Mutts like us
From the SPA
Christine Foster

You’re probably aware that president-elect Barack Obama has been talking about getting his kids a puppy. The media raised this weighty issue at a recent press conference, and Obama replied that in order to make a choice, they needed to balance two very important criteria: First, as one of the girls is allergic, the dog needs to be hypoallergenic and, second, they really want to adopt a shelter dog. What a great thing to hear! As this goes to press, the decision already may have been made, but whatever the outcome, this public acknowledgement of preferring a rescue pup is welcome and heartwarming. Obama even went on to joke, rather gleefully, that the dog would be a “mutt like me!”

Well, he’s in good company. We’re all mutts as humans, and should be. The recent penchant for keen online detective work on family ancestry is turning up the mongrel in all of us, and all that variety and diversity makes us strong. We have to survive economic collapse, geopolitical uncertainty and deterioration in our environment, but for the dogs and cats of San Miguel, the challenge is much more basic: they have to survive lack of food, medical attention and love.

Freckles the pup is not hypoallergenic now, but she probably was pretty close to it when she lost most of her hair to mange at eight weeks of age. She was being fed and looked after by a kindly taxi driver for a while, but her mange was getting worse, so she was taken in and treated by generous neighbors. From there she was lucky enough to get into the SPA foster care program and, finally, with all her hair grown in and glossy, she graduated to a full berth in our Puppy World. Freckles has learned what love is. She was coddled and even slept in the same bed as her most recent caregiver. Now she is trusting, playful and gets on well with other dogs and looks forward to the visiting youngsters who do the training. They always make a point of spending a few minutes with the puppies. When they put a leash and collar on her to get her used to the feel of it, Freckles sits obediently and looks for her treat. She is about four months old now and will be medium-sized, sociable, easy to train and eager to please. She 
is just a mutt like us—the perfect pet.

This week’s cat is not only a mutt, but the victim of sexual discrimination! Dumped at our door with a litter of kittens, the staff just assumed this friendly adult was their mother. But when it came time to neuter “Estrella,” we discovered “she” was a very tolerant “he.” He is still a sweetheart, one of the first to come to the gate to greet visitors and is very social with the other cats. He is also quite vocal and produces a long soft yeeeow followed by a curious, cute and determined little yip yip yip. We guess he is two to three years old. Oh, if you’re interested in the former Mrs. Doubtfire of the cat world, he is no longer Estrella, but Astro!

Why not, like the Obamas, give a marvelous mutt a chance? Come down and visit us at Los Pinos 7, a right turn off Calzada de la Estación. Adoptions begin at 300 pesos including sterilization and vaccinations. Visit the website at www.spasanmiguel.org  or call 152-6124.