Help Tulum Dogs

Wow, I can’t believe how long it’s been since I’ve had a moment to catch up on social media! But I have some pretty fantastic news to share. ❤️

Last week was spent with a very special visitor who came with a purpose — and left with an even bigger surprise than we’d hoped for.

My friend Kerry Panzone came all the way from Chicago to spend the week with me at the sanctuary. She has been involved in animal rescue for more than 20 years, and she came because I desperately need someone I can trust to back me up here.

Running the sanctuary alone means I really can’t leave for more than half a day. Someone has to know the dogs, the routines, the property and all the craziness that comes with life on this mountain.

Well, Kerry survived the week. 😂 And even better, it doesn’t appear that she ran away screaming and never wants to come back!

So for the foreseeable future, I HAVE BACKUP. 🙌❤️

And that wasn’t even the only good news!

At 6:00 Friday morning, Kerry and I loaded up the car and headed for the airport more than two hours away — with two very lucky puppies along for the ride. ✈️🐶🐶

Kerry took these two babes back to Chicago, where they are now with the shelter she works with in a beautiful suburb Heartland Animal Shelter and will have the opportunity to find amazing forever homes.

Getting dogs from this mountain in Chiapas all the way to wonderful homes up north is never simple, and I cannot thank Kerry enough for making this possible.

And having someone I trust who can come back and take over here means that at some point I might actually be able to make a trip north to see family and friends. ❤️

Side note we slipped in a ride in the mountains and Kerry stayed on like a champ! We also started her visit with an emergency vet trip for Peppa and another one of those mystery injuries requiring stitches ( #3 now).

I thought I’d spend the weekend catching up on everything else… and then we lost power for 24 hours. 😂 So, as usual, I’m approximately a million things behind.

But this news was too good not to share.

Thank you, Kerry — for everything, and especially for getting these two little mountain pups all the way to Chicago and on their way to the lives they deserve. ❤️🐾

ANOTHER STERILIZATION AND VACCINATION CAMPAIGN!!

🇲🇽🐾 ¡HELP TULUM DOGS LO HACE DE NUEVO! 🐾🇲🇽

😍🫶🏼 ¡Una vez más, Help Tulum Dogs se suma y patrocina una nueva campaña para nuestros animales de Tulum!

Nos emociona muchísimo anunciar que los días 12 y 13 de septiembre estaremos realizando una nueva jornada de ESTERILIZACIÓN + VACUNACIÓN GRATUITA PARA PERR@S Y GAT@S 💉🐶 🐱

La meta:

🐶 80 PERROS
🐱 20 GATOS

Gracias, Help Tulum Dogs , por volver a confiar en nosotros, por seguir apoyando estas campañas y por hacer posible que podamos llegar a más familias y más animales. 💙

🥹🫶🏼 No es la primera vez que nos apoyan… y que vuelvan a hacerlo significa muchísimo para nosotros.

Cada campaña representa:

✨ Menos camadas no deseadas
✨ Menos abandono
✨ Más animales protegidos
✨ Más familias responsables
✨ Y muchas vidas con una oportunidad de estar mejor

💉 IMPORTANTE: Los animales que participen en la campaña de esterilización recibirán vacuna SEXTUPLE y TRIPLE FELINA como parte de esta jornada. 🐶💙🐱

🇲🇽 Y qué mejor manera de celebrar este mes patrio que demostrando que en México también podemos celebrar con amor, responsabilidad y bienestar animal.

📅 12 y 13 DE SEPTIEMBRE
🐶 80 perros
💉 Esterilización + vacunación SEXTUPLE para los perros y TRIPLE FELINA los gatos
🐱 20 gatos

📲 ¡AGENDA TU LUGAR!
984 157 4948 SOLO POR WHATS APP

⚠️ Cupo limitado. No esperes hasta el último momento para registrar a tu animalito. 🐾

📣 Comparte esta publicación para que llegue a más familias que quieran esterilizar y proteger a sus animales. ❤️

🙏 Gracias, Help Tulum Dogs, por hacerlo de nuevo.
😍🫶🏼🐾

También buscamos apoyo para los almuerzos de los voluntarios para el sábado y domingo, y porque no, quien desee apoyar con más Esterilizaciones 🫶🏻.

🇲🇽❤️ ¡Viva México, y vivan quienes hacen posible que nuestros animales tengan una vida mejor! 🐾

Let’s start with some GREAT news! ❤️

Little Niña survived parvo and came home yesterday! 🎉🐶 I tried to get some good pictures, but of course it was raining. She is just the cutest, sweetest little thing and SO happy to be back with her family.

Thank you so much to everyone who donated toward her treatment. I’ll be reaching out to you personally as well. ❤️

I will say, though… three dogs, three vet trips in one week nearly did me in. 😂 For those who don’t know, I live a solid hour from the veterinary clinic — each way — so every visit means at least two hours driving plus an hour or two at the clinic.

And then there’s the mystery of my two black dogs.

Last week, during one of our now somewhat routine 3–4 a.m. outings to have a conversation with whatever restless soul apparently lives in the cemetery next door 😂, we came back inside and I went to pet Negra. I felt a huge wet spot on her back.

I turned on the light and discovered an entire round chunk of skin missing between her shoulders. It looked like she had been scalped.

I cleaned it, started antibiotics and tried bandaging it, but realized she needed the vet. They thoroughly cleaned the wound, trimmed the damaged edges and stitched her back together. Fortunately, Negra is built a little like a sea lion 😂 — bottom-heavy with plenty of extra skin — so they were able to close it.

Then, after coming home from taking Niña to the vet, I looked at Black Dog and discovered THE SAME THING. A round chunk of skin missing from her side.

Negra’s was between her shoulders. Black Dog’s was on her side. They’re completely different sizes. And I have spent HOURS walking this property looking for absolutely anything that could possibly be causing this.

Nothing. We cannot figure it out.

So yesterday, Black Dog became vet trip #3. Her wound was cleaned, trimmed and stitched as well.

Honorary mention - our Nina got her bear claw nails cut (it was VERY traumatic for her 🙄 😂).

Niña is home. Negra is stitched up. Black Dog is stitched up. And I would be perfectly happy not to see the inside of a veterinary clinic for a while. 😂

Total for the week: about $800 USD.

To everyone who has ever donated, helped, shared, transported, fostered or supported these dogs in any way:
We love you. Truly. Thank you. ❤️🐾

Good morning, everyone. It’s been a while since I’ve published anything. I’ve been trying to process a lot of things on my own, but this most recent situation is one where I need to ask for your help.

A couple of months ago, a puppy here in our community named Luna became very sick with parvovirus. Her family initially took her to a “vet” in Teopisca, but fortunately I was able to get her to a veterinarian in San Cristóbal in time. She was hospitalized and survived. So many of you generously helped us cover the approximately $400 USD cost of saving her life.

Monday night, a young teenager from our community arrived at my gate carrying his sick puppy in a box. It was already dark, so I told him to take the puppy to the vet the next morning and I would pay.

At 7:30 the next morning, I messaged him because I was worried he would go to the same place in Teopisca. I told him I would figure out how to get the puppy to San Cristóbal.

He had already taken him to Teopisca.

I have to give this kid tremendous credit—he clearly loved his puppy and was doing everything he knew to do to save him. Unfortunately, the puppy was sent home with injectable medications, including deworming medication.

Tuesday night, his puppy died.

Yesterday morning, the boy messaged me. The puppy’s sibling, Nina, was now sick too.

This time there was no waiting. We rushed Nina to San Cristóbal. As we feared, she tested positive for parvovirus and is now hospitalized, fighting for her life. Prognosis "reserved" 😢

Her treatment so far has cost approximately $350 USD.

If anyone can contribute toward Nina’s hospitalization, we would be incredibly grateful. Even small donations add up. ❤️

After Luna survived parvo, I tried to organize a vaccination campaign here in the community, but there wasn’t enough interest.

Maybe now there will be.

Parvo is preventable. Watching puppies suffer and die from a disease we can vaccinate against is heartbreaking and unnecessary.

For now, our priority is Nina. Please help us give this little girl her chance. 🙏🐾

UPDATE! WE HAVE A WONDERFUL FRIEND AND ORG TAKING THE 2 PUPS GOING TO CHICAGO... ZOE IS LOOKING FOR HER FOREVER FAMILY IN TORONTO!!

CHICAGO MILWAUKEE TORONTO!!

Hey friends! Please please share Bunny, Merlin (Chicago /Milwaukee) and Zoe (Toronto) 🐶 ❤️ 🙏

We are looking for fosters or adopters in Chicago or Milwaukee areas for Lil pups Bunny and Merlin, and Zoe is ready and waiting for her forever family in Toronto!

These are amazing pups, perfect ages and sizes, super people and dog friendly! Even good with cats! C'mon and help us find them their happy ever after tails!

Jenni C Yyz
Jenn Frey
Shannon Hayward
Sylvia Katharina Martindale
Kim Weir
Kimberly Nienas
Kasey Boknevitz
Kylise Muse
Darlene Byrne
Rebecca Byrne
Rebecca Zak
Stacey Birch
Denise Blanchet
Emma Mac
Steven Vipond

⚠️ A warning before you swipe — some of the photos are difficult to see. We’ve grouped them together and kept them smaller, but we feel his story needs to be told. The last photo collage are the 3 pups already in treatment.

During our July campaign, when 400 dogs and cats were sterilized, three dogs came to us with TVT (transmissible venereal tumor). Those cases became part of the unexpected medical expenses we took on during the campaign — along with treating dogs suffering from tick-borne disease, parasites, fleas and ticks, and other conditions that had to be addressed before they could safely be sterilized.

And now, as our new campaign begins, we have another one. 💔

A woman brought this street dog from her pueblo, simply hoping we could get him sterilized.

Instead, we met this poor dude — happy, incredibly sweet, full of love and with an enormous lust for life… but an absolute hot mess with tumors.

We immediately began testing. X-rays were done to make sure there was no evidence of the cancer spreading internally, and testing confirmed what we somewhat hoped since it is treatable: TVT.

There was no time to wait. Chemotherapy needed to begin immediately.

Between his treatment and the other TVT patients — two currently undergoing treatment and another waiting to begin — we are looking at at least another $3,000 USD in medical expenses.

That is on top of approximately $2,000 USD in additional medications and treatments we have already provided for dogs who came through our campaigns sick, covered in ticks and fleas, or suffering from tick-borne illnesses and other conditions.

We could have said, “We’re here to sterilize.”

But how do you look at a dog like this and turn him away?

We can’t.

So if you’ve been thinking about donating to us, and/or are one of our fabulous donors already, the time is now. 🙏

Every donation, large or small, will help us continue chemotherapy for this sweet boy and the other TVT patients already depending on us.

He clearly hasn’t given up on life.

Neither are we. ❤️🐾

Please donate if you can, and please share.