Tuesday, April 29, 2014

ARE PALM TREES REALLY TREES?





Are palm trees really trees?
 

I had always thought that the palm tree was my favorite tree, until I recently was told that palm trees are not true trees.   Not woody or having a central trunk with branches, palm trees are a member of a plant family called arecacae.  There are more than 2,000 varieties of palms, the best known being the date and coconut palms. Wanting to know more, I read that harvesting the heart of palm in some uncultivated varieties of palm trees
(coconut, palmito, etc.) kills the palm, just asremoving the heart of any living creature would kill it.  




Puerto Vallarta is filled  with and surrounded by several different kinds of palms, as well many flowering trees that are in their springtime glory.   The town and jungles are scattered with powder pink blossoms, bright sun yellow blossoms, shy purple blossoms and fiery orange and red blossoms.  Bougainvillea blooms all year on bushes, vines and trees in pink, peach, white  and fuchsia, the color of México. 



Pets for Life vet team has been in the state of Nayarit this last week and on vacation for Easter.  Numbers of sterilizations will be reported once received.

DONATIONS TO PEACEANIMALS CLINICS:

Janice Murray - $100 USD

MISCELLANEOUS DONATIONS:  Buri Gray – 750 pesos for the care of “Kevin,”  the abused and starved Pit Bull mix.

Malka and Steve Sekey (Portland, Oregon)- $525 USD – to sponsor a one-day Colina clinic with Dr. Poli and Paulina, working together with Dr. Gretel of Colina.

John Brooks (Newfoundland)  3,500 pesos for dog rescues (I delivered 500 pesos of John´s donation to Dr. Tamayo for the little brown puppy´s surgery).

RESCUED AND NEEDS HOMES:

BERENICE WITH RESCUED DOG WHO NEEDS HOME
Adorable six-year old, white male Poodle mix rescued on the street by PEACEAnimals volunteer, Berenice Catellanos.   He is scheduled to be neutered at upcoming clinic.  Please contact Berenice via FB if interested.


"FLOYD" NEEDS HOME
“Floyd,” a Doxie/Pit Bull mix – rescued by Kerry and Scott Hemstad .  After finding him on the street covered with mange, fleas, ticks and dog bites, they took the dog to their vet, where he was diagnosed with erlichia.  I met Floyd, who is one year old and a very sweet, playful, pretty dog.  He´s a small/medium size.    If interested in adopting:  burnmyparka@hotmail.com

GORGEOUS  FEMALE ANGORA BLUE-EYED KITTEN
Two three-month old kittens found by my neighbor, Carol Jasper.  One was still very wet from having been tossed into the río Cuale.  The female is a gorgeous blue-eyed Angora and the male is a pretty, white and striped kitten.  I took them both to Colinia clinic on Sunday for sterilization, as the PEACEAnimals team was out of town.   Carol would like them to be adopted together.  If interested, please contact: 
KITTENS NEED TO BE ADOPTED AS A PAIR


caroljasper905@gmail.com

BEAUTIFUL "ZORRA" NEEDS HOME

 “Zorra,” the beautiful young dog rescued in Boca de Tomatlán.   After expensive surgery for a broken leg, she healed perfectly and finally found a family with another dog.  Unfortunately, the two dogs didn´t get along.   Zorra is a GREAT dog.   Contact Karla:  kdelap1@yahoo.com.mx

Three six-week-week old kittens left on Benedicte Laur´s doorstep.  Contact: 
benedictelaur@hotmail.com
Displaying photo.JPG
SIX-WEEK OLD TRIPLETS NEED HOME

PROTRUDING LEG BONE ON RESCUED PUPPY
A small, brown moribund puppy with a bone protruding just below her hip was found on the  sidewalk and brought to Dr. Tamayo´s clinic.  Sadly, her  leg will have to be amputated.  Vet bill will be 1,500 pesos.  Please consider a small donation. The puppy will be at Dr. Peña´s . 109-9 Melchor Ocampo    Tel.  224-0319



NEED RESCUING:  Thousands of cats and dogs living on the streets
STREET CAT BEING FED

and  dozens of cats and dogs at the Acopio, the no-kill pound.  The Centro de Acopio is open Monday-Saturday from 8 AM-2 PM.  Telephone number is 293-3690.  For shelters, please check PEACEAnimals website.  Website also contains information on recommended vets, adoptions, etc.   www.peaceanimals.org

ADOPTED!  A black female Chihuahua and  tan male Chihuahua – rescued  by Carolina Barrera and both adopted by a neighbor of Berenice Catellanos.

The last three of the eight dogs rescued from the Acopio by PEACEAnimals board members, Brischa and Ted Borchgrevink, have flown to Canada to their new homes. 
THREE DOGS RESCUED FROM THE ACOPIO OFF TO HOMES IN CANADA



RIDES FOR RESCUE DOGS NEEDED:  For Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver.  Expenses for dogs paid for.  Please contact robin.nobars@gmail if you can help.

PLEASE CLICK!  Your daily clicks or direct donations help animals,  people and the planet.  www.greatergood.org; www.greatergood.com  To donate to PEACEAnimals clinics, please click on this link.  http://bit.ly/1cWY0lP

PEACE ANIMALS CLINICS OPEN Wednesday to Saturday, which is half-day only. Arrive early.  No food or water after midnight before surgery day.  Animals must be at least 8 weeks old.  They will be treated for parasites, fleas, ticks and mange, if it is present.  Pregnancies terminated on request.  Euthanasia performed if animal critically ill or injured.  All services are free.
 
CLINIC SCHEDULE:  


April 30-May3
Colonia Villas Universidad, Calle Tecnológico de Monterrey #250 B.
Directions:
Drive inland from La Paloma bullring until you get to the light on Av México. Make a left at the light and go on until you come to an Oxxo, there you´ll make a right. Drive for another 3-4 small blocks and you will see a playground on the right hand side and a small business complex behind it.

MAY- Puerto Vallarta - TBA

VOLUNTEERS:  PLEASE SIGN UP WITH PAULINA STETTNER. 
 infopeaceanimals@gmail.com

Schedule, inc. directions and other miscellaneous information are always on website:  www.peaceanimals.org

PEACEANIMALS HAS TAX-DEDUCTIBLE STATUS IN THE U.S., CANADA AND MEXICO.  Re Canadian donations:   NOBARS, a Canadian-based dog rescue organization, is able to process donations to PEACEAnimals without taking a commission.   Please contact: robin.nobars@gmail.com or visit our website:  www.peaceanimals.org

 COST FOR ONE SURGERY WEEK CLINIC WAS $1,500 USD THIS PAST YEAR AND IS CURRENTLY BEING REVISED DUE TO SALARY INCREASES AND COST OF SUPPLIES.


   THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

 



GreaterGood.org



  






THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST AND SUPPORT.
Gretchen DeWitt - President - Board of Directors - PEACEAnimals
www.gretchen-peace-and-pv.blogspot.com










Tuesday, April 22, 2014

HOLY WEEK

SAYULITA, NAYARIT



Holy Week was a good week to be out of town.  Puerto Vallarta was filled with vacationers from the U.S. and Mexico, who camped out in small tents on beaches and left enormous amounts of garbage and trash.  I spent these ten days visiting my family in San Francisco and Marin County.  

CORNER STONE SCULPTURE GARDEN, SONOMA

On Good Friday, we decided to drive to Sonoma for lunch at Corner Stone, which is home to a large, fanciful sculpture garden.  Driving up 101, we passed a large emerald green field filled with sheep and their young lambs.  It was a beautiful pastoral sight, and we told the small children we would stop to take photographs on the way home.  As we slowly approached the same grassy field later that day, the scene was different.  The sheep and their lambs were now tightly corralled in a circular pen and on the periphery, a man in levis was wrestling one of the white lambs to the ground.


My eight-year old grandson bawled out, “Leave!  Leave! They´re going to make lamb chops!”  And although their mother told him the man was just going to shear the sheep for their wool, James had seen something he understood.   

COLONIA GUADALUPE VICTORIA
COLONIA GUADALUPE VICTORIA IN PUERTO VALLARTA:
Seeing the name, I was curious about what this woman had done to have a neighborhood named after her.  This is what I found in Wikipedia:

“Guadalupe Victoria (29 September 1786 – 21 March 1843), born José Miguel Ramón Adaucto Fernández y Félix was a Mexican politician and military officer who
fought for independence against the Spanish Empire in the Mexican War of Independence. He was a deputy in the Mexican Chamber of Deputies for Durango and a member of the Supreme Executive Power. He also served as the first president of Mexico." 


UNALTERED DOG GUARDING HOME
The dusty colonia of Guadalupe Victoria is almost directly across the highway from the steel and concrete international airport for Puerto Vallarta.  I drove Kira,  the rescued dog that had been riddled with TVT, to the clinic on the day before I flew to San Francisco.
WHIMSICAL FRONT OF HUMBLE HOME
Inside the colonia, there is a large dirt field with a sign posted in Spanish asking people to respect “green areas.”
GUADALUPE VICTORIA
A solitary palm grows there.  Trees and plants that line the cobbled and dirt streets are covered in dust.  Chickens trot around the roads and sit on upturned bicycles lying in the dirt.
 

STERILIZATIONS AT CLINIC IN COLONIA GUADALUPE VICTORIA April 9-12

DR. ANTHONY AT CLINIC  photo credit:  Miles Merritt
Male dogs:  15; Female dogs:  33; Male cats:  15; Female cats:  19    TOTAL:  82 
PLUS pregnancies terminated for 1 cat with 4 fetuses.


RELUCTANT DOGS AT GUADALUPE VICTORIA CLINIC

 
DONATIONS AT CLINIC: 845 pesos


DONATIONS to PEACEAnimals:  Casey Lupton – 500 pesos

www.petsgonewildmexico.com (Ana Sarmiento)– 370 pesos, which represents 5% of product sales at the farmers market in La Cruz.

Ralph Osborne - $1,000 USD

Maré Hansen - $1,000 USD

Heidi Hubner - $500 CA
CLINIC IN GUADALUPE VICTORIA


RESCUED AND NEED HOMES:

“Crispin,” a young, tan-colored male Chihuahua with a large growth covering most of one eye.  Rescued by Jorge Ceballos,  the dog´s 600 peso successful surgery at Dr. Peña´s clinic was paid for out of John Brooks´original $350 USD donation for dog rescues.  Jorge says that Crispin is a great dog, but doesn´t like children.  If interested in adopting, please contact Jorge:  225-9447
JORGE CEBALLOS WITH "CRISPIN" BEFORE EYE SURGERY

"KIRA" NEEDS HOME
“Kira,” another one of Jorge Ceballos´rescues whom I met first at his home.  She has had eye surgery and several sessions of chemo to treat her TVT.     Kira is a very intelligent and sweet dog, has been well fed and is in great health now.   Kira is 2-3 years old and spayed at a PEACEAnimals clinic.  Contact:  225-9447

"KEV IN" AT DR. PEÑA´S CLINIC THE DAY HE WAS RESCUED
“Kevin,” an abused young brown and white Pit Bull-mix being cared for at Dr. Peña´s clinic.  I had stopped by to take Kira´s donation and took the friendly and grateful Kevin for a walk.  He is bone thin, but strong and walked perfectly on a leash.  Dr. Peña is accepting donations.  I left 100 pesos of John Brooks´money for Kevin´s vet expenses.  Donations are needed for the dog´s rehabilitation.    If interested in adopting, please contact Dr. Peña: 
224-0319

"SPIRIT" RECOVERING
“Spirit” the broken dog, is recovering at the home of Brischa and Ted Borchgrevink.  He is for adoption to a very good home once he has completely recovered.    Contact:bbrischa@hotmail.com

NEED RESCUING:  Thousands of cats and dogs living on the streets and  dozens of cats and dogs at the Acopio, the no-kill pound.  The Centro de Acopio is open Monday-Saturday from 8 AM-2 PM.  Telephone number is 293-3690.  For shelters, please check PEACEAnimals website.  Website also contains information on recommended vets, adoptions, etc.   www.peaceanimals.org

RIDES NEEDED to Edmonton, Vancouver and Canada for rescue dogs.  Travel expenses for dogs paid for.  Please contact me.

 MEXICAN STREET DOGS ("CALLEJEROS")    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-laTDWrYhNc


DR.POLI AT MANUEL VICTORIA CLINIC
PLEASE CLICK!  Your daily clicks or direct donations help animals,  people and the planet.  www.greatergood.org; www.greatergood.com  To donate to PEACEAnimals clinics, please click on this link.  http://bit.ly/1cWY0lP


PEACE ANIMALS CLINICS OPEN Wednesday to Saturday at 9 AM, which is half-day only. Arrive early. No food or water after midnight before surgery day.  Animals must be at least 8 weeks old.  They will be treated for parasites, fleas, ticks and mange, if it is present.  Pregnancies terminated on request.  Euthanasia performed if animal critically ill or injured.  All services are free.
 
CLINIC SCHEDULE:

April 23-26 La Peñita (JBAR- MexiCan - PfL)

April 27-  "Adopta un Amigo" - PfL intensive clinic in Tepic 


April 30-May - 
Colonia Villas Universidad, Calle Tecnológico de Monterrey #250 B.
To get there:
Drive inland from La Paloma bullring until you get to the light on Av México. Make a left at the light and go on until you come to an Oxxo, there you´ll make a right. Drive for another 3-4 small blocks and you will see a playground on the right hand side and a small business complex behind it.
MAY- Puerto Vallarta - TBA

VOLUNTEERS:  PLEASE SIGN UP WITH PAULINA STETTNER. 
WE NEED VOLUNTEERS!!!!!
 infopeaceanimals@gmail.com

FOUR DOGS WAITING AT CLINIC FOR SURGERY
  photo credit of four dogs:  Miles Merritt
Schedule, inc. directions and other miscellaneous information are always on website:  www.peaceanimals.org

PEACEANIMALS HAS TAX-DEDUCTIBLE STATUS IN THE U.S., CANADA AND MEXICO.  Re Canadian donations:   NOBARS, a Canadian-based dog rescue organization, is able to process donations to PEACEAnimals without taking a commission.   Please contact: robin.nobars@gmail.com or visit our website:  www.peaceanimals.org

 COST FOR ONE SURGERY WEEK CLINIC IS $1,500 USD.


 THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

 



GreaterGood.org



  






THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST AND SUPPORT.
Gretchen DeWitt - President - Board of Directors - PEACEAnimals
www.gretchen-peace-and-pv.blogspot.com