February 09, 2007, Samba Redux, By Mauri Formigoni

I have written about Samba in the recent past, but she deserves another shot. She is one of our best and most beautiful dogs, and I don’t want her overlooked because of poor misinformation. She was originally at the SPA as a pup and was adopted and lived in a home for several years, until her owner died.

No one in the family could keep her, and so she was returned and is unhappy, because she is a pet, not a stray, and assumes everyone should recognize her as such. Last time someone wanted her they, were told by staff that she had been in the shelter for many years. Not true. She had a home, an owner, her own bed and toys—a life of her own. Now she is back in confinement, and wistfully waiting for another owner. She is about four years old, a beautiful black lab mix, alert and smart, and she has lived in a house and possibly will remember the rules of proper domestic manners. She is beautiful, well behaved and desirable. Please consider her again, walk her, play with her, spend some time with her, and you will be duly rewarded.

Columbina is one of a group of black and white cats, dressed for Ascot, always elegant and prepared for any party. She is an attractive and friendly young adult female cat that likes a good hug and is searching for the proper stranger to appear and take her away from all this.

Cats all have different personalities, and it sometimes takes a while to discover who they really are. I did not grow up with cats and am so surprised by their different personalities and how much satisfaction I get from them. They seem to require so little work to own—only a bit of food and water, a toy or two, a snuggly place to sleep (your bed or couch or a bed of their own) and occasional sweet talk and strokes to produce purrs. They are also happier in pairs. I can’t imagine living without a cat, can you?

We had another visit from the Hash House Harriers, an international running organization who occasionally visit us and take out 14 to18 dogs to run on leashes, pleasing everyone involved. They came last week, and we had many happy, weary dogs sleeping off their unexpected exercise, and we are very grateful. Others are invited to come borrow dogs for walks or runs. It’s good for us all.

One day, I discovered that two of my male canaries had killed their brother and pulled out all of his beautiful head feathers. I know it was jealousy. I had an uneven balance of males and females in the flight cage, but I also had forgotten the cruelty of animals. Did you know that the Aztecs adopted the hummingbird as their symbol on their helmets because they were the most ferocious animals? They will fight to the death over a feeding ground. I am constantly aware of man’s cruelty to man but seem to forget animal cruelty, until I see it once again. There are basic instincts that cause cruel acts to be perpetrated, but we had an incident this week with an aggressive dog toward another of our dogs. As you know, I judge the dogs I suggest here by whether or not I would allow my grandchildren to play with them. This seems like a good test to me. We had an adorable puppy in the Jardín last week, and she bristled at small, fluffy, white poodles. Who knows why? But we need to know and pay attention. Some of us do
n’t like certain people but rarely attack. We watch our dogs with great care and will not keep, or offer for adoption, a potentially aggressive dog, and definitely no hummingbirds.

Folch, an artist whose studio I visited in La Luz, is exhibiting at the Galería Magenta on the corner of Umarán and Zacateros, on Thursday, February 15. He is a classically trained artist who studied at Esmeralda in Mexico City and finished his art education at the Ontario School of Art and Design in Canada. He exhibits at Patricia Conde Gallery and Misrahi in Mexico and sells well. His subject matter is dogs and cats, primarily but only incidentally. The art itself is stronger than the subject matter and there is nothing sweet or cute about these animals. If anything it reveals their true nature of the beast in unflinching detail. He begins with the texture and renders the subjects later as they appear from the background. He has promised to donate 10 percent of the sales of his work to the Sociedad Protectora de Animales. He is exhibiting original paintings ranging in price from 1500 pesos to 22,000 pesos for larger pieces. He will exhibit a few prints as well. Please come to this event for a rare aesthetic
treat. We are grateful for his generosity and welcome contributions of this quality.

We are open Monday through Friday, mornings from 10am to noon for veterinarian appointments (call 152-6124) and noon to 2 pm for visiting the animals and volunteer work. We still need more help. Just show up and ask what is needed. We need hands on help with animals, walking, calling for follow-ups on adoptions, and more. We are located at Los Pinos 7, just off Calzada de la Estación, a continuation of Canal, and join us in the Jardín on Thursdays from 11:15am–1:15pm showing off some of our favorite animals. You may become a member, donate, or just visit at this time.

Mauri Formigoni is an Associate Professor of Visual Arts at the University of Illinois, a long-time San Miguel resident and a lifelong animal lover. She can be reached at 154-5930 to answer questions.