HELP OUT!
Sponsor a La Mariposa Dog!
Many of you will know many of the dogs already – we have about 60 living in one or other of our sites but we feed and pay for vet services for about 20 who live in excellent homes, usually with one of our workers.
The most helpful is a monthly donation – each dog costs between $30 and $50 (depending on size and age) per month to feed and care for, plus a little bit to keep the workers employed who feed them etc. When we need to rescue a dog, we spend more in that moment for vet services. Operations for broken legs, for example, cost around $250.
You can sponsor a specific dog and we will keep you informed of his/her progress, but we would like to spread the help around so all of them are helped. They are after all mostly good friends! So please note that each dog can have more than one sponsor.
A few sweet before and after stories!
Bella
Bella was found in a pool of her own urine, unable to stand, having been hit by a truck in La Concha. We were told that she had been living on the streets for some days. When she came to us she could not stand up to eat or to urinate, we had to assist her. Her appetite was good though and she recovered rapidly.
Bella Now!
Bella today. Happy and healthy though she does occassional suffer pain in her leg when she needs some vetinary help.
Sponsor Bella
Blanquita
Blanquita and her seven puppies....came to us from the streets of Granada where she was living behind a restaurant. The owner gave her some food but could not manage the puppies! She was given a special diet and we helped with (powdered) milk for her puppies
.
Blanquita Now!
We found good homes for all the puppies! Blanquita went to live with Rosa, our accountant, who also took one of the puppies as Blanquita was lonely without them! We help Rosa with vet fees and food as she has 6 of our rescued dogs in her house.
Sponsor Blanquita
Chele
Chele was discovered in Catarina munching on a plastic bag. Abandoned, he was lured into the truck with lunch leftovers and immediately curled up, head on lap and fell asleep. Most white dogs in Nicaragua are called Chele (it means light colored skin, also used for people) so we tried it out, it worked and stuck.
Chele Now!
Chele is now lives at Paulette's house. He's quite fat, loves affection and shaking paws (though he can be a little aggressive at feeding time). It turns out he is pretty old and has very few teeth. He requires a fair amount of vet care as he gets recurring infections, particularly in his ears.
Sponsor Foxy
Chiva
Chiva was rescued from the road close to Paulette’s house...the only dog to have ever bitten her during a rescue! She was super thin, had parasite problems big time but otherwise in reasonable shape.
Chiva Now!
Today Chiva lives in La Reserva, happily follows the workers on the organic farm and has changed her mind about Paulette. Rolls over with delight when she approaches and sometimes wets herself with excitement
Sponsor Chiva
El Viejo
El Viejo has been with us a short while. Paulette was with a group from Providence University when we met this old fellow in a park in Nindiri. He was covered in ticks but otherwise fairly healthy as the park keepers had been feeding him.
El Viejo Now!
Now lives in the La Reserva where the workers named him El Viejo - the old one!
Sponsor Chiva
Foxy
A friend, Donna Eckel, described Foxy as " a real lady, sweet and easy to manage" and in need of a home. When she arrived, Foxy ran straight up the stairs and just came and sat right by my feet! Of course we let her stay La Mariposa.
Foxy Now!
Now Fox lives with Paulette at her house. She is spoiled with a special diet of milk, eggs & chicken, as she has difficulty eating biscuits with so few teeth. She wags her tail when we get home and still barks at puppies she doesn't like.
Sponsor Foxy
Dulce
One of our students saw this tiny puppy in Palo Solo, one of the poorest neighborhoods in La Concha. She was extremely thin and weak and we all worried about her survival prospects. She spent several days at the vet clinic as she needed deparasiting and rehydrating but returned reasonably fit and healthy.
Dulce Now!
Dulce now lives at the farm with Paulette and Guillermina - she's the favourite though frankly a pain in the neck! Yaps a lot & likes to say hello by nipping ankles! She completely belies her name which means Sweet and is s a firm friend of Paleta. She has had to return to the vets just once with a nasty ear infection, now cured.
Sponsor Dulce
Darling
Darling was brought to us by her owner, a very well looked after puppy but she could not walk because of problems with her front legs. It turned out to be a vitamin deficiency and was fairly quickly remedied. At first she lived at the farm where she answered to ‘Darling’ as that was what Guillermina called her all the time.
Darling Now!
As you can see, Darling is now a fine dog, probably a good part German Shepard. She is still a playful, and now very strong puppy but also proving to be a good guard dog at night.
Sponsor Darling
Puppies
These 2 puppies were left at La Mariposa within days of each other. The black puppy is Pinuela, we found her curled up in our cactus hedge (called pinuela, hence her name). She is so sweet but still quite timid. Pipilacha (dragonfly) is the one with amazing blue eyes, we found him tied to our gate.
Puppies
On a recent rip to Masaya Paulette noticed a vastly increased number of dogs in the street. They too are suffering the effects of this crisis.
There is no doubt that because of the current crisis which we are experiencing people are leaving Nicaragua to try and find work in Costa Rica and cannot look after their dogs.
Sponsor the Puppies
Gaviota
This puppy was found wandering in the middle of the road by our driver, Joshue, who picked her up and brought her in. Gaviota means Seagull so I have no idea why the workers gave her that name! She was healthy but hungry!
Gavolita Now!
Gaviota loves chasing around with her little gang, of other rescued pups in La Mariposa. She used to nip, out of affection, but has grown out of that and is now a beautiful, playful and happy dog. She likes to on walks and chase around.
Sponsor Gavolita
Paton
On the way to the beach for a rare day off, Paulette spotted this dog hanging out on a traffic island in the middle of the Pan American highway. She stopped and approached him, he was immediately friendly. Oscar spoke to the police in the station was told that he had been abandoned, has a lovely personality and the police officers were sharing their lunch with him but were happy to see him off to a new home.
Paton Now!
Called Paton (big feet), this beautiful and very gentle giant of a dog has settled at La Mariposa. Somewhat thin when he arrived he has definitely put on weight, he eats A LOT. Otherwise he has been perfectly healthy. We thought he might be a good guard dog but he likes his sleep!
Sponsor Paton
Gata
Gata was seen by Meyvi, a Mariposa worker, outside a school in La Concha with a vaginal cancer as big as a fist. She had an owner but he had no idea what to do so we talked to our vet who said it could probably be treated in 4 sessions of chemotherapy at a cost of around $150. Indeed that was the case.
Gata Now!
As you can see, she is now cancer free but did not want to leave Paulette’s house. Her owner was happy for her to stay. A little overweight now, a very contented dog!
Sponsor Gata
Pelusa
Pelusa was found by Paulette maybe 5 years ago, running around in the street outside the bank in San Marcos. She had very little fur on her body and her tail was completely bald from mange (called sarna here). She was a little difficult to catch as she never stops moving about and had to be wrapped in a sweater to bring her back to La Mariposa.
Pelusa Now!
With good food & vet care, the change in Pelusa was rapid. She grew into her name - which means furry! She is a favorite with students at la Mariposa as she is super friendly & really quite mad. She loves to run fast down the corridor as if she has something very important to do, skids to a halt, turns around & rushes back.
Sponsor Pelusa
Donate Here!
**To sponsor a La Mariposa dog, leave their name in the note section in Paypal!**