Like so many animal lovers who travel to Mexico, I was astonished and saddened by the number of dogs and cats roaming the streets of La Paz, which we began visiting in 1999. Early on, we would feed strays, but were disappointed by the lack of options there were for us to help these animals more substantially.

That changed when we discovered that it was relatively simple to transport dogs back to the U.S. In 2004, our first rescue dog, La Pacena (Lapi) showed up at our hotel, where she had been abandoned. She was living in a tree-covered area for a few days and would emerge occasionally where we would feed her hot dogs by the swimming pool. We heard that the hotel owner instructed a worker to dispose of her, so we decided to take her home to Tacoma. Lapi was a well-behaved, loving dog who was a big sister to many rescued dogs and cats. We still miss her and are thankful that she wandered into our lives and turned us into Baja Dog rescuers. Since that time, we have brought four more dogs to live in our home and three rescue cats. Some have left us, but all continue to bless us with their presence in our lives and memories and have inspired us to support rescue efforts in La Paz for several years.

In addition to a smattering of rescue organizations, there are “rescatistas” living in La Paz who open their homes to stray animals purely out of compassion and at great personal cost, caring for upwards of 20 dogs. I was introduced to an amazing rescatista, Ceci, several years ago and since that time I have become more involved in supporting her tireless rescue efforts. Desiring to make a more substantial contribution to Ceci’s labor of love, we have formed Helping Paws and Claws to help offset the cost of veterinary care and nutrition for animals who are being readied for adoption in the U.S.

Michael Raffanti

Founder

Helping Paws and Claws