Leo is Right. We're in way over our heads!

(this verse and subsequent verses in this email come from a poem,
written anonymously, entitled "I am an Animal Rescuer."
For so many of us, these words are our mantra).

I have bought dog food with my last dime.
I have patted a mangy head with a bare hand.
I have hugged animals that are withdrawn and frightened.
I have fallen in love a thousand times.
I have cried into the fur of a lifeless body
too many times too count....

The following advice comes from Leo Grillo,
after he cut his funding of the ZAPP Animal Center.
"Don't accept roundup dogs,"
and "stop taking dogs at your gates."
"You've turned into a dog pound."
This advice coming from a man who has been
an animal rescuer for thirty years.

If maybe Leo had visited San Felipe to see where
his money was going, if nothing else,
he might have seen that this small town,
like so many other Mexican
towns is a living, breathing dog pound.
The only difference is that ZAPP is surrounded by chain link.

He also says, "you're enabling the public
by accepting their unwanted, sick dogs, so they don't
have to take responsibility for their animals."

Do you know, that we get dogs brought to us with ropes
imbedded in their necks that have to be surgically removed,
because they were tied up when they were
puppies and the rope was never exchanged for a collar.

I'll tell you one thing that Leo said that is true.
ZAPP Animal Center is in way over its head.
The last roundup on June 17th, brought 99 more
dogs to ZAPP's gates. (6 puppies were born upon arriving).

Two weeks ago, the day after that roundup,
Leo actually sent spies onto the property
to judge and evaluate us.
Then the spies reported back to him at DELTA in Acton.
Two bored, local women, who apparently have nothing better to do
with their time but to show up announced at ZAPP,
and invalidate the good we are doing.
This, the day after the roundup when the site was in total chaos.
We had just received 99 terrified animals.
Shame on you ladies!

My job is to assist these creatures.
I was born with a drive to fulfill their needs.
We take in helpless, unwanted,
homeless creatures, without planning or selection.

So many of our supporters continually send donations.
It's to the point where I have to send out multiple emails
in a week just to keep us afloat, because our funding was cutoff.
Come Fall when the tourist season kicks off again, we'll
be able to hold fund raising events that will make a big
difference to our cash flow.

We're just people who love animals,
and are committed to a mission that does not allow us to kill needlessly.
Some folks say, maybe you should just put them all down.
After all, they're only dogs.
Wouldn't that just be easier and more efficient?
There was a time when Hitler thought that was a good idea
for certain people, but how many were affected by that insanity?

I am an Animal Rescuer.
My work is never done.
My home is never quiet.
My wallet is always empty,
but my heart is always full.

I made a promise to myself when I arrived in Mexico
in 2003. I promised that I would help to elevate
the quality of life for animals in San Felipe.
I'm proud of what I've done, and I'm proud of what we all stand for.
ZAPP will keep up the fight.

We now have a new connection at a pet food bank,
and although we do pay a fee for each palette of food,
we now have enough to get us through the next 3-4 weeks.
Thanks also to Canidae Food Company for their donations.
We now have shade for all our kennels.
We have 42 swimming pools for the dogs to cool off in,
and we are currently adding more kennels to eliminate crowding.
Our cats are safe in a large space with heavily screened windows,
and electric and water is finally on the way.

I promised the staff today, that in the next month we would place
100 animals into homes in the United States,
with the help of various shelters and rescues.
This is not an easy task in the current economy, when folks are having
to surrender their pets to local shelters because of foreclosures.

ZAPP will continue to forge ahead, and continue to do the best
we can for the dogs and cats of San Felipe. After all,
it's what folks just like us stand for all over the world.
And remember, if you don't stand for something,
you'll fall for anything.

Please send a donation, so we can buy the medical
supplies we need to run this project for the next couple of weeks.