Wendy’s Story
This past April The Ranch was contacted by a man that claimed he needed to move back to Canada the first of May and couldn’t take his dog. He went on to brag about how much money he had spent on training this dog and maintaining her vet care. Because The Ranch was very full we wouldn’t be able to accept the dog before he moved. Following Ranch policy we suggested he post the dog on social media to see if he could find a home, at the very least a foster situation until the Ranch had room. He ignored that suggestion and instead said it would be sad to see her living on the street. Later he claimed the dog had originally been adopted from the Ranch, however our database showed no record of Wendy or this man as an adopter.
Ranch personnel discussed the situation and felt certain this man was lying about the dog being a Ranch dog, but on the off chance he was telling the truth we decided to accept the dog. We let him know of our decision and, as we do with all dogs placed by people with the means, strongly suggested that he make a monthly donation to support Wendy while she was in the shelter. He didn’t respond to this request but he immediately brought Wendy to the Ranch.
This beautiful dog was so confused and sad when she arrived. Dulce, our Ranch manager, asked him for a donation to support Wendy and he went off on her. It was the most threatening moment anyone had ever experienced at the Ranch. He got right in Dulce’s face and started yelling at her, accusing her of trying to bilk him. Dulce walked up to the Ranch casita to call for assistance then she turned around just in time to see this man get into his car and quickly drive off. Wendy had been with him by the car and she started to give chase. Immediately all Ranch hands went to find Wendy and luckily she was hiding in some trees rather than follow him to the highway. Everyone was extremely shaken-up by this run-in, but happy that Wendy was safe.
Due to the unusual hostility of the encounter The Ranch posted this experience on social media along with a photo of the man and a video one of our staff had managed to take of him driving off with Wendy chasing him. We immediately started getting calls from people who knew him. They pretty much confirmed our opinion that this guy was unbalanced, cruel and stingy.
We also found out that he had a Mexican wife, Mary, whom he had thrown out on the street a few months earlier. She had badly wanted to take Wendy with her, but he refused and she only had enough money for a bus ticket to Mexico City to join her family. When Mary heard Wendy was at The Ranch she called us sobbing. She gave us more info about what led to Wendy’s abandonment and that began our quest to get Wendy to Mexico City. Many in our community who knew Mary and her love for Wendy donated to make the reunion happen and several Ranch managers donated the balance. We wanted Wendy in a loving home! We booked a flight to Mexico City for Dulce to accompany Wendy and the reunion with Mary was so heartwarming. A small crowd at the airport gathered as they saw Wendy’s pure joy after being reunited with the woman who had cared for her. No one else knew the story, but they could tell it was a special moment indeed.
If you would like to volunteer or learn more about The Ranch contact us at adoptaranchdog@outlook.com or donate by visiting our website at Theranchchapala.com.
For more information about Lake Chapala visit: www.chapala.com
- Ramblings From The Ranch – July 2022 - June 29, 2022
