Ecuadorian Road Runner’s

Ecuador has an abundance of homeless dogs that sometimes are referred to as Ecuadorian Road Runners. These dogs roam the streets looking for food and the kindness from strangers. There are dogs that live on the roof of houses which are referred to as Roof Dogs and provide great protection for the homes. They can really scare you when you walk down the street.

The pic below is typical of what you see during the day on the streets of Cotacachi. This fellow is having a nice nap and is comfortable in his world.  What is sad is many of these dogs were brought to Ecuador with their expat owners only to be left behind when the owners decided to return to their home country. How do you leave your best friend behind?

Like so many countries there is an overpopulation of dogs and cats due to the old traditional way of letting animals constantly breed. Slowly this attitude is changing but still has a long way to go. This is not unique to Ecuador as also witnessed in Costa Rica and Mexico. For several years Cotacachi has a fund raising group called Amici Cannis . Their goal is to have a spay and neuter clinic as well as build an animal shelter. It is all about baby steps. On the other hand many Ecuadorian’s  love their pets just as much as we do so the culture is slowly changing.

Currently, the city marks the weaker dogs with paint and then they are poisoned. It is not uncommon for the Ecuadorians  to allow their pets to run free in hopes that someone else will feed them. I have been told that before the city sets out poison a truck goes through the town broadcasting when the poison will be set out and warns people to not allow their pets to roam.

Below is a picture of our Cavalier King Charles Spaniel family. The most difficult part of moving to Ecuador was to make sure our beloved pets arrived safety. Many thanks to Sandra Baquero, Sanstar Shipping for making sure they arrived safely.

Last week Bill and I were walking down the dirt road through Maria’s farm and past La Mirage when this is what we saw. Six little puppies abandoned in a card board box. A neighbor had fed them but said she could not continue.

So after a few days and much debate we decided we would go back and see if they were still there.  My sweet daughter had called me on mother’s day and she convinced me that I should try to save a life. So back we went and instead of one we took two. Go figure I guess I have lost my mind.

When we got them home I gave them a quick organic soap flea bath and a vinegar rinse. The water ran red with blood from all the bites. I knew I had to keep the puppies isolated from my dogs. So I set up a crate on the front porch and a small part of the yard for them when they needed to eat and potty. I established  a four hour schedule to take them out for a little exercise.  I have always crate trained my dogs so this was not new for me. They wolf down their food of puppy chow softened with homemade chicken broth.

Our vet is Dr. Lara in Ibarra which is about 45 minutes away but he is so worth the travel time. He has such a caring attitude for all the animals. I have never witnessed anything like this before even in the United States. He gently strokes the animals head and speaks softly. Like magic he wins them over and they are so relaxed. He does not speak English but his wife does and we usually can figure out what is needed. Unfortunately, his office was closed for a few days. So finely on day three I was able to take the puppies in for an exam. They were healthy enough to keep but covered in hundreds of fleas. Dr. Lara and his two assistance spent about 15 minutes saturating the puppies in flea killer which was massaged into their fur and skin. He assured me that when the puppies left the office they would not have any fleas. I have to not let them get wet or brush them and return in eight days.  The flea treatment lasts for 90 days. Now, I am for organic treatment but this was an emergency situation. If the puppies were to live they had to get rid of all the fleas now. So there were really no other options to weigh at this critical stage. They were also treated for parasites.  So, I had to  continue with isolation procedures from my dogs. As a nurse I know how important this is as well as good hand washing. When we left Dr. Lara’s office all I could think of is these must be the ugliest puppies I have ever seen.

The heartfelt rewards: both are little girls about six weeks old and will be a medium size dog. The larger pup is named Texas and the smaller one is Dallas. Now that they are no longer troubled by the fleas they hop and play around the yard for brief periods of supervised time.  They follow me like little ducklings. We have already decided that they will be strictly outside dogs and their job will be to bark and guard the house and yard. So two life’s are saved and these little girl’s will not be Ecuadorian Road Runner’s in their lifetime.

You might be wondering what happened to the other four puppies. Well, I did not want to even go down the road to see but Bill told me that they were gone. I would love to think that someone else came to the rescue of those little ones. But my heart aches to know that most likely that did not happen.

Each new blog I will post an update with pictures so you can share in their progress.

Hugs to family and friends!