(Jules taking a morning stretch)

(Kiara, Shanti, Garcia and Tusa)

(Dog Houses)

WHO WE ARE:
(English, scroll down for Español)
Corazon de San Francisco is a sanctuary and shelter for rescued street dogs located in San Cristobal de Las Casas, in Chiapas, Mexico. There is a heartbreaking abundance of dogs without homes here in San Cristobal, similar to many other places in Mexico and around the world. These dogs are often sick, wounded, and hungry. For nearly thirteen years, the Sanctuary been rescuing dogs from the street and bringing them here to the sanctuary for healing, rehabilitation, and love. You can read about the histories of the dogs below. The sanctuary is located on a small and sacred mountain at the edge of the city, a refuge of steep forested land where the dogs roam and play during the days. At night each dog sleeps in their own dog house, or, sometimes, in the bed of a volunteer who has fallen in love! There are a few cabins available for volunteers to stay in, a beautiful outdoor kitchen built into the rocks, and a network of paths through the mountain. Twice daily food is cooked and given to the dogs, in combination with kibbles, and each dog is given medical care, baths, and snuggles. Each dog has their own dog house, a name and a story. It is very expensive to feed, shelter and care for 45 dogs, day after day, and at this time of economic struggle, the Sanctuary is in need of funds to continue to sustain this work of care and rehabilitation.

(Manchas)

HISTORY OF THE SHELTER
Fourteen years ago, Gabby had a small shop in the center of San Cristobal, selling Mayan Calendars and artwork and many other things from around the world. She saw many dogs wandering the street, often getting abused.  She started leaving out food and water for them, but wanted to do more. She got involved in an association that spayed and neutered street dogs and then released them back into the street. This is how she began to meet other animal protectors, veterinarians, and people with the shared intention to help animals.

As Gabby offered help to more and more dogs, she experienced hostility from the surrounding shop owners and community. This eventually caused her to lose her shop, further highlighting to her the need for real infrastructure to help dogs in need. Although she did not know where to start, she dedicated herself to making it happen. When she lost her shop, a space for rent opened up on the mountain. This was the beginning of the Sanctuary.

For many years Gabby ran the shelter alone with her partner, sometimes with up to 70 dogs on the property! But for the past few years she has been accepting volunteers from around the world, who stay in cabins on the land and help provide care, prepare food, give medical attention to the dogs, repair dog houses and fences, build new structures, carry water, collect firewood and clean and tend the sanctuary space.

(the outdoor kitchen and rain-catchment system)

(a volunteer repairing a dog house)




GOALS
Besides the daily feeding and care for the dogs, we have goals to improve and expand the Sanctuary. Right now at the Sanctuary we are putting in a garden for the first time! Growing food for both the volunteers and the dogs will both mean we save money, and that we are more self-sustaining. Already at the sanctuary, there is a strong ethic of “no-waste.” We feed the compost fruit to the Britney (the donkey) and vegetable scraps go into the cooked dog food. Everything is recycled. But with gardens we will be able to produce our own vegetables here for the first time, nourishing body and spirit, supporting the health and growth of the Sanctuary and the surrounding community. There is an abundance of beautiful land here, that we are turning into terraces for gardens. This means we are clearing land, moving rocks, digging and turning soil, and bringing in composted leaves and rich dirt from other parts of the mountain.
Our goal is to have the garden ready and planted by June, when the big rains come. This means we need money to purchase fencing materials (to keep out the dogs!), three big water tanks, and irrigation materials. If we complete the construction and have the seeds in by June, the plants will thrive in the rains and we will have a beautiful garden full of food come summer.

Last month a dog was dropped off at the shelter who was infested with fleas, and before this could be prevented, the fleas had spread to the other dogs. This has happened before, and in the past it took a huge effort to irradiate the infestation - but it can be done. Right now we are constantly combatting the fleas, treating the dogs for irritated and inflamed skin, bathing them, and cleaning their houses. Many of the dogs are allergic to the fleas and need to take special medicine to stop them from getting sick from the bites. We have a goal to completely rid the shelter of fleas. The biggest issue is that the eggs live in the soil. To remove all the fleas, this requires we deep-clean the entire sanctuary, provide anti-flea medication to all of the dogs, we fumigate, and then we continue to treat the dogs with tea tree oil and other herbal treatments to prevent the fleas from returning and to soothe and heal dogs’ skin.

(Luna, Dobby, Claudia and Polly waiting for dinner)

(Jerry)

WHAT WE NEED FUNDS FOR:

FOOD FOR DOGS
The dogs are fed twice daily. We cook pasta and rice, and mix in kibbles, vegetables and when we have it, fresh meat from the butcher. We cook the pasta and rice because it is too expensive to feed the dogs purely kibble and meat - and the dogs do well on this diet.
-Kibbles
-Fresh Meat
-Rice
-Pasta
-Vegetables

MEDICINE FOR THE DOGS:
-Special vitamins and medicines for puppies and for elders
-Anti-flea pills (300 pesos for one pill, for one dog, for one month)
-Antibiotics
-Anti-inflammatory medicines
-Pain relief medicines
-Rubbing alcohol
-Hydrogen peroxide
-Head cones
-Bandages
-Veterinary costs for spaying and neutering the dogs, for operations on broken limbs, other sicknesses, and operations

FOR THE SHELTER:
For utilities, we collect our own firewood, and use rainwater for cooking dog food. We purchase drinking water in 20L bottles, that are refilled nearby, but we would love to purchase a ceramic water filter in the future to replace this system. We cook the dog food over the fire, and often cook human food over the fire too but sometimes use propane on the stove. We have electricity in the outdoor kitchen and in the cabin. The volunteers pay for our food every week, and cook collectively.
For building, we reuse materials, such as wood, nails, screws, and whatever materials we can find, whenever possible. Nothing goes to waste. However, certain building projects, like improved storage for the dry dog food, fixing leaks in the roofs, new dog houses, and eventually more cabins for volunteers, we need new materials.

Utilities:
-Water
-Gas for cooking
-Electricity

Materials:
-Tools (shovels, hammers, saws, hoes, a pickaxe, a crowbar)
-Nails
-Lumber for dog houses and cabins for volunteers
-Laminate for repairing the roof (the roof leaks and the rains are coming!)

Materials FOR THE GARDEN:
We will collect all of the soil and use leaves and compost, rather than buying soil. We have tools, but need a few more shovels and a pickaxe. We plan to set up a rain cachement system, to conserve water and money.
-Three 1100L water tanks for the garden
-Irrigation tubing
-Mesh fencing
-Fence posts and lumber for the fences
-Seeds
-Hand shovels, a pickaxe, and clippers
-Lumber and material for a garden shed to protect the tools

(Wompy)

(Pulguita)


HISTORIES OF THE DOGS

DOBBY
Dobby is a slender, multicolored, powerful little dog with one white-blue eye and one brown. She is a mystical being, and she was found in the streets of Saline Cruz, Oaxaca, with brand new puppies. All of her puppies were very sick with Parvo, a deadly disease that often impacts puppies, and were brought to the Vet. Though they were sick, all of the puppies survived and recovered, the first time in thirteen years! One puppy had to stay in the hospital for 10 days, which cost 7000 pesos. One of the puppies, Plumita, was recently adopted by two volunteers and is now living in Germany! Another, Gandalf (the only puppy to inherit Dobby’s magic eyes), was adopted by a family in San Cristobal. Three puppies, Rose Feliz, Tewanini, and Gordita Tyson, remain here at the Sanctuary.

(Dobby)

(Tiwunini and Rose Feliz)


PRECIOSA
Preciosa is an older white and orange sweet heart who often sleeps near the front door, guarding the Sanctuary and keeping harmony. She was found pregnant in the streets in Santo Domingo by an Artisana, who saw people throwing sticks at her, kicking her and chasing her away. The Artisana brought Preciosa to the Sanctuary, and Preciosa had her babies here. All of the babies were adopted out, and then she was fixed. Once, Preciosa was adopted out to a family, but she became very depressed and would not eat or drink water. The people returned Preciosa to the Sanctuary, where she now lives permanently, “on staff” as Gabby says. Although she has a very sweet demeanor, Gabby says Preciosa “remembers the dark side” and is a good guardian for the front gate.

PULGUITA
Pulguita means “little flea” and the name suits Pulgita, one of the cutest dogs here but definitely a little gremlin or little flea at times! Pulguita was rescued by Gabby’s sister. Gabby’s sister was working in a high school in a nearby community. All the time, street dogs would come to the school for food. But eventually all of the dogs would stop coming by, and disappear. Gabby’s sister knew that there were people who would take the street dogs to the forest and tie them to trees, leaving them there to die. On her last day of work, Gabby’s sister took Pulguita, only a puppy then. She knew she couldn’t rescue all of the dogs, so she just took Pulguita, a representative of all the dogs she couldn’t save, and brought her to the Sanctuary. Pulguita loves playing and is not shy about asking for snuggles, but she is a troublemaker too, so don’t be fooled by her ridiculous smile and bat-ears!

GARCIA, CANELA, POLLY
A woman named Chusita has brought three mama dogs to the Sanctuary over the years. She is a friend to the street dogs in San Ramon. Chusita gets up at five in the morning to walk around the city giving food to the dogs. Her husband does not want her to give their food to dogs, because they do not have much money, so Chusita goes out before he wakes up. Chusita found Polly, Garcia and Canela all at different times, all in the street, all with new puppies. She brought each of them with their litters of puppies to the Sanctuary, where they were rehabilitated and cared for, and all of the puppies were adopted out. The three mama dogs are all fixed, healthy, and now living at the Sanctuary. Polly is a fluffy cream-colored dog with beautiful deep dark eyes and a gentle demeanor. Canela (short for Canela Shakira) is a short-legged chunky dog who goes into a frenzy every dinner time, dancing and hopping in place - hence her name. Garcia likes adventures and can escape any leash or enclosure, like Houdini. We sometimes find her in the marketplace when we go for groceries (she pretends she doesn’t know us).


KIARA, CLAUDIA, TILLY, XANTI, CAMILLA
These five dogs were found and rescued from a very dreadful situation. A family called Gabby to ask for help, about four years ago. They told her that there was a woman who was very sick and an alcoholic, who kept thirteen dogs in a very tiny outdoor space with no roof, a space full of garbage and dog poop and rats. The dogs were often hit or abused, rarely fed, received no medical attention, and we’re constantly having puppies. Because the dogs were constantly barking and screaming, a neighbor had once tried to poison them. When Gabby went to the house, there was garbage up to her waist, and the dogs were all screaming, fearful, and very dangerous. They tried to bite Gabby, and Gabby left to find help. It took three days to rescue all of the dogs, seven big dogs and six puppies, and they were all brought directly to the Sanctuary. All of the puppies were adopted out, but Kiara was returned, because she was eating chicken eggs from the yard, and the wife of the man who had adopted her did not want her anymore. She is now a favorite here, with lop-sided ears and a goofy face, often rolling joyfully in the red clay and covering her fluffy white coat with dirt. They all have beautiful fluffy coats (Sir Tilly, especially, has a lustrous coat of orange and and white fur). Xanti, Camilla, Tilly and Claudia (Kiara’s mom) are all here at the Sanctuary. They are very sweet, although still quite shy sometimes and nervous if anybody gets angry. Claudia used to stay up all night screaming and barking, and trying to fight anybody who came near - but you would never know it now! She is calm and sweet, and twirls in excited circles every morning when you first greet her. Gabby says this family is still in rehabilitation, recovering from their traumas and learning that the world can be a safe and loving place.

(Kiara)

(Tilly)


FRAN
Six years ago, young boy and girl found four female puppies abandoned outside of a house. The people in the house only wanted male dogs (sadly this is common here), and so they dumped the female ones into the street, like garbage. The children knew of the Sanctuary and brought the puppies here. Fran’s original name was Franky Winnie, after Frankenstein. However, after Fran lost one eye in a fight, got hit by a car in the street, and went into a brief coma from a poisonous spider bight, Gabby decided to change her name to Fran! Since this name change Fran has not had any more accidents. There is a person waiting in Canada to adopt Fran, when the borders open again.

WAMPY
Wampy might be the most handsome of the dogs in the Sanctuary, a beautiful orange-red dog with a very pronounced underbite. Often his tongue sticks out of his mouth, and he will sit and stare deeply into your eyes while you pet him. One morning, four years ago, Gabby was working and got a phone call from someone in Civil Protection. They had found a dog in the markets with a broken jaw. Gabby had to stay at work, so she gave them the phone number of the Vet and said she would pay for the visit. At five in the afternoon, after work, Gabby called back and found that the people at Civil Protection had not done anything for the puppy, so she drove to the market herself and found him. He was five months old, with his entire upper jaw broken, and many teeth too. Somebody had kicked him in the mouth. He was completely in shock, eyes dilated in pain. Gabby brought him directly to the Vet where he had a very expensive operation. A Buddhist center generously donated the money for this operation and Wampy has been at the Sanctuary and well every since. Wampy’s name comes from a combination of the word “Vampire,” and “Guapo” which means handsome - a very fitting name for our handsome snuggly and fanged friend.

MUK
Muk is a slender and high energy black dog, with white sock feet. When she runs and frolics in the forest she looks like an otter. Muk came to a volunteer named Ander late one night outside of the San Francisco Church in San Cristobal. Muk was about one years old and very sick, covered in green mucus (hence her name, Muk). Muk took one month to recover. A volunteer from New Zealand named Ben is very in love with Muk and plans to adopt her. However, New Zealand does not accept dogs from Mexico, so soon Ben and Muk will spend six months living in Canada, before completing their journey back to New Zealand! It must be true love.

(Muk)

KALI
Kali is an enormous fluffy black dog, with red-brown eyes and an incredibly sweet demeanor. She spends most of her time away from the other dogs, sleeping in her own dog house at the edge of the Sanctuary, and watching the creatures in the forest. Four years ago a young Mexican girl found Kali outside of Santo Domingo, amongst the street vendors and Artisanas. Kali gave birth to puppies, underneath one of the tables of an Artisana. There were people throwing sticks at her and at the new babies, and the girl saw this and rescued Kali and the puppies, bringing them to the Sanctuary. All of the puppies were adopted out, and now Kali lives like a queen at the edge of the forest, where we bring her food to her (“room service”), because she is a Queen.

CHITA and JANE
Chita (black) and Jane (white) are sisters, named after Tarzan. They are both incredibly sweet, intelligent good natured dogs who never fight. Five years ago, a group of teenagers found these two puppies, sick and in the street. It is likely they were also abandoned because they were females. They were brought to the Sanctuary, taken to the vet to get fixed, and given medicine. It is hard to know why these two haven’t been swooped up and adopted by somebody, they are so sweet! But we are happy to have them here at the Sanctuary.

(Jane contemplating life)

OLGA
Olga is a very unique dog. She is beautiful and dark, a German Shepherd mix. Olga has one eye, is incredibly shy, and she lives just outside the front door of the Sanctuary, watching and guarding, shying away from most people. However, if you let her come to you, in time, she will become your friend, and accompany you on a hike (at a safe distance). Six years ago, a group of teenagers found her in the street when she was three months old. She has always been frightened and shy - we can assume she had something scary happen to her, but of course we will never know. She was treated here for Distemper and survived. Once she was adopted out, to a home on the other side of San Cristobal, but she escaped and went missing. Everyone assumed she was gone for good, but after three weeks she arrived back at the shelter, skinny and very hungry. So now this is her true home. She is another permanent resident here, another guardian.


JERRY
Two and a half years ago, Gabby and the volunteers were working in the kitchen, and they suddenly heard squealing and screaming sounds by the front door. They went down to the front gate. A teeny tiny puppy had been left inside one of the dog houses, just inside the front door of the Sanctuary. Somebody had snuck inside and left him. Nobody could touch Jerry, or get him out of the house, because he was very aggressive and tried to bite them. Gabby was finally able to wrap him in a blanket and pick him up - thus began his rehabilitation. Now Jerry is no longer aggressive at all, and no longer tiny! At 25 kilos, he is a total sweetheart, whose truest love is food. His head often pops up at the dinner table, and he is hard to refuse, with his tail wagging and his floppy elephant ears and his smile.

(Jerry)

(Jerry asking Poppy for advice)


BELLA
Bella is very bella (beautiful) indeed. She has long fluffy fur, tiger-orange eyes, and a fluffy cottontail that bounces happily when you say her name. She was found by a friend of the sanctuary when she was two years old, very skinny and frightened with a broken leg. The girl who found Bella took her to the animal hospital and paid for her to have an operation to repair her leg. Then she brought Bella to the Sanctuary. For a long time Bella needed medicine so that her leg wouldn’t hurt her in the cold weather. Now Bella is happy, chunky and energetic. She can often be found sitting on the couch, patiently grooming the other dogs.

(Bella on a walk)

DOMINGA
Dominga is a powerful and affectionate dog, with short multicolored hair and an adorable square-is head. She loves one-on-one attention and playing hard. She was found when she was a puppy by an Artisana from Santo Domingo (hence her name, Dominga), wandering the streets with a broken leg. The Arisana brought Dominga to Sanctuary, where she has been ever since, five or six years in all.
****************(more coming soon!)*************************


(Español)
QUIENES SOMOS

Corazón Animal San Francisco es un santuario de perros, que se encuentra en San Cristobal de Las Casas, Chiapas, México. La mayoría de los perritos fueron rescatados porque se encontraban sin hogar, hambrientos, enfermos y muchas veces en situaciones de abuso y violencia por parte de sus dueños. Durante casi trece años el servicio realizado en éste lugar se ha concentrado en curar, rehabilitar y darles mucho amor a los animalitos. El santuario está al pie de una Montaña Sagrada, dentro de la Reserva Ecológica El Mirador, en el sur de la ciudad, es un bosque hermoso donde ellos pueden andar y jugar libremente, dos veces al día les preparamos a fuego de leña su comida, que se combina con croquetitas y por las noches cada uno duerme en su casita o en la cama de algún voluntario enamorado!!! Tenemos pequeñas cabañas para hospedar a los que vienen a colaborar, una sencilla y hermosa cocina construida entre piedras repleta de frutas, verduras y productos orgánicos para cocinarnos todos los días.
Puedes conocer de la historia particular de cada uno de los perritos en la sección de abajo.


(Sombra and Luna)


HISTORIA DEL REFUGIO
Hace catorce años, Gaby, la fundadora del Refugio era propietaria de una pequeña tienda en el centro de la ciudad, vendía artesanía y todo lo relacionado con el calendario maya 13 lunas. Todos los días veía muchos perros deambulando solos por las calles y comenzó a alimentarlos y darles agua, aún así deseaba hacer algo más. La invitaron a ser parte de una asociación que los esterilizaban, pero estos rápidamente volvían a las calles. En el transcurso del tiempo fue conociendo a proteccionistas, veterinarios y muchas personas que deseaban generar un cambio real en la vida de estos perritos.
Mientras más ayudaba y alimentaba a los perros, comenzaba a sentir la hostilidad de la gente alrededor de su tienda. Esto eventualmente la llevó a perderla pero un así reafirmo la necesidad de una infraestructura para mejorar las condiciones de estas criaturas, aunque no tenía la minima idea de cómo comenzar, se comprometió a llevarlo a cabo, un espacio se abrió en la montaña y así surgió el comienzo del santuario.
Por muchos años manejó el refugio con su pareja, luego sola y llego a tener hasta 70 perros dentro de la propiedad! En los últimos años comienza a aceptar voluntarios que vienen de todas partes del mundo, brindándoles hospedaje a cambio de estar presentes trabajando con mucho amor en servicio de los animalitos y el espacio.



(Cooking the food for the dogs)


(volunteers having a "spa" day after work with oatmeal face masks)

METAS
Por primera vez en el santuario estamos construyendo un jardín, para plantar, cuidar, ver crecer y cosechar alimentos, buscamos ser lo más autosustentables posibles.
En el santuario adoptamos la política de disminución, reutilizaron y reciclaje de los desperdicios.
Algunos restos de verdura son cocinados junto con la comida de los perros, y también restos de verduras y fruta va para Britney (la burra). Tratamos de reciclar todo lo que utilizamos. Con nuestros jardines será posible producir la mayoría de la verdura que consumimos para nutrir el cuerpo y el alma, apoyando del mismo modo el crecimiento del santuario y de la comunidad alrededor. Hay mucha tierra que trabajar por acá que ya comenzamos a convertir en terrazas, esto significa que hemos estado limpiando el terreno, moviendo piedras, excavando y moviendo la tierra, agregando hojas caídas de los arboles y tierra rica de otros lados de la montaña.
Nuestra META es tener el jardín listo y funcionando para el mes de junio, para cuando las grandes lluvias llegan. Esto significa que necesitamos apoyo económico para comprar material de cercado y alambrado (¡para mantener los perros fuera de estas areas!), tres grandes tanques de agua, y material para irrigación. Si completamos la construcción y tenemos las semillas necesarias para el mes de junio, estas serán de provecho para el agua de la lluvia y tendremos un hermoso jardín con alimentos este proximo verano.

*El ultimo mes un perro fue dejado en el refugio, éste estaba infestado con pulgas y antes de que esto fuera prevenido, las pulgas ya se habían esparcido a otros perros. Esto ya había sucedido antes y se requirió un gran esfuerzo para disolver la infestación - pero se puede y debe ser hecho de nuevo. Justo ahora estamos combatiendo con ellas, tratando los perros con piel irritada e inflamada, bañándolos y limpiando sus casitas. Muchos de los perros son alérgicos a las pulgas y necesitan de medicina especial y muy costosa para prevenir que ellos enfermen. Tenemos la META de vaciar las pulgas por completo fuera del santuario.
El mayor problema es que los huevos viven dentro de la tierra. Para remover las pulgas, necesitamos limpiar y fumigar todo el santuario, proveemos medicina anti-pulgas a todos los perros, fumigamos la tierra, y continuamos tratando los perros con aceite de árbol de té y otros tratamientos herbales para prevenir que las pulgas regresen, y calmar y sanar la piel de nuestros perros.


(Peanut)

(a baby!)

(Britney the donkey!)

¿PARA QUE NECESITAMOS FONDOS?

COMIDA PARA PERROS:
Los perros son alimentados dos veces al día. Les cocinamos pasta con arroz, le agregamos croquetas, verduras, a veces tortillas, y carne de la carnicería. Cocinamos pasta y arroz porque es muy costoso alimentar los perros con pura croqueta y carne.
-Croquetas
-Carne
-Arroz
-Pasta
-Verdura


MEDICINA PARA LOS PERROS:
-Vitaminas especiales y medicinas para cachorros y perros adultos.
-Anti-pulgas (300 pesos por una pastilla, para un perro, por un mes)
-Antibióticos
-Anti-inflamatorios
-Analgésicos
-Alcohol
-Agua oxigenada y liquido antibiótico
-Conos de protección
-Gazas
-Costos del veterinario para esterilizar, operaciones de huesos rotos, enfermedades y otro tipo de operaciones necesarias.

PARA EL REFUGIO
Por utilidad, recolectamos nuestra propia leña para el fuego, utilizamos agua de pipa para cocinar a los perros y, cuando llueve de reciclaje. Cocinamos la comida de perro sobre el fuego, y frecuentemente también la nuestra, también usamos propano en una estufa. Tenemos electricidad en la cocina al aire libre y dentro de las cabañas. Los voluntarios pagamos nuestros alimentos cada semana y cocinamos colectivamente.
Para los nuevos proyectos de construcción, como mejorar el almacén de los alimentos, reparar goteras en los techos, construcción de nuevas casitas de perros, más cabañas para voluntarios; necesitamos nuevos materiales. También reciclamos muchos materiales encontrados aquí en el refugio, nada se va a la basura, sin embargo siempre tenemos compras nuevas para construcción

Servicios que pagar:
-Agua potable de pipa
-Gas para cocinar
-Electricidad

Materiales:
-Herramientas (Palas, sierras, martillos, azadones, picos, talacho, barreta)
-Clavos
-Madera para las casitas de perro y para cabanas para voluntarios
-Láminas
-Lonas

Materiales PARA EL JARDIN:
Recaudamos toda la tierra y mezclamos hojas y composta, Tenemos algunas herramientas pero también necesitamos algunas nuevas palas y picos. Planeamos elaborar un sistema de colecta de agua de lluvia para conservar agua y ahorrar dinero.

-Tres grades tanques de agua de 1110 litros para el jardín
-Tubería para irrigación
-Cerca y alambrado
-Postes para alambrado
-Semillas
-Palas de mano, picos, y tijeras
-Madera y material para construir un almacén de jardín que proteja la herramienta.


(outdoor enclosure for the "teenager" dogs to sleep in)

(Tilly)

(clean dogs, happy dogs)