Ramblings From The Ranch – March 2026

Do The Right Thing

As of this writing, The Ranch has a population of over 80 dogs. We are, as Ranch Board member Dale Green said, “full to bursting.” That was also the status in December when The Ranch received word about a dog emergency in Guadalajara.

As you may have read then in the Guadalajara Reporter, an elderly foreigner was found dead in his home on December 14. The man, who had become reclusive, ran a private “dog sanctuary” for over 20 years. After his death, animal advocates and activists from the entire area were mobilized to help. Over 200 dogs were found, many in quite poor condition.

Dale and fellow board member Cheryl Okerlund went to Guadalajara to participate in the community effort to find homes for these dogs. “Even though we were really full, we felt like we had to do something,” Cheryl said. “Walking in, there was just a swarm of dogs. Some had huge tumors, others could hardly walk. It was a horrible situation.”

Veteran Guadalajara rescuer Roman Esse made a remarkable effort to get the word out about this situation. “While we were there,” Dale said, “five or six families came to select dogs for adoption. It was fabulous to see the community showing up.”

In the end, The Ranch was only able to take three dogs. The first dog picked by Cheryl and Dale was a beagle mix (now named Regal). “She picked us, really. She just walked up to be petted and then flopped down for a belly rub. She was hard to resist,” Cheryl said. Dale and Cheryl also selected a small brown dog with horrible teeth (now named Robin). “She was missing some teeth and The Ranch vet ended up having to remove six more. Still, she is a total love bug,” they said.

The third dog selected is a type of long-haired border collie mix, now named Ruby. This dog is also super sweet. All three perked up immediately at The Ranch and seemed thrilled to be cared for and doted on by volunteers.

Because of the unsanitary conditions at the house, The Ranch knew that the dogs they selected might have diseases. “We couldn’t test them there, of course,” Dale said. “But we know we are really good at testing, treating and isolating sick dogs.” All three of the dogs had to undergo a round of treatment for a tick-borne disease called Ehrlichia, which was not a big surprise.

“Sometimes, even when we don’t have space, we just have to do things to help the dog community. We took dogs when SOS closed and we helped in this case,” Dale and Cheryl told me. “It is a struggle but it’s the right thing to do. And we appreciate our community helping us.”

Please help The Ranch if you can! We always need donations, dog walkers, fosters and other helpers. Reach out to us at adoptaranchdog@outlook.com or on our website at https://www.theranchchapala.com.