Donate to Help El Paso Ruby
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Dear Friends and Dog Lovers,
The recent photos in the news of Ukrainians with their pets in tow, sheltering from bombs and crossing borders to safety show us that conflicts and hardships impact people and animals. Unfortunately, pets and their people are in similar circumstances here in the western hemisphere. I am Lisa Moreno, and I am asking for your help to save one such dog: Please meet Ruby, a gorgeous, smart girl with the heart of a heroine!
Ruby walked from Guatemala to the U.S. with her person, a youth traveling alone to find safety in the U.S. At the end of December 2021, they entered the U.S. in or near El Paso, TX. Based on her physical condition tells us Ruby was loved and valued by her person, and her behavior indicates that her job was to keep her boy safe on his journey. Can you imagine what it would take for you to send your teen alone on a 2,000-mile journey with only his dog for protection? For sure, what is happening where you live would have to be worse than the potential risks of the trip.
Customs and Border Patrol separated Ruby and her boy at the border. Her boy was sent to detention. (We pray his safely living with family now.) Ruby (the name given to her at the shelter) ended up alone in the animal shelter in El Paso, TX.
Ruby is smart, a total character, and loves people. However, she is also challenging. She is hypervigilant, high energy, and is dog reactive. She wasn’t going to do well in the overcrowded shelter. Luckily, a dedicated volunteer, my friend, noticed Ruby and fostered her for two months in El Paso. When she could no longer care for Ruby, she asked me to foster her in Colorado, hoping it would be easier to find her a home here. Unfortunately, that hasn't been as easy as we expected. Most rescues in Colorado are short on fosters. In addition, Ruby isn't easy to hand over to a shelter for two reasons 1) regulatory issues complicating such a transfer and 2) her reactive and protective behaviors. Until we can figure the behaviors out, Ruby will remain connected to the El Paso City Shelter, and I will keep fostering her in Colorado on their behalf.
But, Ruby and I need your help to pay for her training and care. This dog has come so far and been through so much. She deserves a chance. There are two ways you can help this dog.
First, please consider a donation to help cover the costs of her training and care. Ruby will have her first behavioral assessment in late April and is scheduled for a two-week board and train in June. The fundraising goal to cover these costs is $4,500. Whatever is not used for her training and care while in foster care will be split between the shelter she came from and the rescue where she ends up. Any amount is very helpful.
Second, please share this post far and wide. With your help, maybe we can find Ruby's boy and reunite them or let him know that she is safe? We do not know his name. We only know that he came alone from Guatemala with Ruby as his companion and entered the US on December 26, 2021, via the El Paso District. Just share this post far and wide. Forward it to your friends and family, to any animal lovers, and among any immigrant or refugee communities, and immigration advocacy networks to which you may be connected. Together we might be able to find him. We will spend the next 4-6 months looking for her boy. If we can't find him, Ruby will be available for adoption. You can see her profile on www.summitdogrescue.org.
In the next few months Ruby will be working hard to learn new skills, including how to relax and meet other dogs. While she does that, let's see if we can find her boy and reunite them. And if not, we might find her a great permanent home in the process.
Thank you for any action you take to help Ruby!
If you would like to learn more about what is happening in Guatemala that is causing people to leave their farms and migrate North, these links might be helpful:
• https://www.cbsnews.com/news/immigration-young-migrant-asylum-crossing-border-unaccompanied-child/
Organizer
Lisa Moreno
Organizer
Longmont, CO
