The three photos below are of Kenny. Typical story. It has become a mantra. Kenny was a very young stray all alone on the streets of Tijuana with an injury over his left eye. He also appeared to be ill. Someone took photos of him, but didn’t secure him. He then became a missing dog. We never gave up trying to find him.

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After looking far and wide for him, we found him. I immediately recognized that it was Kenny because of the injury over his left eye. We took him to the vet and our hearts fell when he was diagnosed the potentially fatal distemper virus. He had other issues, but the distemper was the first that had to be addressed.

Kenny when found

Kenny spent two weeks at a clinic that specializes in distemper-afflicted dogs. He was given the serum and whatever else they give to dogs with distemper. Thankfully, he recovered from the distemper, but he had other health issues.

Kenny stayed with one of our fosters for months to ensure he was no longer shedding distemper cells—which they can shed for up to three months after they recover. Even after the three-month mark arrived, we still had an RT-PCR test performed to makes doubly sure he was no longer shedding distemper cells. We then had to address his other health issues. He was still very sick with other diseases. Once healthy and sterilized, he was set to go. He does have a very slight tic, but it is imperceptible. No one would ever notice it.

Then, there was La Doña (now named Dani), pictured below. She’s a senior mama who was rescued in Rosarito. She is a young-spirited, gentle senior who loves to be indoors—a luxury of which she was deprived with whomever had her before. The fly-strikes on her ears and skinny frame are tell-tale signs that most of her life was spent with little to no attention.

Sweet Dani girl

Dani, too, was fully vetted. She and Kenny were ready to be transported to Kym with Mutts in Need, an animal rescue with whom we have a good working relationship.

Here’s a video of Kenny and Dani playing together. They are wonderful dogs. They love people and get along very well with other dogs. Yep! I would say they’re doing just fine. They’re happy, they’re healthy, they will have a wonderful life with the perfect family.

We save as many as we can, but there are just too many strays in this area who need help.

Crossing Guardians has many in foster care, but we decided to take on two more. One—whose name is Ruth—is a purebred Belgium Malinois. Her owners used her for breeding over and over again so that they could sell her puppies. As a senior, she can no longer have babies; so the means to her owners’ ends became worthless. A senior and with no front teeth, they got rid of her. She may not be perfect to most people, but she’s perfect to us.

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Sweet and regal Ruth. She’s is currently chained in the front yard for fear that she might run away to find her old home. As deplorable as it was, it was still her home, sadly.

An indy rescuer took her in and then solicited help from Crossing Guardians. After years of being used as a baby-making machine to profit her owners, and her owners giving her just enough food for strength to breed, there was no question that Crossing Guardians would do all it can to make sure that she would feel loved and live in absolute comfort for the time she has left.

There is one problem, though. Ruth must stay on a chain and in a make-shift dog house in the front yard. This is definitely not ideal for an emaciated and sick senior, but that’s our only alternative until she gets to the vet and we can determine if she has any communicable diseases. The holiday season has made it impossible to get her into a vet, but she did get in today. Results are forthcoming.

In addition, our fosters are full. There will be room for Ruth with one of my fosters in about a week, as long as she does not have any infectious diseases. Until then, she must stay with the indy rescuer in this not-so-ideal situation. Animal rescue organizations generally do not have enough fosters. Crossing Guardians is one of them.

We are keenly aware that the typical Belgian Malinois—the breed—has a reputation for having an aggressive streak. Michael Ritland, Founder of Warrior Dog Foundation, explains it in this video:

Ruth, however, doesn’t have a mean bone in her skinny body. She gets along well with other dogs and loves people. She’s quiet, gentle and highly intelligent. Her senior face makes her especially adorable.

There is another discarded dog we want to rescue. This little guy has a pitiful story. A older man in a taxi drove into a parking lot of a store. He threw the dog out of the car and told the taxi driver to take off. When taxi driver sped off the little dog chased the taxi. The taxi driver almost ran over him.

It was such a sad sight. The little dog walked back over to the store and waited in the front of the store, and peered inside in the hopes that his owner would walk out. That never happened.

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Crossing Guardians has been trying to find him, but have had no luck. When he was spotted the following day, he got spooked and ran away. No one could catch him. Hilda visited the area three times, but could not find him. She looked at an abandon field next to the store. Nothing. She asked the security guard if he saw the tiny black dog wandering around the store, to which he responded that he did not.

We have decided to offer an award for anyone who finds the dog and secures him until we can pick him up. It is freezing down here and this little dog will not make it out there without a pack—assuming he’s still alive. Positive thoughts and prayers are welcome.

These are the types of heart-wrenching scenarios that make us wonder why we do this. There are thousands of dogs, cats, bunnies, and even turtles, who are forced into a miserable existence through no fault of their own.

It’s a new year and it is our fervent hope that 2021 will bring better days for these forlorn, innocent creatures.

Happy New Year!