Belize. To most that have never been, the name invokes images of Paradise, whatever Paradise means. Over 10,000 people – mostly from North America and Europe – add to the local population and call this little country home. To many of those, it absolutely does define Paradise Living.
But this paradise also has an underbelly. Living in a different culture can be difficult on many counts if you’re from a developed country, and few are as hard to accept as the treatment of animals generally, and specifically, the overabundance of starving and diseased stray animals that the travel agents and vacation brochures don’t mention.
A few brave expats/immigrants took on the monumental task of making a difference in the lives of as many domesticated animals as possible, forming Humane Societies where there were none, and dedicating themselves to the care of strays that would otherwise succumb to starvation or disease or abuse in short order.
Susanne is one of these. A founding member in one of Belize’s area humane societies, and now working on her own to ensure that stray puppies that are born get the best lives possible. She cares for them, has them spayed/neutered and dewormed, then vets the new owners to ensure the pups won’t end up at the end of a short chain. The mama dog, if there is one, gets what is likely the best care she’s ever received while in Susanne’s care. As soon as possible after weaning, Mama Dog is also spayed and adopted.
I count myself lucky to know Susanne and learned a lot while working side by side with her in animal rescue, finding out quickly that she has a unique way of looking at things, at times uproariously funny, or poignant to the point of heart-break. So here, for your amusement/insight/occasional punch in the gut, is a collection of ramblings of a very witty dog rescuer on various and sundry subjects. I collected these over a little more than a year, without Susanne’s knowledge, to put her witticisms into book form that we could then sell and further fund her rescue efforts in Belize. I sincerely hope you enjoy them as I have.
All income generated by the sale of this book will be used in her continuing rescue efforts.
Elizabeth Bertsche