Milagros Caninos, or Miracle Dogs, is a very special canine shelter in Mexico City. For years it has been a true paradise for dogs suffering from terminal illnesses, are blind, paralyzed or have been tortured and abandoned on the streets of Mexico’s capital.

Patricia Ruiz, the founder of Milagros Caninos lost her pet dachshund, Clavo (Spanish for “Nail”) in 2004. She knew the meaning of his life – to love her and her family, to play with her children, to bring joy to their lives – but she couldn’t understand the meaning of his death. Like she would have done for any lost member of the family, Patricia posted a eulogy in the newspaper as a symbol of the love and respect she had for Clavo. After that, she started getting all these emails from like-minded people, who shared her pain at the loss of their four-legged companions, and that motivated her to become involved in rescuing animals. She first rescued one dog, then another, and so on, to the point where she needed a place to keep them all. Her eyes and ears were always focused on pain, so she ended up with a number of animals suffering from severe illnesses like cancer, were paralyzed, or had been tortured or drugged by humans who didn’t share her compassion. So she founded Milagros Caninos, a haven for dogs in extreme situations, in need of special care and attention. That’s when she understood the meaning of Clavo’s passing…

Photo: Milagros Caninos/Facebook

There are no cages at Milagros Caninos. No dog is ever tied or locked up. It’s Patricia’s philosophy that they have suffered enough, and they should now be allowed to run around freely and be treated with kindness. “This is not a prison”, she says on the shelter’s website. “Thousands of dogs suffer terribly when they have born and grown on the streets without food or water. They look for a way to survive, but this is not enough because there will always be a leg that kicks them, a stick that beats them, a car that runs over them or someone who burns them.” Luckily, she’s there to pick up the pieces. She and her team surround the dogs with love and care, and are always rewarded with licks, swinging tails and eternally-grateful looks.

Photo: Milagros Caninos/Facebook

There are currently 128 abused dogs running around this special animal shelter in Southern Mexico, many of them victims of human cruelty. Some of them have had their legs cut off by members of drug cartels who practice slicing off victims’ fingers on dogs. One of these poor cases is Pay de Limon (Lemon Pie) , who was found dumped in a garbage after his front legs had been cut off. Ruiz managed to raise $6,000 and ordered a pair of prosthetic legs from a Colorado company that “biomechanically correct orthotics and prosthetics for animals.” Now Pay de Limon lives a normal life at Milagros Caninos.

Photo: Milagros Caninos/Facebook

People can adopt dogs from Milagros Caninos, but they, as well as the canine, have to go through an evaluation process. ” I will never give in adoption an elderly dog, with cancer, or that suffers from any difficult or expensive disease,”Patricia Ruiz says. “If you are interested in physically adopting a dog, that is, to take him to live with you, we should evaluate the dog’s condition as well as the adopter’s. I will never ever allow that any of the Canine Miracles dogs suffer again.” But people can also adopt a dog, even if not physically. They can choose a canine from the online gallery, and donate a sum of money every month for his care. They will receive a monthly report as well as photos of the dog, and if the dog passes away or behaves badly, they will be informed. They can also schedule visits at the shelter.

I know there’s nothing weird or odd about Milagros Caninos, but Pay de Limon’s tale and Patricia Ruiz’s dedication to abused dogs really inspired me to share their story with you guys.

Source: Milagros Caninos