The Dog Lady of Mexico by Alison Sawyer Current; self-published; © 2018, ISBN 9780578-413808; 388 pages; available via Amazon.
By Donald H. Harrison
SAN DIEGO – The Isla Mujeres is off the northeast tip of Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula. It boasts warm beaches, tropical weather, a quiet, lay-back lifestyle, and more dogs than residents can shake their sticks at – which, unfortunately, residents often do, when they’re not treating the dogs worse. In this novel, Rose and her husband Brad initially moved to the island part-time both to vacation from their home in Colorado and to afford Brad the opportunity to look after an investment in a local fish restaurant. Eventually, however, they decide to become permanent residents.
Rose frequented a book store which sometimes took in stray animals– with which the island literally was overrun. Rose helped with some puppies, and before long, she became obsessed with rescuing abandoned, maltreated dogs, and then having them attended to medically, nursed back to health, and, if possible, adopted by loving families—some indigenous, others those of tourists.
Her enterprise started small, but grew and grew to the point that she was operating kennels, recruiting volunteers to conduct clinics to neuter and spay the dogs and otherwise tend to their medical needs. She also distributed tons of dog food.
Not everyone on the Isla Mujeres loved the work that Rose was doing. The owners of nearby hotels made it clear they didn’t want any dogs near their property. A distraught woman accused Rose of being responsible for a dog attack on her two pet rabbits, even though there was no evidence that the dogs in question had even been under Rose’s care.
Although such encounters upset Rose, they didn’t deter her from caring for and loving the dogs that she either found, or which were brought to her. On two occasions, Rose was bitten by dogs that were too scared to realize she was trying to help them. That didn’t deter her either.
In this novel, we meet some of the dogs for which Rose and her friends cared. One named Ariel was practically a porpoise. Other dogs waited on the beach as Ariel splashed and jumped and frolicked in the water, reminding everyone who watched what it was like to be carefree and joyous.
Another was Pokey, who was part whippet and somewhat weird looking. He was a natural-born leader, an alpha who was loyally followed by other dogs under Rose’s care. But there was no question in Pokey’s mind who was the real leader. All Rose had to do was whistle and he’d come running, no matter what he was doing. Somebody fed Pokey some meat, laced with poison. There was no question in Rose’s mind that it was one of the hotel owners.
Yet, another dog under Rose’s care was a poodle who was named Pepe le Peu (after the fictitious skunk) because of the beige stripe that ran down its back. One day, Pepe stood up on its back legs and showed how he could push small wheelbarrows or baby carriages. Seems he had been left behind by a circus, either by accident or design.
Rose took photographs of each of the dogs under her care and entered into files the particulars of each animal’s medical history. So many dogs came in at a time that Rose had to develop naming conventions. The puppies in one litter were named after John, Paul, George and Ringo of the Beatles; another group of dogs were named after American Presidents and First Ladies. One lone dog was named after former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.
Hurricane Wilma of 2005 provided one of the more dramatic episodes in the book. At the time of the hurricane’s approach, Brad and Rose had some dogs that were personal pets, and another 18 dogs that were under their care. Rudi, an assistant, volunteered to stay behind, keeping the 18 wards with him in Brad’s and Rose’s concrete block home. Waiting out the storm on the mainland, Rose was besides herself with worry – not about her house and possessions but about the welfare of the dogs. What she would return to was a matter of suspense.
Over time, the ever-increasing number of dogs that came under Rose’s care strained hers and Brad’s household budget, occasioning some tension for the long-married couple. Often the dogs were kept in Rose’s and Brad’s home. As these dogs were not housebroken, Brad had to step carefully to get to his study. Although he groused about this, as well as about how exhausted Rose was becoming trying to be den-mother to all the dogs on the island, he understood her need to extend her care to the canines, most especially to defenseless puppies often found trying to fend for themselves on the island.
Gradually, Rose developed a website to tell the world about her work, and to solicit donations.
If all this sounds like the work of Isla Animals, and the Dog Gone Foundation, it is. Perhaps for legal reasons, the names of the principals have been changed by author Alison Sawyer Current, whose experiences match those of the fictional Rose. “Originally, I thought a book of short stories would fit the material well but quickly realized it had to be a novel,” she explained in the preface. “A fiction based on some of the more gripping tales of my experiences.” More information about her work may be found at www.islaanimals.org
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Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com
Very interesting review which makes me want to read the book!