Ramblings From The Ranch – May 2025

A bus full of dogs?

In February, 20 Ranch dogs headed up to new lives in Oregon on the rescue bus, aka Angel. After several years of critical and dangerous overcrowding, the Ranch was relieved to send this many dogs “up North” at one time.

Ranch volunteer and “dog travel agent” Julie Wittman was the impetus behind this great migration. She contacted long-term rescue partner Street Dog Hero in Bend, Oregon and made the case for our wonderful dogs. Ranch board members Syd Sullins, Corrine Kelly and Dale Green sent photos and biographies to Street Dog Hero and eventually the lucky dogs were chosen.

Next, Ranch volunteers worked with Cari LeClair and Joe Howell for the rescue bus. Both former Lakeside residents, Cari and Joe have organized many trips on the bus, sending about 600 dogs up North over time. Cari was the founder of the Bone Voyage rescue group, which obtained the bus about seven years ago from a USA donor. For the last three years, Joe in San Miguel de Allende has been the main organizer of these arduous trips.

Not to exaggerate – these trips can be fraught with peril. From bus breakdowns to police shakedowns, the dedicated drivers of the bus have experienced it all. Generally, two Mexican drivers take shifts, with only stops for fuel and food and potty, until they reach the U.S. border. There, American drivers take over the rest of the way. A third volunteer is also on board to take care of the dogs. In Texas, volunteers are organized to walk all the dogs and give them a much-needed break from the bus.

Once Cari and Joe agreed to take the Ranch dogs to Oregon, the real work got underway. First, funds were needed. The Ranch does not receive any funds from the U.S. rescues, so the entire cost of the endeavor was raised through special donations and from the usual donors from the Ranch. Each dog needs a veterinary health certificate, a microchip, spay/neuter, vaccines, and (new requirement!) a special screw worm affidavit. This does not include the other complicated paperwork such as the USDA permit, and the CDC rabies form, the CDC import form. The cost for vet checks, microchips and vaccines alone was over 30,000 pesos! Then, funds were also needed to pay for the bus costs – fuel, insurance, food for the volunteers, and toll road fees.

Happy (and scared) dogs were loaded up on the bus in late February for their trek. After a 10-hour highway accident closure and many days of driving, our lovely shell-shocked dogs finally arrived at Bend, Oregon.

A huge thank you to the donors who helped make this possible. Unfortunately, after one more trip in March, Cari and Joe have ended the bus trips. With over 180,000 miles, the bus is becoming expensive to maintain (and don’t even ask about the cost of insurance!) Volunteers for this arduous drive are also increasingly hard to come by. A rescue group in the Yucatán is considering taking over the operation of the rescue bus and we wish them all the best!

In the meantime, a big thank you to Cari LeClair and Joe Howell for their dedication to this effort. AND to dog travel agent Julie Wittman and all the Ranch volunteers and donors who made this possible. The Ranch is very much in need of local adoptions, volunteers and donations. You can help! You can reach us through Facebook, email us at adoptaranchdog@outlook.com or go to our webpage www.theranchchapala.com. Come out and adopt your new best friend!