I have always been both in love with and allergic to dogs. In fact, for most of my life, after stupidly petting every dog I met, I’d have to rush to a faucet, my hands held haz-mat-fashion in front of me, or pay the price of hives and scratchy, blood-shot eyes.
I once drove a dog that had been hit by a car to an emergency pet hospital, caressing the poor thing on my lap. I arrived coughing hysterically, gasping for air. “The dog will be fine,” said the vet. “I’m really worried about you, though!”
Love eventually had its way: After just a few weeks of working at SOS Chapala DOG Rescue, my allergy inexplicably disappeared. But, this was just one of so many surprises and lessons I now cherish as a dog rescue volunteer.
My husband, Edgar, and I arrived at SOS just before the municipality of Chapala formally inaugurated its ground-breaking rescue. The first volunteers there who’d cunningly invited us, supposedly just to have a look, knew we’d see what they’d seen: a nascent rescue in dire distress, dogs rescued from one form of abuse now wallowing in another. So, we, too, reluctantly rolled up our sleeves and got to work.
Please login or subscribe to view the complete article.