Of course there are dogs everywhere and when we have spay and neuter clinics we go there to pick up animals. And when we get donations we go there with de-wormer, collars, vitamins, food and medicine if needed. I would love sometime to be able to vaccinate all the animals but we will need a bigger budget for that as most of our funds go to the sterilization clinics. 
The children are wonderful and after many, many visits the people are used to seeing me hang around making a big fuss over their dogs. 
2011 ROSIE'S BOW WOW CLUB
The club for 2011 raised a total of $2,950.
In memory of Dr. Zhivago
Extra Large Bones $300 & Over
Cheryl House. In Memory of Rosie
Jan & Terry Gerken (Moby)
Large Bones. $100 to $299
Lael House Wojcik, Honoring - Rookie
Julie House Presa, Honoring - Trucco
James & Kristin Yasord. In Memory of Vago
John & Jean Epler
Chris & Kim Cannon
Roxane Osantowski, Honoring - Tequila - adopted from Plaza Almendros(AKA, Oreo, Patches)
Kelly Ragsdale
Valerie Kordyban
David & Karen Childers
Ron & Diane Seals
Medium Bones $50 to $99
Karl & Deanne House
Drew & Alison House
Tom & Barb Carlson
Small Bones $25 to $49
Mike & Tina Lawrence
Julie Howard
Dan Lindner
Don & Jan Hardin Honoring Goldie, Plaza Almendros Cat
Here is our new mom warming up her pups after their bath this morning, such a good mom. This must be black dog week, out of the thirteen puppies there is only one white one.
We are so looking forward to moving ahead this year. With all the rescue groups and people that we are working with now, we can get more done and we're hoping that we can get some help with this. Already we have some wonderful monthly donators, and it makes a huge difference.
So many people ask me what they can do to help, well it's really easy. If we can get enough people donating $10.00 a month we will have a budget to work with. Ten people giving up two starbuck coffees every month can buy enough dog food for a week, or three spays or four neuters, or twelve vaccines, or five distemper tests, or four parvo tests, or two and a half medium crates, or ten bottles of specialty shampoos, or two bottles of de-wormer, or five dog rides to the airport, or five health certificates, and on and on. Every penny goes to the dogs, there is no administration, we pay Marcelino's salary (he works at the house and helps with the dogs). IT'S ALL FOR THE DOGS.
We've been home three nights and already have two momma's with their pups. There is no where else for these dogs to go. We will find homes for the pups and spay the moms. Each spayed female is one step closer to a better life for dogs in Mexico. If you already donate, ask a friend to do it too, and ask their friends to do it as well. Ten dollars a month and we can make a huge difference together.
I forgot to mention in this blog yesterday that the Isla Animals Website is set up to do monthly donations. If you scroll down to the very bottom of the front page there is a donate button, click on that and then there are instructions on how to continue. Thank you everybody, in advance, who donates. It makes all the difference.
We are setting up for a big spay and neuter clinic today and getting ready for all the street puppies that we find.
We haven't finished with the tally because Jeff is still working at the music festival but as soon as we have numbers I will post them. We had over sixty runners thanks to all of you wonderful people who signed up to sponsor school kids. And for you generous supporters who sponsored teams of five, it added so much excitement. Unfortunately we couldn't fill all the teams but next year people will have a better idea of what's going on.
The whole event was fun and involved the entire community. From the island government to the police department to the Navy that allowed us to run on the runway. We had help from the Red Cross, they sent their ambulance to be on standby. We had runners of all ages from many different countries. For the first year we couldn't have asked for more.
Into this
It's a great gift idea for the person who has everything. You can buy them a monthly donation to Isla Animals. I will make sure that every penny that you donate is put to work. It's the most wonderful thing to know that we can count on a certain amount of money coming in each month. It allows me to plan ahead in this work that is other wise, to say the least, financially chaotic.
And if you are looking for something different you can donate a certain amount of spays and neuters in someone's name. The surgery averages out to $20.00 an animal and it's the bottom line solution to overpopulation and suffering of animals in Mexico.
Donate and then let me know by email bayfirestd@aol.com so I can make sure that a Christmas card is sent to your friend or family member. They will love it.
How Did You Do That! Book
Featuring INTERNATIONAL BEST SELLING Authors:
Mark Victor Hansen of the Chicken Soup series, Barbara DeAngelis,
Chris Howard, Brendon Burchard, Alison Sawyer Current
and 30 other folks JUST LIKE YOU
“How Did You Do That! is that book—that book you’ve been looking for that could inspire you to change your own life, the book you’ll keep forever, returning to its dog-eared pages for ideas and inspiration. In this collection of amazing true stories you’ll find the courage to finally go for it and do that thing you’ve been yearning to do.”
– FOREWORD by MARK VICTOR HANSEN
Have you ever watched an athlete accomplish an amazing physical feat … Or witnessed an entrepreneur achieve phenomenal career and financial success … Or you might have observed a person who overcame amazing obstacles in their personal life … And wondered – HOW DID YOU DO THAT?
This book tells those stories. How people just like you are able to overcome their fears, hold onto their courage, and personally grow and expand beyond what anyone expects of them.
How Did You Do That! is a collection of stories about people who achieved lifelong goals, found lost loves, amassed fortunes, experienced medical miracles, discovered their true calling and made a difference. They are stories of humble beginnings and heroic endings, but they are also stories of “how” — how they did it, and how you can do it, too.
You will be as fascinated as you are inspired, when you read the stories of these people’s true life achievements.
A Preview of Alison’s Chapter,
“Speaking for the Last in Line”
“Speaking for the Last in Line”
… In the past couple of years I’ve found many wonderful rescue organizations to work with that will take our Isla dogs and find loving, forever homes for them in the US and Canada. Over time, I’ve gathered more and more support from amazing, dedicated people who come down to Isla to do spay and neuter clinics and generously answer all my questions. Thank goodness for their practical and moral support, because this road has not always been easy.
There have been a few islanders who have threatened to deport me and kill my dogs, and have managed to poison some (if a dog wants to jump a fence, he will find a way). The authorities—whose trucks I try to follow after roundups to save the dogs they are planning to electrocute—have switched to portable generators so they can kill as many dogs as possible before I can find them. As the only one caring for the dogs, I’m somehow held accountable for all the dogs on the island, and blamed when any dog damages property or bites someone. And I still have broken windows after Hurricane Wilma, because my money and time literally go to the dogs!
Even with the hard stuff, I feel like the luckiest person alive. All I want to do is this. It’s heartbreaking, at times; I’ve had whole litters of sick puppies die in my arms. But I do see a difference. There are fewer dogs on the street…
