Animal welfare groups in the lakeside area have a strong track record in coming to the rescue of dogs in distress, but all their good works may overshadowed by a single local lawyer who is appealing to the federal judicial system to save the life of a Chapala street dog.

Many Mexican and foreign citizens are actively involved in the diverse legally established and informal organizations that run animal shelters, adoption programs, education activities and spay and neuter clinics. It’s a darn shame that there is a degree of rivalry between some groups competing for financial backing that prevent all from working in harmony or perhaps establishing an umbrella structure along the lines of a United Way for Animals.

That could be a pathway for fostering more effective sterilization projects to prevent the reproduction of unwanted critters that end up filling the shelters. It might also lead to running campaigns to help dog owners obtain affordable collars and ID tags to help lost pets find their way home.

There seem to be some well-meaning expat residents who remain clueless about local culture and can’t distinguish between abandoned strays and street dogs whose human companion allow them to roam free. Not every canine wandering about without being attached to a person with a leash needs to rescued unless they show signs of starvation, illness or injury.

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