15/06/2026
Sharing my latest blog entry about animal welfare - as it is in German, here is the English translation:
A while ago, I posted an April Fool’s hoax saying I was going to open a shelter. It produced quite a reaction, both on and offline. Just recently, someone still congratulated me on that "next step," and I had to explain to them why spending energy on a shelter will not actually solve the problem we have.
I used to look at things differently. For many years, I thought, I already have so many dogs in my home; what difference does one more rescue make? It won't change much for me, but it will make all the difference for this little dog.
What people don’t see or understand, though, is that my early rescue conditions were much more favorable. My resident dogs were incredibly tolerant of newcomers staying for long periods. I never really had to break up fights; at most, there was just a motherly reminder from them to shut down the commotion. (Macchiato was the most resource-guarding, but he never fought to the teeth).
Then everything changed.
First came Pablo, who did not fit in at all. He suffered terribly, no solutions worked, and I was unable to find a way out. Then I took in Mauricio to heal from distemper, he would have been euthanized because the shelter that picked him up didn't have the resources to keep him isolated. Finally, there was Remi, whom I found starving on the highway. She had been in heat at least once, and as a smaller street dog, she had learned she had to fight for her food.
These dogs could not just be integrated into my pack. Pablo paid the ultimate price. He was eventually euthanized for his behavioral problems because the truth is, I could never let my guard down, and the few times I did, we know how it ended. He didn't deserve that, but it was the result of a faulty system and my own choice at that time to value the individual over the community. I still don't know how I could have handled it differently.
It was a similar struggle with Mauricio and Remi. Because Mauricio spent his critical socialization window isolated while healing from distemper, he missed out on outside stimuli. Remi was heartworm positive, had a broken paw, and would viciously attack my male dogs if left unsupervised, and even sometimes with me present.
To keep everyone safe, Remi had to spend long days upstairs, first in a huge crate because she tried to escape, and later confined to my office. Sometimes she was locked up for 10 hours or longer while I was working. Ten hours without being able to go out and p*e. She actually learned not to drink water during the day so she wouldn't have accidents, which certainly isn't healthy. Even now, she over-drinks out of anxiety when I get home and vomits shortly after. I cannot describe how bad this makes me feel regarding animal welfare, but it was the only way she could stay. I looked for adopters, but how could I confidently tell someone, "This dog isn't aggressive," when she was aggressive in the environment I had her in?
Meanwhile, Mauricio grew into a handsome, independent dog, but it took ages to house-train him. It doesn't help when I'm not home to praise him at the right moment or guide him outside when he's thinking of pooping indoors. After a very long time, he got better and he integrated into the pack, but for years he constantly marked the couch, the kitchen cabinets, and the doors, even with full access to the yard. He was briefly adopted out to Canada, but he came back because the person offering to help didn't understand that he just needed extra time to relax and adapt.
Over the last month, even though my heart is still heavy with the loss of my other kids, I am proud of how far Mauricio and Remi have come. I am finally able to offer them the home every dog deserves. They now spend day and night together, completely unseparated. Both have full access to the outside—and even though Remi still hasn't p*ed in the garden, at least she has the option. They eat right next to each other, and I give them treats together to teach them there is no need to be jealous. They walk together and get the exact same amount of snuggles.
Now, I know this is a long post! The pictures of me here are from a recent spay and neuter clinic in a small village nearby, which my friend Gillian and the Maya Animal Alliance sponsored through her network and volunteers.
This little gentleman in the photos walked right into the clinic. When we asked around, everyone said he didn't have an owner. The village only has about 700 inhabitants, so basically everybody knows everybody. The vets took him and another larger, malnourished dog who had mange, and neutered them both.
The little guy recovered in a crate until he fully was out of the anesthesia. When we let him out, he spent the next few hours walking around the area. He got some food and water, and wandered over to a local restaurant where the people didn't mind his presence at all.
My heart screamed to take him home. I know he looks terrible right now, but treating mange with medicated baths, good food, and regular dewormers isn't that complicated. But what I have come to understand the hard way is that in order to help the community, I have to keep myself and my own dogs in a good physical and mental state.
This little dog actually has a much better chance now. His energy won't be wasted chasing females in heat or fighting other males. His skin will likely improve just from the dewormer we gave him, which also kills mange mites.
The truth is, every dog deserves a home, but we have so many street dogs that there simply isn't enough space in our houses or shelters. The next best thing we can do - the most humane thing we can do - is spay and neuter. We have to reduce the overpopulation by stopping the never-ending cycle of reproduction.
I am sure if I posted his individual picture on social media, well-meaning people would demand that he be "rescued." I would then have to explain why it isn't fair to pull him away from the only home and freedom he knows, just to put him in a crate with an unsure future. Causing me and my dogs considerable stress and also financial bottlenecks.
I know I am very good at helping dogs heal. I have the patience, and by now, I know a thing or two. But my rescue work has evolved. Now, it is about helping entire communities through spay and neuter programs, where I volunteer when I don’t have to work, and outreach like the project we did last year, where we went out to a local cenote and sterilized many of the animals there.
Right now, I have two monthly donors, and I am saving those funds until I can finance our next outreach project. If you want to be a part of this community, let me know. There are so many ways to get involved - whether through sharing, donating, fostering, or actively looking for adopters.
https://christineloew.info/tierschutz-in-playa-del-carmen-mexiko-und-der-riviera-maya/
