#Urban#Dogs
Aboard a silver gray Escape van, Raquel Romero Martínez travels the streets of Atlixco to rescue homeless dogs. The alerts of little animals run over, beaten, with mange or simply abandoned to their fate, fall both on her personal number and on the social networks of Sterilizaciones de Huellitas Atlixco.Raquel's birthday is at the end of January, and just five years ago, she They gave him the best gift he could have, a space for him to install a dog shelter that he called “Huellitas de Amor” where he met the true face of loyalty. Today there are 96 rescued puppies, most of them given up for adoption; and about five thousand sterilizations of dogs and cats carried out in partnership with the Veterinary Medical Group "Vets Gabh", which cost 250 pesos regardless of size or breed. For the rescuer, a 44-year-old woman, who is a language graduate who has been selling women's handbags for a decade; there is currently a social awakening for the care of pets, more so in these times of pandemic; however, he considered that buying purebred dogs is still a form of status for some people. The adoption of mestizo dogs (which some derogatorily refer to as strays) is complicated because they are large animals, which in addition to consuming greater amount of food, they require an adequate space to live. In the shelter there are currently 11 dogs, 10 females and one male, all of them suitable for adoption, with the exception of Luz, who has a disability that makes it impossible for her to move. the hind legs. All her rescues have been of animals that have suffered abuse, some cases are truly unthinkable, but she is always brave and kind, picks them up from the street regardless of their state: they are regularly bloody, with fleas and hungry. Raquel patiently repairs the body and heart of the puppies whom she calls her angels, who only expect a caress for them. to feel like starting over, and thus, bark with joy and not fear. , Mimi, Luz and Cuco welcome us. All the female dogs jump on us to hug us with their paws, while Cuco, the only male in the shelter, urinates on me as a sign of belonging. Raquel speaks to them so sweetly that the dogs follow her hypnotized, they know that she will name them one by one and will give a meat. It started with Mimí, whom he rescued a year ago at the foot of the road along with two other puppies who were immediately adopted because they were male. While he told me that it is more difficult to place females in adoptive homes, he caressed Mimí because that day she They had planted for the second time, but when seeing the caresses, Luz quickly pushed herself with her front legs, dragging her rear ones, to receive her dose of love. Luz was rescued four years ago in the Valle Sur neighborhood, after an anonymous call that notified about a disabled animal on the street, although Raquel saw that she was thrown from a house. The veterinarian said that the dog received a blow to the hip that immobilized her, although another medical point of view determined that the animal had brain parasites and that made it impossible for her to move. Now Luz requires clinical tests for a kidney problem, she is not up for adoption because she does not control her sphincters, but she is still She is active and playful. Cuco also knew the cruelty of the street, he was rescued in the market two years ago after being stabbed. Raquel told me that the worst case was a dog that she found outside the Municipal Rastro, whose jaw was knocked loose and its eyes gouged out after so many blows. hungry. We took him almost unconscious, he just died, there was no solution and we decided to sacrifice him. It was very sad, I was shocked by the terrible condition in which we found the dog.” The evil against animals has no limits, Raquel said as she showed me Felicia, five months old, rescued after being sexually violated. After four months of rehabilitation, during which time the dog was immobile and on special food, she was able to walk and be happy again. This is how she introduced me to each one of her tenants. María Félix, a black mestiza with white paws as if they were gloves, rescued on the Valle Sur bridge after being run over by a van; Vicky the first to arrive from the shelter five years ago, now, at 10 years old, no one wants to adopt her. Then she shows me Estrellita and Lunita, who she says have a special connection because they go everywhere together "they are dumbbells", she pointed out while Galleta, a dog that she rescued from an uninhabited apartment, approached. Raquel's sweet voice changes to energetic to set limits when she detects some inappropriate behavior, or determines to isolate the dog for a few hours, so that she understands that she must avoid that behavior. Raquel assured that it is impossible to have more than 12 dogs together, because due to their own animal nature, sometimes they attack each other; acknowledging that on one occasion he found a dead dog without knowing what had happened "that's why you always have to be aware of the behavior of the herd." That's how I remembered the movie Amores Perros, when Octavio's (Gael García) fighting dog Coffee, who was rescued by "El Chivo" (Emilio Echeverría) he killed the other dogs of his rescuer, pressing them by the neck with his fangs, when they were left alone. The life of a dog rescuer For Raquel the day begins at 7 in the morning when have breakfast and check your social networks to see if there is a dog to help. An hour later she arrives at the shelter to feed and play with her dogs, she also treats Luz's hind legs, and attends to those who require special care."In addition to these 11 dogs, I have another seven in homes temporary. People mark me or come to see me so I can go pick up more, but I tell them to take care of them. I put the sterilization and croquettes. There are few who accept, but I can't take it anymore. Sometimes I cry when I have to pass by because I can't pick up one more dog”. About adoptions Raquel is very careful, she doesn't give puppies to families with children under 10 years old because they treat them like stuffed animals and sometimes they suffer absurd accidents like that they feed them something that hurts them or that they even put them in a washing machine tub. She said that she does not give them either when she realizes that they want them as warehouse guards. Once she gave a dog up for adoption -after analysis and compilation of official identification and proof of residence-, Raquel makes surprise visits to the adoption house, and thus, It is how he has surprised a couple of people who have them chained under the sun's rays. This lifestyle has cost me relationships, friendships, I leave the movies or any type of meeting when the neighbors talk to me because my dogs are making a lot of noise. That's how I get to play with them to calm them down”. Avenida Libertad 203, in addition to the fact that on another day of the week she moves the campaign to a neighborhood in the city. Full time to the rescue of dogs like the Ecuadorian Jefferson Ortiz, better known as Jefferson Rescata, who in mid-July 2021 came to Santa María Zacatepec to try to rescue the two dogs that fell into the sinkhole. Help us to continue rescuing Jesús Sánchez is the main benefactor of “Huellitas de Amor”. He is the one who lends a house in black work in the Francisco I Madero neighborhood where the hostel was installed. Also Ariadna Ayala, current municipal president of Atlixco, three years ago put the cement floor inside the house so that the puppies would not sleep on the ground, Raquel told me. She also highlighted the work of the Veterinary Medical Group "Vets Gabh" who are the ones who consult and sterilize the inhabitants of the shelter for free, and the unconditional help she receives from social service providers and volunteers. For Raquel it is difficult to name all the people who have supported her throughout these five years. initiative, and he even recalled that a migrant friend sends him resources for the purchase of croquettes as a Christmas present every year. The dogs at the shelter consume around 100 kilos of croquettes per month, that is, four 25-kilo sacks , each with an approximate value of 500 pesos; money that Raquel gathers from the contributions of her friends and from the sale of bazaars that she placed in her store located at Av. Libertad 82 in Atlixco. So, if you do not have money to support this noble work, you surely have clothes, shoes or gadgets electronic devices that you don't use and that you can donate to the bazaar, so you can buy food for these little angels who are just waiting for a chance to be happy under a roof. The number to contact rescuer Raquel Romero Martínez is 244 144 0224, and her number Santander debit card number for any contribution is: 5579 0701 2219 2027 
