We now care for some 70 + dogs in our four sites and throughout the community. Some live at home with their owners in the community and we help out with food or veterinary expenses.
Please bear in mind that Nicaraguans are very rarely sadistically cruel to dogs. Often the problem is neglect, or animals are abandoned because they are sick or old and the owners do not have the money to pay for resources like veterinary care.
Below we tell you a few of their stories…there are many many more. If you would like to support our efforts, please click the following link. We can always do so much more with a little help!
It all began with our first rescued dogs Condor and Holly. Holly is pictured above, she came to us pregnant and had 11 puppies! Sadly she died last year at the age of 13 but we still take care of some of the puppies (Junior and Ranger).
Condor
Condor Before 
Condor After
Condor caught Paulette’s attention when she found him living in a trash dump. Resembling a golden retriever, he was a gentle soul, and loved by all during his 12 years with us.
Chiva was found extremely thin, suffering from parasites and living in a backstreet of La Concha. She was utterly terrified and is the only dog to have bitten Paulette’s hand during the rescue. She now lives happily in La Reserva with several other rescued dogs and could not be more friendly. She loves to roll over and have her tummy tickled!
Chele
Chele was found in the streets of the tourist hotspot, Catarina. He was covered in injuries, probably caused by having to fight other dogs for survival. We enticed him into our pick up using some left over pizza crust! Our vet diagnosed the usual malnutrition and parasites but also pointed out he has hardly any teeth and is probably pretty old! So we are going to let him live out his years at Paulette’s house as he can be very grumpy and so best not around students too much! He now loves his food and we have decided not to fret about him being overweight!
Gata
Gata (so called because she has light coloured eyes, like a cats!) was brought to us by the owner, he did not know what to do as she had a vaginal cancer tumour the size of a fist. We paid for several chemo treatments at a vet in Managua and she made a remarkably recovery. A little overweight and super friendly she now lives with the group at La Reserva.
Blanquita
Blanquita was found by a tourist in Granada and she phoned us to see if we could help. She was living behind a restaurant and the owner had been feeding her scraps of food, but could not manage to care for her 7 puppies as well, so we took them in. Blanquita was certainly thin but an excellent mother and all the puppies survived and have found good homes. She now lives with Rosa, the Mariposa accountant and dog lover!
Darling
Darling was brought to our gate by her owner, a beautiful and well cared for puppy but unable to walk as her front legs were not functioning. The vet did a large array of tests, X rays and blood samples and diagnosed a permanent weakness caused by tick bite. She is gorgeous, playful and well loved at La Mariposa but will always have this weakness in her legs.
Rambo
Rambo was spotted by one of the Mariposa workers tied up in a backyard. He had terrible mange (sarna) and was very thin. We persuaded the owners to give him to us and, as you can see, he has flourished though still has some skin issues. He is also quite nervous still but gradually becoming more playful with the other dogs at La Mariposa.
Paton
On the way to the beach for a rare day off, Paulette spotted this dog hanging out on a traffic island in the middle of the Pan American highway. She stopped and approached him, he was immediately friendly. Ismael put his foot down and said ‘too big to take on the motorcycle’ (we have brought many dogs home on the bike!) so we phoned Oscar who came out in the truck. Oscar spoke to the police in the station opposite the traffic island and was told that he had been abandoned, has a lovely personality and the police officers were sharing their lunch with him but were happy to see him off to a new home. Called Paton (big feet), this beautiful and very gentle giant of a dog has settled at La Mariposa. Somewhat thin when he arrived he has definitely put on weight, he eats A LOT. Otherwise he has been perfectly healthy. We thought he might be a good guard dog but he likes his sleep!
Preciosa
Preciosa was found hobbling along the road, barely able to walk. She had been basically well looked after but had nasty deep wounds on the insides of both legs and very swollen joints. She healed quickly, but the cause of her injuries remained a mystery. Later we discovered that some people in the countryside believe that burning the skin with a particular kind of wood is a cure for arthritis. This explanation was consistent with the locations of her injuries, and how swollen her joints were when she first arrived. It seems that someone had been trying to help relieve her pain rather than cause her more.
Pinta
We will finish our tales with Pinta. Her owners had to move to Costa Rica and brought her to us. Beautifully looked after she is a delight but by far and away the naughtiest of the whole pack. With that face she gets away with it though!!
And a final gallery of some of our favourite pics!
