“If you can’t adopt, come volunteer,” says long-time Ranch volunteer Julie Wittmann. We hear from so many folks who say they wish they could help The Ranch but are unable to adopt a dog. Volunteering is the perfect solution. A volunteer for over seven years, Julie loves seeing dogs come into The Ranch and then […]
Ramblings From The Ranch – January 2026 Read More »
Happy tails! As of this writing, The Ranch is currently bursting at the seams with dogs — and puppies. If you have been thinking about adopting, we would love for you to visit and choose one of our special dogs. Two families who adopted from The Ranch share their happy tales (tails?) here to inspire
Ramblings From The Ranch – November 2025 Read More »
Epidemic Edition! Remember the lore about Typhoid Mary, the cook in the early 1900’s who spread a deadly disease around New York? Well, The Ranch had their own version of this recently when Bert and Ernie arrived. These two Malinois mixes (brothers?) were dropped off by a farmer from Mezcala in mid-March. He found the
Ramblings From The Ranch – September 2025 Read More »
A Day at The Ranch About nine o’clock in the morning, one of The Ranch’s four part-time employees arrives to unlock the gate. The sound of about a hundred dogs can be heard in the distance. After entering the property, the staff member drives up to the small office “casita” and unlocks that. There, they
Ramblings From The Ranch – July 2025 Read More »
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
Ramblings From The Ranch – May 2025 Read More »
A Day at The Ranch About nine o’clock in the morning, one of The Ranch’s four part-time employees arrives to unlock the gate. The sound of about a hundred dogs can be heard in the distance. After entering the property, the staff member drives up to the small office “casita” and unlocks that. There, they
Ramblings From The Ranch – March 2025 Read More »
You Know It’s Love When…. Little did Elizabeth Dalziel know that when she visited her mother in Chapala, she would end up flying a dog back to her home in England. Yet, that is exactly what happened when Elizabeth and her two sons, Ben and Joe Hodge, visited our area in August. Elizabeth’s mother lives
Ramblings From The Ranch – January 2025 Read More »
Dr. Luis: Ranch Veterinarian “Rather than rush from one patient to another, I prefer to sit with an old friend, while checking their pets,” Dr. Luis Maciel Saldierna quoted a mentor who told him this when he was a new veterinarian. Surely, the volunteers at The Ranch feel like Dr. Luis is an old friend.
Ramblings From The Ranch – November 2024 Read More »
How do you keep over 100 dogs healthy? As of this writing, The Ranch has 107 dogs in residence. Our shelter is built to house about 75 dogs, so you can imagine that quarters are very tight. Crowded conditions can lead to the spread of illness and to stress-induced fighting injuries. Maintaining the health of
Ramblings From The Ranch – September 2024 Read More »
Leaving a Legacy Over 20 years ago, two women made a decision that would create a legacy in the Lake Chapala dog rescue community. Around the year 2000, Diane Hazen and Gudrun Jones began the rescue that would later be known as The Ranch. At that time, a dog shelter existed in Riberas that helped
Ramblings From The Ranch – July 2024 Read More »
