May 18, 2007, Four terrific teens, By Christine Foster

Once upon a time there were ten puppies—all from a single litter—who were rescued from a dusty street and arrived in boxes at the SPA. It’s certainly the biggest batch we’ve taken in (from a single mom) since I’ve been with the SPA, and to tell you the truth, the sheer number made us sick with worry. How could we find homes for so many? Looking so much alike also meant they would be in competition with each other when prospective families came to browse. That was in December.

And like Topsy, of course, they just grew and grew. To our huge relief six were snapped up in the first few months of the New Year. The bad news is that we still have four with us and they’re not puppies any more. Martes, Miercoles, Viernes and Sabado are the remaining sisters—Sabado is black and brown and white, the rest are tan. But all are smart, sturdy and handsome, and most often seen with goofy, hopeful grins on their faces. They’re already responding well to leash training by our volunteers, but the best thing is that we have exte
nded our offer for five free training sessions with Tomas Herrera Bustamente (a bilingual and very gifted dog handler) to anybody adopting a dog from us in May! So don’t delay, please come and see these terrific teens and all the rest. Choose the one that´s right for you!

Supplies needed

These are the hottest, quietest, slowest months in town, but, of course, the animals go right on eating as much as always so the shelter needs the usual amount of food and cleaning supplies as in brisker times. Donations of “stuff” can be a great way to help us take care of them all. So if anyone out there does a monthly (weekly?) run to Costco or Sam’s, here’s a thought to take with you: Might it be possible to pick up an extra roll of paper towels or jug of bleach or package of garbage bags? Perhaps some tins of dog or cat food or a pail of litter? Whatever you need for your own house or pets you can be sure we need, too. The animals (and the humans) would be very grateful!

We are also putting together a wish list for anyone who wants to help out with a specific gift rather than make a financial donation. A small digital camera for taking record and cage card pictures would be very welcome. (Maybe you have a decent used one to offer if you’ve recently upgraded.) Other things that come to mind are a portable vacuum cleaner for the clinic, a new under-the-counter refrigerator (the one we have is a beastie, about 15 years old), a small oscillating fan for the stifling operating room and two stainless steel kitchen trash cans with pedals.

We also need to buy more paint, this time to clean up the surgery and clinic rooms. Call 152-2338 if you’d like specific information on how to help with any of these items.

Volunteer stars

I want to take a moment to thank two very special volunteers: Zena Lazarus is a long- time friend who has been truly stellar in coming to work at the reception desk whenever we’ve needed her to fill in. One of our other stars is Ulrike Koehler, who has been coming in for months, tireless even in the hottest weather, to walk several dogs a day. She is now off to Germany and we send our deep appreciation with her. We can always use more animal lovers like these two and are more grateful to them than they can ever know. If you have a few hours a week or month and love to be around great animals (and nice people, too), please give us a call. There are so many ways to help.

The Sociedad Protectoras de Animales is located at Los Pinos 7, just off Calzada a la Estación (a continuation of Canal) and is open for visitors and volunteers from Mon–Fri, 11–2pm. Clinic hours are 10–2pm. Our number is 152-6124. Adoption donations include sterilization. Please also visit our website at www.spasanmiguel.org.