My brother lived and worked in Mexico City for a year. I emailed him and asked if he has any ideas or knows someone there who might be helpful. It's a long shot...he's a philiosophy professor and probably just knows academic types (who typically aren't very good with practical matters!) but you never know.

I've driven in and out of Mexico with a dog...don't need anything to take them into Mexico, needed an ag form to return to the US. So I'm thinking just proof of rabies and general good health, but don't know what's entailed in getting that down there.

Thank you, Marty!

I am stiill waiting for a full report and my friend has not been able to speak to Patricia yet but she has gotten two emails from her. Both say that Sebastian is severely traumatized being at the vet, as the email above mentions. I understand how hard it must be for him to be in a cage with all kinds of strange things going on around him but  I wonder what Patricia means when she says..."We are working to give him confidence and making stop being afraid but it has been very difficult while being in the veterinary hospital and its becoming more complicated."  It is not fair to keep him in a place where he is so afraid but I know there is no choice. I am just afraid it could end up doing more harm than good if he has to stay there much longer.

Apparently they have tried to rig up some kind of cart for him but he was too afraid to move in it--it occurred to me that he might be, since he seems to know so little of human ways. It sounds like it would kill this dog to try and fly him out (On the other hand there are always tranquilizers and its not that long a flight) so how the heck do we get him here? He would be terrified in a long car ride too.  Besides, everyone I know is too afraid to drive down there.  So it seems like a plane flight is the only real option. We would absolutely have to have a place to take him to immediately. We need to find a person who is willing and able to give him a quiet home (probably not in the city) and to work with him patiently and gently but who would also be able to accept it if he never was able to trust them and still give him a home. Thats a pretty tall order.

I keep thinking of Best Friends. I know they will take animals that no one else would and they will keep them even if they never come around. I do not know how to get their attention though. They must get a bazillion pathetic stories a week. Jim and Rene (I know you sent them an email already), or anyone else out there--do you have any personal contacts with Best Friends? If you do start pulling strings! Maybe if each of us sent Best Friends an email about Sebastian it would help. I will send one this evening. I will also send one to Patricia suggesting she contact them. I will also contact every other sanctuary I can find that to see if they would be willing to take him in if we can figure out how to get him there.

The group I work with is not likely to go for this rescue. It is so far out of our usual realm. With limited funds most rescue groups have to make really hard choices all the time. And the dogs they bring into their programs need to be fairly easily adoptable. Poor Sebastian has so many strikes against him. The choice is--do they spend alot of money to help this one dog in need, that will only be able to go to a one in a million home, if it can even be found? Or do they spend the money helping 10 or 20 dogs that are also in need?

And we still don't know where he is.

Marty, do you know what town Sebastian and Patricia are in? Also Marty, we are trying to get the answers to a few other questions so we can figure out how to help. Can you translate these and send them to Patricia?

• The most important thing to find out is where he is.
• Is Patricia interested in sending Sebastian to a home in the US?  Would she want an adoption fee? If so, how much?
• Very important--has he been vaccinated against Rabies and distemper. Can they get him vaccinated right away? Is he healthy enough to be vaccinated? He should be vaccinated 30 days before coming into the US but it sounds like it is fairly easy to circumvent that by promising to keep him isolated until he has had his 30 days after vaccination.
• Is he otherwise healthy? If not, what health issues does he have (not including his disability). Is he developing behavioral issues (other than being scared)?
• Is he able to tolerate people at all? The video made it look like he could and actually enjoyed contact with the person. But is that changing as he spends time in a situation where he is scared all the time?
• Does she have any way to get him from wherever he is to the US border?

Thank you all for caring.

Martha

Codie Rae - my brother says the phone number indicates in or around Mexico City. I'm not at all afraid to drive down (I've driven hundreds of miles in Mexico by myself, tell those people they're cowards) and would jump at the chance for a road trip if I had the time and money.

Great list of questions...I got an email from Marty with those photo as well. I'll respond with your questions. I'm secretary for a small rescue but we pretty much have zero money, and as you say what we do have is better used to help what dogs and cats we can here. As it is we turn down animals due to lack of space and have some outstanding vet bills to pay off. Sebastian needs a wealthy sponsor!