Best bets
By Christine Foster

Bianca is a honey-colored young adult with a temperament to match, but hers has been a bitter story. She was found—shunned and scrounging—in the parking lot of Mega and lured with food into the care of a rescuer who brought her to SPA.

Until now Bianca has been very shy and submissive. Why not? She is wary and wondering whether this roomy cage with ready food and the company of other dogs at playtime is an entirely win-win proposition. Perhaps she feels her freedom is gone. Perhaps she feels the lack of a job, although for her it was the job of survival. 

As a kid I thought the life of a street dog was that of the carefree Tramp in Disney’s Lady and the Tramp—midnight jam sessions with buddies in corner garbage cans followed by breakfast treats from happy-go-lucky butchers and bakers as a sauntering dog with an attitude began his daily rounds.

Of course the reality for street creatures is something much darker. Well-aimed rocks and boots and moldy tortillas are more often than not their lot. Bianca may be a bit at a loss to understand her sudden change of circumstances, but she already seems grateful, accepting, appealing, hopeful—and best of all—has been given more than a room with a view. Her rescuers have bought her a series of dog training sessions in our new program, allowing her to work with a special teen chosen just for her, who will bring out her best qualities and help her understand that in losing her freedom she has won the possibility of everything every dog wants and needs—the job of being a loving companion with a home and a family, and enjoying the one freedom she has never known—the freedom from fear.

Bongo is a character cat who came to us as a small and sickly kitten, so plagued with every passing sniffle and cough we despaired he would ever develop a strong enough immune system to survive. But he has thrived, growing into a deceptively small and dapper adult with an amazing and easy-going disposition.

Strangely, we discovered quite by accident that he loves kittens. He was put into Kitten World to enjoy a bit of time away from any possible competition from older cats, then ended up delighting all our volunteers by letting the babies crawl over him and even try to suckle under his tolerant and benign gaze. Bongo would make a delightful and patient and adoring addition to any family, whether or not they already have a feline or two in residence.

These are just two of our amazing best bets. Come and see them all at Los Pinos 7 (a right turn off Calzada de la Estación) from 11am–2pm any weekday. Or check them out on the web at www.spasanmiguel.org. Suggested donations for adoptions are only 300 pesos and include sterilization and inoculations and a lifetime of love. Please call 152-6124 for more information.