and his scrubs soaking wet - that is hard work!

I still hope to plan a trip around a clinic sometime soon, but in the meantime I just wanted to say again how incredibly important this is not just to the animals (both to save them from horrible deaths by poisoning and the overpopulation issue) but to people, from a public health standpoint. Thanks to you and everyone connected with Mayan Families that make this possible. How I wish it were so in other parts of Guatemala!

Caroline

2011-03-01T09:48:00.000-06:00

Here are some photos of our February 2011 Sterilization clinic! We were able to do 43 dogs and cats!

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National Spay Day 2011

2011-02-23T08:56:00.002-06:00

Hi, everyone,
Today is the U.S.'s national Spay Day 2011. Organizations all over the world
are joining in and they can have their own Spay Day at any time. Sharon
recently posted about an upcoming spay/neuter clinic. I'm sending out a
challenge to all animal lovers on the list, to donate to spay or neuter one pet
or street animal, or to have one vaccinated. Last year over 50,000 animals were
spayed or neutered on Spay Day and this is the 17th year of the program.

I've told Sharon many times, that nowhere in Guatemala are the dogs and cats as
prosperous as they are in Panajachel and surrounding villages, and it's all
thanks to Mayan Families' spay/neuter programs. Even if you're not an animal
lover, the benefits of participating are far-reaching for public health and
safety ie rabies prevention and keeping poison meant for dogs off the street and
also out of the hands and mouths of unsuspecting children.

Someone correct me if I am wrong, please but I believe that $25.00 will spay or
netuer a dog or cat and $5.00 will sponsor their vaccinations. Go here to
donate: www.mayanfamilies.org/DonateNow If you want to sponsor a dog or cat
in memory of a beloved pet, you can do that too.

For more information on Spay Day, go here:
http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/spay_day/

And if I can put in a plug for this - if you're thinking of adding a pet to your
family, please consider adopting from a local shelter or animal rescue group, or
even from Mayan Families! Yes, they ship! To paraphrase a Humane Society
slogan: "Until there are no more unwanted pets dying in shelters or on the
streets - UNTIL THERE ARE NONE, ADOPT ONE!"

A look back at this wonderful Program and all of the Animals it has saved!

2011-02-14T21:51:00.000-06:00

A look back at many years of helping animals!
This is from 2009!

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Stop the Poisoning!

2011-02-12T12:35:00.001-06:00

These are photos of dogs that were poisoned. Plus photos of the free medical clinic!

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1st ever Animal Rights March, Parade and Rally in Guatemala City!

2011-01-31T09:00:00.001-06:00

Mayan Families made history on Sunday January-30-2011 by being a part of the 1st ever, 1st Annual Animal Rights March and Rally in Guatemala City! We had 10 people come along with us and we joined thousands in the March and Rally! This was the first Rally and Protest of this size for Animal Rights! Numerous small groups were in attendance, however, only Mayan Families, as a group, was invited to speak up on stage! Our Indigenous Mayan representatives, Rosa, her friends and family got up on the stage that moments before had a popular Guatemalan Rock Group Playing to the adoring fans and she spoke to the crowd in Spanish to great woofs, cat calls and loud applause! Rosa, our spokesperson and Mayan Families were later interviewed on Guatemala local T.V. and by the Presna Libre Newspaper!

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Poisoned dog in Panajachel.

2010-12-04T10:42:00.000-06:00

Yesterday afternoon we saw this poor, young dog struggling to get up out of the drainage ditch, it was frothing at the mouth.
We immediately assumed that the dog had been poisoned.
Quickly, we picked it up and put it in the back of the pick up, getting to the vet's in just a few minutes.
The vet immediately started pumping out the dog's stomach.......and by late yesterday afternoon the dog was beginning to recover.
We don't know if it will totally recover or whether it will continue with the spasms and therefore have to be put down.

This is the second poisoning in a few days. One of our own dogs got out of the yard and was poisoned. Unfortunately, we did not find her in time and she died.

It is a horrible, long , painful death.

This is one of the reasons that we do the spay and neuter clinics so that less dogs and cats will have to suffer terrible fates like this.

Oso finds a home in Guatemala!

2010-11-10T22:21:00.000-06:00

Oso is a young female puppy...about 5 months old.
She was found on the street when she was very little and in very bad condtion.
She has lived at Mayan Families ever since. She is a lovely dog, very loving and happy.
Today she found a family! I hope that they will love her and give her a good life.
I wish all the dogs here could find a family to love them. But it is impossible and that is the reason that we are so active in encouraging people to spay and neuter their dogs and cats. It is so hard to find homes for them , good homes are even harder to find.
It costs us $20 US to spay and neuter a dog or cat.
If you would like to help, please go to www.mayanfamilies.org and go to the donate now link....
thanks!

Fluffy finds a home in Guatemala!

2010-11-09T10:23:00.001-06:00

Little Fluffy was one of three kittens abandoned at our door a few weeks ago. She was the littlest of the bunch and a sweet, sweet little kitty.

She has now found a new home! But her two sisters , Champagne and Blankita are still waiting.
They are beautiful kittens and we hope that they will find a loving home soon.

We also have a very affectionate calico kitten who wants a home and just a few days ago we had five brand new kittens still with their umbilical chords attached. We are now bottle feeding them.

Spaying and neutering is our only means to combat the overpopulation of cats and dogs and we are actively doing this every month but we need to help to reduce the amount of unwanted animals and the terrible suffering that they endure. Just $20 US will pay to spay or neuter a dog or cat.....if you can, please help.
http://www.mayanfamilies.org/DonateNow
and nominate your payment for the Animal program.
Thanks!

Doña Rosa

2010-10-22T13:13:00.002-06:00

Like many Pana women, Doña Rosa spends a lot of time torteando (making tortillas)--she has 16 very hungry canine mouths to feed. Pana has a huge population of stray dogs, and Doña Rosa is doing more than her part to solve the problem: she keeps 8 dogs in her house, and feeds and brings water to another 8 street dogs every day. “People don’t feed the dogs here,” she says, explaining why she spends so much time and money caring for them, “but they feel hungry, thirsty, and cold, the same as us.”

Doña Rosa, who is 55 and indigenous Maya, sells tipica in the street, but tourism has been down and business has been bad. Her husband, Don Julian, who is 67, works 3 days a week as a gardener, and sews little drawstring bags for sale in Mexico. Money is tight, and they often can’t afford dog food, which is quite expensive here in Pana, so Doña Rosa feeds them tortilla and salt. Even that, though, has been expensive, since the price of corn went up.

Doña Rosa needs support to continue her work with Pana’s dogs. She doesn’t like to ask for help from Mayan Families, she explains, because she knows that they have many other projects and people to help and operate on limited money. She told us that she would depend instead on God and patience to help her in her efforts to protect the dogs here in Pana. We’d like to find a sponsor to help Doña Rosa with the cost of dog food, so she can keep providing food for the 16 dogs that depend on her.

Cat back home in Solola, Guatemala.

2010-08-24T19:02:00.001-06:00

This feral cat was released today back in Solola. She had three newborn kittens in one of the govt. offices and they were going to throw the kittens in the street and poison the mama cat. Fortunately, the secretary is an animal lover and called us to help save the kittens. We picked up the kittens and the next day went back with a feral trap and caught the mother.

She has quite the story to tell the other cats now. How she was kidnapped by aliens, they stole her babies when they were six weeks old ( we were lucky to find homes for the three kittens....two with Peace corp people) and how she was fed strange food ( canned cat food and dried cat food. ) , then she was operated on so that there would be no more kittens and then transported in a strange contraption back to where we found her. She was so wild that I never really saw what she looked like but Joel and Samuel told me that when they opened the cage door, she ran out fast and didn't look back!

Cristina falls in love!

2010-08-16T07:21:00.000-06:00

10 days ago while riding in a tuk tuk I saw this tiny little puppy shivering on the side of the road. She had obviously been dumped there and she was just terrified. I stopped the tuk tuk and picked her up.
I had an appointment to get to and saw fellow animal lover, Cristina on the street. I asked her if she would mind this little puppy for me for a few hours. Well........Cristina fell in love with this little shivering puppy and they now go everywhere together.
This puppy was lucky but we have so many more who aren't. This is why we do the spay and neuter clinics every month so that there will be less puppies abandoned to suffer on the street. It costs just $20 US for us to spay or neuter an animal.

Toulouse and Charlie.

2010-08-04T20:22:00.000-06:00

Toulouse, one of the cats that we raised by hand and bottle fed after he was thrown into the trash can when he was just a day old....is returning the favour and caring for a new little kitten, Charlie, who was found abandoned on the main street. Charlie is a real character, his markings give him a moustache and beard. He is available for adoption if anyone would love to have a beautiful little kitten with a ton of character.
Our animal spay and neuter clinic is held once a month and we are always glad when cats are brought into be sterilized. We have seen so many little kittens tossed in the trash or thrown onto the street.
It is just $20US to sponsor an animal to be spayed or neutered and it stops a lot of future suffering.

Dog rescue.....

2010-08-01T07:01:00.000-06:00

This poor dog was chained to the fence and left all day on the street. He had nothing to eat or drink. He was first spotted around 8.am. but he would not let anyone get near him to unchain him. Eventually, we received a call for help and Dwight went down around 4pm. to try and get him released. Dwight and Samuel were able to use the capture pole to secure him while they unchained him from the fence. Unfortunately, they could not get the chain off him and he left running, still draggin the chain after him. Someone had deliberately chained him to the fence on the street. It was not a private house, it was a vacant lot. We wish him luck on the streets.

Dog of the week to help Mayan Families Hope for the Animals in Guatemala!

2010-07-07T07:20:00.000-06:00

Caroline Tiffin, Guatemalan people and animal lover , wrote to tell us that her sister's dog, Spike , won the competition for Dog of the Week at www.dogspurpose.com and the money that he won from this competition will be donated to the Mayan Families program.....Hope for the Animals......
This donation will enable three dogs or cats to be spayed /neutered and will stop a lot of future suffering!

Thank you so much to Caroline and her sister.....Congratulations to Spike!!! Thank you to everyone who voted and thank you to everyone who looks for ways to help. There is so much need and so many different ways that people can help.

Puppies currently for adoption

2010-07-06T11:27:00.005-06:00

Each of these adorable puppies (from numerous different litters) will be spayed or neutered and vaccinated free of charge before being given away to a loving home! Contact Mayan Families for more information about each individual dog.

Puppies currently for adoption

2010-07-06T10:07:00.002-06:00

These are some of the puppies that we have that are currently available for adoption.
This little black and white cutie has found a home!

Muñeca

2010-06-24T12:46:00.003-06:00

"Muñeca" is a one-eyed, female chihuahua mix. This extremely sweet and loyal dog is spayed and free to a good, loving home!

Tabby kitten for adoption

2010-06-22T15:28:00.003-06:00

"P.K." is a long-haired tabby kitten who is desperate for a loving home. This sweet, gentle kitten who longs for affection is free to a good home, and will be spayed/neutered before its adoption date at no cost!

For adoption

2010-06-22T14:39:00.009-06:00

"Cali" is a rare breed of kitten, and only about two months old. She's a tiny, sweet kitten who needs a home full of love and attention. Before the adoption, Mayan Families will pay for her to be spayed. Cali is free to a good home.

"Cali" es una rara especie de gatito, and sólo dos meses de edad. Es un pequeño, dulce gatito que necesita un hogar lleno de amor y atención. Antes de la adopción, Familias Mayas pagará por ella para ser esterilizados. Cali es libre de un buen hogar.

German Shepherd in Guatemala City

2010-06-22T09:29:00.004-06:00

This dog was found in the streets of Guatemala City and is in desperate need of a home. For more information, contact Magda Mejicanos at magdamejicanos@yahoo.com.

Calicat in Guatemala.

2010-06-21T21:30:00.000-06:00

This is little Calicat sleeping in my muddy shoe. Calicat and her sibling were brought to us when they were about 24 hours old. We bottle fed them and gave them all the care we could but still Calicat's sibling did not make it.
But Calicat is like a miniature kitten. She is now probably 2 months old but is so tiny. She is such a sweet kitten....we are looking for a home for her but it has to be a special home where she will be loved and looked after.

She is the 9th little kitten that was brought to us in a very short period of time. We are really encouraging people to spay and neuter their cats at our monthly clinic so that little kittens like Cali do not die a horrible, slow death being left in a trash can.

April Clinic in Guatemala.

2010-04-29T06:54:00.001-06:00

We held another successful monthly spay and neuter clinic in Panajachel last Saturday.
24 dogs and 1 cat were operated on.
One dog was turned away because it was too underweight. We sent it home with food and hope that it will be heavier by next month.
Dogs came from as far away as San Andres and El Barranco.
Thank you everyone who has donated to help make these clinics such a success.
With these 25 animals spayed and neutered there will be a lot less unwanted puppies and kittens.

Our next clinic will be held the last Saturday of May.

Two little puppies!

2010-04-24T14:59:00.000-06:00

These two little cuties were abandoned outside one rainy night. We found out that all the other puppies in the litter died. They are looking for a good loving home. They will be spayed /neutered and vaccinated ......anyone looking for a loving friend ???

When the family is Malnourished, so is their dog!

2010-04-19T17:52:00.004-06:00

Wwe are asking for your help to get this dog into our Hope for the Animals Program, sponsorship costs just $25 and we will get it fed, spayed or neutered and all of it's shots brought up to date. Please pass this onto anyone you know on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Ning or Linked-In.
Thanks!

Another dog being helped!

2010-04-13T22:09:00.000-06:00

We got a phone call that there was a dog that had collapsed on the street and couldn't get up. We always respond to these calls and try to relieve as much suffering as possible.
The person who called thought the dog had collapsed because she was so weak from hunger and illness. But we discovered that the dog had two very badly burned front paws that were very infected.
This poor dog must have gone through so much pain.
We took him to the vet. clinic and Andrea treated him with antibiotics, pain killers and a drip.
It will be a while before we can put this dog back on the street.
We are very grateful for donations that help us to be able to treat badly wounded dogs like this.
Unfortunately, we do not have enough donations and we always need more help.
If you would like to help, please consider donating through our web page, www.mayanfamilies.org Any amount, no matter how small will help.

Poor boy in Solola.

2010-03-27T21:36:00.001-06:00

This dog is a street dog that was spotted by a Mayan Families staff member. They brought him to the vet. It looks like someone has hit him with a machete. A common injury for animals unfortunately in Guatemala.
We had him treated with medications and had to release him back to the streets. There was a family nearby that liked him and we hope that he wil find a loving home.

So many great dogs and so few homes. It is one of the reasons that we continue our monthly spay and neuter clinics in the hopes that less dogs will have to suffer in the future.

Your donations to our animal project " Hope for the Animals" enables us to treat dogs like this one and so many more.

Mayan Families Guatemala monthly Spay and Neuter Clinic success!

2010-03-07T13:34:00.004-06:00

The February 2010 Mayan Families "Hope for the Animals" Spay and Neuter Clinic was a big success! We were able to Spay or Neuter 48 dogs and cats this month! Please help us spread the word!

Dumped and lost Kittens in Guatemala

2010-03-03T14:37:00.004-06:00

These 3 little kittens were dumped in the trash here in Panajachel, Guatemala. A women found them an brought them to Mayan Families because we are the only organization here in the Lake Atitlan region currently able to care for them!
We think they were a day old when we got them. Twelve days later they are still alive and growing!
Please help us spread the word about the work that Mayan Families "Hope for the Animals" project does here in Panajachel, Guatemala. Please visit
http://mayanfamilies.org/AnimalWelfare

Three little kittens in Guatemala.

2010-03-02T06:52:00.000-06:00

This is what I have been doing in my spare time! These three little kittens were thrown into a trash can when they were probably a day old. A kind woman found them in the trash can, wrapped them in fabric , put them in a box and brought them to us.

I had little hope that they would survive but now 2 weeks later they are all still alive and putting on weight.

Thanks to Caroline Tiffin for bringing baby kitten bottles and kitten formula to us from the U.S. ...it has made a huge difference to them.

They are not out of the woods yet but they now have their eyes open, they purr as soon as I pick them up to feed them.

We have tried not to become attached to them but they are so sweet! We hope that we will be able to find good homes for them.

Anyone want to take a cat home with them ?

Rasta from Mayan Families Guatemala wants a new home

2010-02-27T14:28:00.002-06:00

This is Rasta and she is prettier than these pictures show. Rasta is a female, short hair who is available from Mayan Families "Hope for the Animals" Program here in Panajachel, Guatemala. For more information please e-mail sharon@mayanfamilies.org
You can also visit us at www.mayanfamilies.org

Luna, a sweet puppy from Guatemala is available for adoption!

2010-02-27T14:19:00.003-06:00

This wonderful puppy is a short hair shepherd mix named Luna. She was a rescued dog through our Hope for the Animals Program! For just $25 a month, less than a dollar a day you can help us to Spay and Neuter hundreds of animals. Luna is available for adoption. Please contact sharon@mayanfamilies.org for details. Please visit www.mayanfamilies.org

Coco, a beautiful puppy needs your love!

2010-02-25T17:24:00.003-06:00

This is Coco who is one of the many puppies that we currently had available for adoption! She has found a new home. Hurry for the pick of the litter. We have puppies, teen aged dogs and adults available! Short and long haired, all are neutered or spayed! Please contact us at sharon@mayanfamilies.org for further information!

Sierra is hoping for a new home and a fresh start

2010-02-25T17:13:00.003-06:00

Sierra is a young female, short hair with a friendly and loving personality!

She is good with other dogs or by herself.

She is just one of the many puppies that we currently have available for adoption! Please contact us at sharon@mayanfamilies.org for further information!

Blankita needs a new home

2010-02-25T16:53:00.002-06:00

This is Blankita, she is a young puppy who my daughter thinks will be a cocker spaniel. I don't think so, but you never know.

Sweet disposition and available right now.

This is one of the 14 puppies that we currently have available for adoption! Please contact us at sharon@mayanfamilies.org for further information!

Vacita is available for adoption!

2010-02-25T15:37:00.004-06:00

Hi, Here is a photo blog of most of the puppies that we currently have available for adoption! Please contact us at sharon@mayanfamilies.org for further information!

This is Vacita, she is a beautiful young puppy, short hair, female who loves to play!

She was rescued from the street.

Louie and Brownie.

2009-11-30T22:09:00.000-06:00

Our daughter, Zoe with Louie , the one eyed cat and Brownie , a little puppy that was rescued off the road, late at night. It was a very cold night and little Brownie probably would not have survived the night alone.
Brownie is a very cute little girl and we are looking for a home for her.
Louie is a kitten that Zoe picked up in the pouring rain, he had two other siblings . The two siblings had already lost their eyes to conjunctivitis. We had to put them down. Louie lost one eye but his other eye is doing very well. Anyone want a beautiful black and white, one eyed kitten ?

Little Brown puppy.

2009-11-30T22:06:00.000-06:00

This puppy had been found by its owner in a plastic bag in the trash can.
The little girl brought it home but the family being very poor did not have enough money to feed it.
We saw the puppy, heard the story and donated food to the family to give to the puppy.
They are hoping that we can vaccinate the little puppy and will be able to continue giving him food until he is stronger.

Any donations towards the animal project, Hope for the Animals ....to help the animals in the highlands in Guatemala is very gratefully received!

It is just $20 US to spay and neuter a dog or cat so that this kind of suffering does not continue.

Mayan Families releases injured dog.

2009-11-13T04:27:00.000-06:00

This big black, fluffy dog was released yesterday afternoon on the shores of Lake Atitlan, Guatemala. He was injured last Saturday when a heavy pole fell down on him. We were afraid he had spinal injuries. He was unable to move.

But after receiving treatment from the vet. Miguel de Leon, and kept at the clinic for five days, he is now back moving, no longer appearing to be in pain, he has been neutered and we released him back where he was found.

We gave him a meal of dried dog food before leaving him where we had picked him up.

He has the feel of a dog that probably has a home somewhere. I hope he does. He is a lovely boy who was very happy to be free again.

Injured dog.

2009-11-12T03:47:00.000-06:00

Saturday afternoon we received a call that there was an injured dog at the lakeside. He was unable to move. Carlos and Roberto from Mayan Families went down to pick him up.
We found out that he had been hit by a falling pole. We were concerned that he had spinal injuries .

After taking him to Dr. Miguel de Leon's veterinarian clinic, we found that he did not have any broken bones or permanent damage but was in a lot of pain and shock. We have had him at the vet . clinic since and he will be able to be released today.

We don't know if he has an owner but at least he will be released back on the street in better condition. He will be neutered and has been fed for the past few days.

His beautiful sad face speaks volumes about how hard life is on the street for a dog.

Andre.

2009-11-07T07:33:00.001-06:00

Andre, a young male dog from San Andres was found on the street. Berta, who works for Mayan Families thought he had been hit in the eye. But Andre had an eye infection that is now caused a lot of damage to his eye.

We have been putting drops in his eyes getting him ready for his surgery. He will have to have the eye removed this coming week. We will also neuter him and vaccinate him. After that , unfortunately, we will have to put him back on the street. We just don't have any homes for him and we don't have the space to keep him.

Andre is not happy about being here and has been crying for days. He is a very mellow boy and we hope that he will be in much better shape when he leaves here.

We need just $50 US to be able to cover his medical needs.
Please help us to help him.

September spay and neuter clinic i

2009-10-25T06:29:00.000-06:00

On the last Saturday of every month, we hold a spay and neuter clinic.
We do this at the clinic of Dr. Miguel de Leon , Clinic Mascota Zoo in Panajachel, Guatemala.
It is open to everyone to bring along their dog or cat to be spayed or neutered.
We have dogs and cats come from Panajachel but also the neighboring villages.
Animals arrive in all sorts of ways, carried in a flour bag, wrapped in towels, tied up in the back of pick ups.

For the September clinic we were very lucky to have Susan volunteer with us. Susan is visiting from the U.S. and she brought along her student, Marla who she sponsors through Mayan Families.

Marla wants to be a vet. when she grows up and this was a great experience for her.

This clinic we spayed and neutered 34 dogs and cats.

Each clinic is attended by last year students from University of San Carlos in Guatemala City.
They come to get hands on experience working in a clinic. It is a wonderful opportunity for the students and it is a great help for Dr. Miguel and Mayan Families.

In exchange for this opportunity they bring a big bag of dried dog food .
This dog food is then divided into small bags and we give each person who has brought an animal to be operated on, a bag to take home to help the dog recover its strength after the operation.

Some of the dogs are very emaciated and we have to send food home and ask the owner to feed the dog and then next month bring it back to be operated.

We also collect homeless dogs off the street, operate on them, vaccinate them and then return them to the street. The technique that is being used to spay and neuter is from the Mckee foundation in Costa Rica. It is very non invasive. The dogs need just one shot of antibiotics before they go home and they are usually perfectly fine.

This makes it so much easier to spay and neuter street dogs . The method we were using before , the animals had to have antibiotics for 10 days. Even if the dogs had owners it was very difficult to make sure that the owners would give the dogs their medications.

If you would like to sponsor a dog or cat to be spayed or neutered...it is $20 US , if you would like to include a vaccination, it is another $10 US.
If you would like to make a donation in honor of a beloved pet, we would be happy to put a photo and notice on our website.

Our next clinic is on October 31st.

Veterinarians and vet. techs are always welcome to come and volunteer.

Tripod ...the three legged dog.

2009-10-24T15:32:00.000-06:00

Tripod is a dog that was hit by a vehicle and his front leg was damaged beyond repair.
We had to have his leg amputated and he spent a long time at the vet. clinic recuperating.
We had hoped to find a home for Tripod but unfortunately no-one ever wanted him.
He now lives on the street, every morning he is back at the vet. office and Dr. Miguel feeds him.
Mayan Families also feeds him. Roberto from Mayan Families is feeding him dried dog food.
I am always concerned that Tripod will not be able to move fast enough to move out of the way of vehicles on the road. So far ...he is doing o.k. but if anyone wants to adopt a very sweet boy, please think about him. He is neutered and vaccinated.

Blancita

2009-10-22T18:59:00.000-06:00

Blancita was brought to us when she was about two months old. The owners wanted to spay her...which we did.....then we waited for them to come back. It took them three months but they finally came back today and took her to live in their village in Pena Blanca.

We hope Blancita will be happy living back in the village.

The family was very happy to see how big and strong she is now.

Sandy finds a home.

2009-10-16T18:15:00.000-06:00

Sandy is one of 5 puppies that were found on the street.
We have kept her for several weeks, vaccinated her, she will be spayed in two weeks time .
Today she was lucky to find a new home.
This family has a house with a large garden and they have a labrador there but the dog is lonely so they have taken Sandy home to keep her company.

One of the five died shortly after arriving in our care.
One was very lucky and went to Canada.
Sandy found a home today .
There are two more little ones that need a home. One boy and one girl.

These are really sweet dogs!

Humane Ed. classes in Guatemala.

2009-10-13T06:53:00.000-06:00

Every week , Helen , who is the director of the Hope for the Animals program , spends at least three days a week at the schools, talking to children, showing them videos from World Society Protection of Animals...which Mayan Families, Hope for the Animals...is a member.

These classes are so important to teach children respect for animals and along with that respect for human life.

These classes have a simple message but it is one that most of these children have never heard. It is that animals need ..and deserve to have, food, water, shelter and to be treated with affection and respect.

Helen talks to the children about using collars and leashes...which Mayan Families gives to dogs when they are brought into be spayed. We really appreciate any donations that will help us to be able to continue to give out collars. Otherwise dogs are tied up with rope or in some cases, wire. Just this week I saw a dog that had been tied with wire around its neck, the whole throat was lacerated and the dog was in terrible shape.

In these classes we also spread the word about bringing their dogs and cats to the monthly clinic to be spayed or neutered.

These clinics are free and we encourage people to make a donation if they are able to help with the costs.

To spay or neuter an animal it is $20 US , to also include a vaccination against distemper and parvo virus, it is $30. Mayan Families vaccinates each dog who comes to the clinic with a free rabies shot.

Two Cute Little Faces

2009-10-02T16:30:00.000-06:00

This little puppy was dropped off at our door yesterday. She is only about three weeks old.Our daughter, Aleeya has become her surrogate mother. Our older daughter, Zoe called her Chocolat.Chocolat will be spayed, vaccinated and we hope we can find a loving home for her.Dogs can be shipped to the U.S, there is no quarrantine but the dogs do have to have all their vaccinations and paperwork.If you would like to have this cute puppy in your house, we would love to send her!Please consider sponsoring a dog to be spayed so that we can reduce the number of unwanted animals and the suffering that they endure.

The Guatemalan September Animal Clinic

2009-09-30T13:56:00.000-06:00

These adorable faces below were also very anxious but they are now all doing well.
They are in a big fenced area that we have for puppies. We have homes for three of these little puppies when they are bigger. We need to spay and neuter them, there are four girls and one boy. There were two other puppies but we couldn't find them.

The mother dog was very worried about her puppies and were they were going.

We unfortunately, were not able to get the mother dog to spay. She is a street dog and doesn't trust people and was not going to let herself be captured.

This is the new community of Xecotoj. It is a housing community that was built by the govt. for people who lost their homes in Hurricane Stan in 2005.

Saturday 26th we had our monthly spay and neuter clinic to reduce the population of unwanted animals here in the Solola area of Guatemala.

Here Mayan Families employees are helping collect animals from houses that have asked to have their dogs spayed or neutered.
Jonathon below is a sponsored Mayan Families student who is in our skills program.
He is very involved with the animals and helps run the monthly spay and neuter clinics.
Here he is collecting unwanted puppies from Xecotoj. The mother dog had the puppies and they are now just running around the streets.

Maria is the mother of one of our sponsored students....Maria is a single mother who loves her two dogs but could never afford to have them spayed without the help of Mayan Families.
This is her second dog that she has had spayed and she is so happy that now she will not have a horde of male dogs coming into her yard and will not have puppies that she cannot afford to feed.

We had several cats come along to be operated. Some come in bags and some come in boxes!

Pedro who is the Mayan Families Tuk Tuk driver is a new convert to having an animal spayed. He brought his cousin's dog from San Marcos , a village on the lake, he then took him home and is caring for him for two days before the dog takes the boat trip back to the village. Pedro also adopted a cat this week.

This young girl brought her two puppies to be spayed and neutered.

This woman is a widow and now a single mother, she is so happy to have her dog spayed. She loves her dog but she could not afford to have this operation nor could she feed more puppies.

Rosa, who volunteers with Mayan Families for the animal project, Hope for the Animals, brought several widows with their dogs. Rosa talks to many people in the community and encourages them to spay and neuter their animals. Rosa also feeds many stray street dogs and brings them for medical care when needed. She recently brought a dog in that had been run over and was screaming in pain. Unfortunately, we had to put him down his back legs had been severely injured and he would not be able to walk again. If it had not been for Rosa, he probably would have laid in the street for several days in terrible pain before he died.

This other woman who is another animal lover, shared with us the horrific story of her neighbors who buried new born puppies alive. She talked to the young boy who had buried the puppies and tried to explain to him that this was not the right thing to do. The family has moved away from the village or else we would have sent Helen, our project manager to talk to them and explain that this kind of treatment of animals is against the law and that they could be fined. Admittedly, it is a very tiny fine but at least they will know that there could be some repurcussions

Little Louie

2009-09-23T08:48:00.000-06:00

Louie, the one eyed kitty is the only one that survived of three kittens.

Louie is a an adorable kitten and our daughter, Aleeya loves him and is giving him lots of cuddles and love while he is waiting for his surgery.

Louie's bad eye is infected and we are giving him antibiotic drops 6 times a day.
We are hoping that he will be able to put on enough weight to have his operation. At the moment, Louie only weights 1lb 1oz...he needs to gain at least another 2lb to be able to survive the operation. The problem is that Louie is in danger of the infection causing meningitis in his brain.

We are keeping our fingers crossed that he will stay healthy until he is able to be operated.

Louis is part of our animal program.....please donate to help animals like Louie.

Distemper.

2009-09-17T08:06:00.000-06:00

This is Sylvia who works at the Veterinarian clinic. She is holding the body of a young pup , about 4 months old that we had to put down yesterday. His owners brought him to us saying that they couldn't keep him at the house any longer. We sent him immediately to Dr. Miguel's and found out that she had distemper. She was suffering a lot and there was nothing else to be done but put her down.

We would love to be able to vaccinate against distemper and parvo virus but we need more funds.

If you can afford to spay or neuter an animal it is only $20 US.
If you can afford to vaccinate , it is just $10 US more.

Please help us to help the animals.

Lucky Linda!

2009-09-17T08:04:00.000-06:00

Linda is a 6 month old "Mayan Terrier" who we have had at Mayan Families in Guatemala for approx the last three months.
She is spayed and vaccinated and was waiting for a family to love her.
Catherine fell in love with Linda yesterday and took her home.
We are so happy that Linda has found a loving home!
Thank you Catherine!

Little cutie.

2009-09-15T07:13:00.000-06:00

This is the last puppy in the litter of 6 that we were lucky enough to find homes for.

He has gone to his new family in San Pedro la Laguna. He is already vaccinated, neutered and ready to have a great life!

Life for him would have been much different if he had been thrown in the trash and taken to the dump as the people in the market wanted to do to him and his siblings.

This month the spay and neuter clinic will be held on September 26th.

We will hopefully have at least 30 dogs and cats to spay and neuter.

It is only a drop in the bucket but it makes a huge difference to the lives of the cats and dogs that are spayed and neutered and it makes a huge difference to the number of puppies being abandoned and dumped on the streets next puppy season.

Puppies finding homes!

2009-09-11T19:15:00.000-06:00

These two puppies were part of the litter that we rescued from the market in Panajachel.
The mother, a street dog, had given birth underneath the staircase at the market and the puppies were a nuisance.

It was decided that on Sunday the puppies would be thrown into the trash truck and taken to the dump and that the mother would be poisoned.
One of the women who works at the market, is the mother of one of our sponsored students and she felt very sorry for the mother and pups. She called us asking if we could rescue them .

We went down the afternoon before they were set to be thrown away and brought them back to the pre-school. They have been in an enclosure and have grown very fat and healthy. They have all been spayed and neutered and vaccinated.

They have brought so much joy to the children at the pre-school and we have been showing the children there what is the correct way to treat a puppy and how they need love, food and shelter.

Out of the six puppies , we have only one left and the mama dog.

Humane Education Classes.

2009-09-09T12:29:00.000-06:00

Helen, who recently retired from the Health center after 23 yrs ,is now working with Mayan Families.
Helen, an animal lover is giving the children classes in Humane Education .
She is using material we received from the World Society Protection of Animals. They have given us some wonderful videos . The kids keep asking to watch the videos again and again!

Poisoning.

2009-09-09T12:16:00.000-06:00

These three dogs were poisoned overnight. The city council no longer poisons dogs in part because of the help that Mayan Families is giving by spaying and neutering dogs every month to reduce the amount of animals in the street.

These poor dogs were poisoned by someone throwing poison indiscriminately.

It is very sad to see because we know how much these dogs must have suffered before they died.

Unfortunately, poisoning is a common form of ridding the streets of dogs. We are fortunate that the Muni in Panajachel has stopped this barbaric practice.

We hope that the classes in Humane Education that we are giving three times a week in schools will help to educate the children that this is not the way to treat animals.

Rescued kittens.

2009-08-27T19:05:00.000-06:00

Our 14yr old daughter, Zoe found this little kitten on the road. It was just about to be run over.
She brought it home and we bathed its little eyes, fed it a little milk.
Zoe went back down and found a second little kitten in almost the same area, she brought this one home, it had one eye hanging out. We sent them both to the vet. Miguel.
He had to put the second one down and is hoping that the first one, though blind in one eye, may survive.
Zoe and her father then went back to the same area and found yet another little kitten , in worse shape than the first two. This one had no eyes. The vet. Miguel later told us that someone had to have gouged these eyes out.

We will go back to the area tomorrow and try and find the home that these kittens were living in. We will talk to whoever lives there and find out who would do such a thing. There is not much that can be done but we will do all that we can to make sure that people know that this is not something that should be allowed or tolerated.

Our spay and neuter clinic is on Saturday. Spaying and Neutering is the best way we know to prevent more animals suffering. That and education ......we hold classes several times a week at the schools talking to children about the way animals need to be treated.

Dog from Tierra Linda.

2009-08-25T19:36:00.000-06:00

This lady from Tierra Linda brought her dog down the mountain with a piece of string today.
She heard that we are having the spay and neuter clinic on Saturday and wanted to make sure that her female dog could be spayed.

She is a little early but we are so glad that she wanted to have the dog operated that we have taken the dog, given her a good meal and tomorrow we will operate on her. She will be able to go back up the mountain on Friday.

Bassett hound.

2009-08-23T09:45:00.001-06:00

Yesterday, we rescued a 4 yr old male Bassett Hound that had been in a cage that was too small for him to turn around. He had been in this cage for more than 2 months.
He was in a pet store in Chimalatenango. His cage had two other wire cages above him full of dogs . All the urine and feces came down on top of him.

Unfortunately, we had to purchase this dog to get him out of such a horrible situation. Not something that we like to do but several people were able to put in money to rescue him and we found him a good home to go to.

We have had an animal activist group go to the pet store, they took photos and they are now hoping that they will be able to take some legal action against the pet store.

We are also picking up three kittens from this store, nobody wants them and we at least will be able to spay and neuter them before we find homes for them.

Our next spay and neuter clinic will be held on the last Saturday of this month, August 29th.
We hope to be able to spay and neuter at least 35 dogs and cats. Please help us with even the smallest donation, it will make a great difference to be able to keep this program running.

It is the only action we can take to help relieve the suffering of the animals here. This and education but education will take some time. We are working on that. Every week we are holding Humane Education classes in the schools. But we need to be able to take immediate action to help the enormous suffering of the animals here. Spaying and neutering is an immediate solution to reduce the overpopulation of animals.

Paulina and her dog, Negra

2009-08-20T06:39:00.000-06:00

Paolina is an indigenous woman who lives in Panajachel. She has a wonderful heart for animals. Mayan Families gave her this dog that we had found. This dog was homeless, sick and hungry. We spayed her and while doing so found that she had a big tumor. We removed the tumor and this lucky dog went home to live with Paolina.

Paolina talks to her dog, Negra and Negra just adores Paolina.

We wish that all our homeless dogs could find such a loving home!

Poor dog!

2009-08-19T17:55:00.000-06:00

July Spay and Neuter Clinic.

2009-07-28T07:23:00.000-06:00

Rosa , a long time volunteer with Mayan Families holds a little puppy that she found the previous night. We were able to arrange to have the puppy fostered and hope that she will be able to find a home. She was so thin and scared.
This little puppy felt much better after getting some food and affection.
Many children brought their pets to be spayed and neutered .

This is one of the 10 dogs that we brought down from San Andres.

We held our monthly free and low cost Spay and Neuter clinic on Saturday 25th. The clinics are free to everyone who cannot afford to pay and we ask whatever donation people can afford to pay. We receive very few donations and we need to subsidize these operations by donations, usually from the U.S. or Canada.
We had four doctors and three students come to help from San Juan University. Also there was a visiting veterinarian from Spain who helped out and a representative from the McKee foundation, Edgar. He is very anxious to try and get more spay and neuter clinics happening and he was pleased to see how ours was so well responded to by the general public.

If anyone has visited Guatemala and has a heart for animals, they will have been appalled and horrified by how dogs and cats have to suffer. We are trying the best way we know how to relieve this suffering, we spay and neuter as many dogs and cats we can to help reduce the unwanted population of animals. We also run feeding stations in the street to feed unwanted and homeless dogs.

We beg you, if you have a heart for animals, please consider donating $20 US to be able to cover the spay or neuter of one dog or cat.

Chui Manzana.

2009-07-23T07:25:00.000-06:00

Yesterday while visiting a family who needs medical care , Debbie, a volunteer with Mayan Families walked around the back of this house and found this pitiful little boy.

Debbie unused to seeing animals in this condition told me that she thought the dog was dying. After going to look at him, I told her, that he was not dying from an illness, he was just tied up and not being fed.

The poor dog, only a young one was so scared he was trembling from us just being near him. He was tied up on a very short rope.

I told the family that we would try to find help for them but that also included looking after the dog.

We asked them to immediately change the string that he was tied up on for a much longer one.

The owner said that the dog doesn't want to eat. We went to the nearby store and bought bread for the dog, he tore into it.

The owner said that she can't afford to buy bread for the dog. She can't afford to buy bread for her children. I told her that I understood that and that we were not asking her to buy bread for the dog.

She came to Mayan Families later in the afternoon and we are trying to find sponsorship for her children and her sister's two orphaned children.

We gave her a big bag of dried dog food and told her that we want her to feed the dog and when we come back , we hope that he will look a lot better.

It is a hard life for the people but it is a terrible life for the animals. To be tied up and starved to death is a horrible way to die.

We tried to explain to the family that this dog has a lot of benefits and will help keep their property safe but he has to also have some food.

Most dogs on get a few tortillas to live on if they are lucky.

Xela finds a home!

2009-07-15T19:36:00.000-06:00

Xela was lucky and found a home today! Xela had been a guard dog at a cement factory, they closed the factory but left Xela tied up . She finally managed to escape and we found her dragging her chain behind her, she was just skin and bone. If she hadn't managed to get herself free, she surely would not have lasted many more days.

We had her spayed and vaccinated, she is now healthy and has a great body of fur. She is a very loving and affectionate dog.

We are so happy she has found a family to love her.