Blog Archives

Safely Home

5/15/2018

On Friday May 11, four of our amazing rescues flew home with our flight volunteers Maggie and Kim. Bella and Charlotte are two puppies who were found on in a horrible, malnourished state in Playa Blanca. A wonderful woman named Lucy Solis, was very proactive and reached out to us about helping them. She also sponsored these 2 sisters and their other 2 sisters, Harper and Eloise, through their rescue. Poor Eloise developed a tumor behind her eye and passed away in April 2018. Harper, the other sister with an adorable underbite, flew home to Portland, Oregon and is with her new family, loving life.

Now it is Bella and Charlottes turn! Bella was adopted by Lucy and is beginning her life in Washington D.C. with Lucy her rescuer, sponsor, and new mommy. Bella was the smallest puppy in the litter and has overcome so many challenges. We are so happy that we were able to save her and get her home to Lucy. Charlotte is also doing great in Buffalo, NY with her new family. Charlotte is one happy, playful, loving, puppy and we are going to miss her very much.

Next up is George. George is one of our older rescues who we pulled from the FRAD foundation. George is a distemper survivor and has suffered a world of abuse and neglect on the streets of Cartagena. He is now with his new mom Kristine in Pennsylvania. Kristen actually came to Cartagena and visited the FRAD foundation, picked George to adopt and then sponsored him throughout his recovery, until he was able to fly. George is one lucky boy and we wish him the best!

Last, is our adorable Bernadette. Bernie was sponsored by a wonderful woman named Juliet Thompson. Juliet fell in love with Bernie’s cute face and was determined to sponsor her and get her better. Juliet lives in NYC and was unable to adopt Bernie, however she was determined to find her the best home ever. That we did together. Erin Cappello, from Buffalo, NY adopted Bernie and now she lives with Erin, her daughter, and another one of our Cartagena Paw’s rescues, Zoey (Zoey flew home at Christmas 2016).

None of this would have been possible without our amazing supporters, sponsors, and donors. We are so grateful and wish these 4 beautiful souls the very best in their future life!

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Benito's Story

5/15/2018

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My love of Colombian fur babies, all began on my grand adventure to Cartagena, Colombia to go salsa dancing with my college friend.

Our first day as tourists, 12/20/13, in the charming historic walled city of Cartagena, we came across a poor homeless, sick raggamuffin dog. I immediately ran and bought this boy a hamburger. We ran into the little fella for the next 4 days and would immediately go and buy him food. That 4th day changed my life forever! The little boy recognized me and started crying. My heart broke in a million pieces and I didn’t want to leave him to fight the streets on his own.

I could not get that little Colombiano, who I named Nikko, out of my mind. I knew at that point, I wasn’t going to give up and was determined to find him and bring him back to USA, despite having two Great Pyrenees rescues. With the help of a wonderful volunteer, Paola Marrugo, the search began, February 2014. It went viral on FB and my dream came true. Nikko was found 5 days later, sleeping on the church steps. I made two more trips to Colombia to bring my boy home, October 2014. My lovely, beautiful soul passed away on 5/25/17, absolutely devastating and excruciatingly painful after everything he went through to come to Arizona. My heart was broken!

In honor of my brave soldier boy, I wanted to open my heart and help rescue another Colombiano street dog and provide a forever home. Nikko was my angel in heaven, searching for that special someone to join me, Teddy and Zoe in Arizona.

Early January, I started looking at the rescue site of Cartagena Paws. I was shocked, there was a poor skinny, sick little Wombat, a street dog they called Beni. He had been rescued by an American tourist and with the help of Cartagena Paws, this baby was getting the medical attention he needed. I immediately inquired about him as he looked so much like my Nikko.

I was in heaven after speaking with Maureen Cauttieu, director of Cartagena Paws, when she told me I could adopt the little fella once he was well. Beni spent 4 months in the vet clinic going through Chemo and getting healthy from various illnesses.

I was so impressed with Maureen and the team at Cartagena Paws. Their diligence, tenacity and love for these homeless babies is endless. Their dedication in finding loving forever homes is inspiring and they even help volunteer their time to escort your chosen baby to USA.

As the time was getting closer for Beni to be ready to come to Arizona, I knew I craved another adventure! I wanted the honor of meeting Beni first hand in beautiful Cartagena. I wanted to walk within the walled city, be a tourist with my new baby, eat Colombian food, hear the Latin beat while Beni laps up a gelato and me a margarita. These everlasting memories with Beni would also give me alone bonding time, prior to him meeting his new siblings in Arizona.

With my carryon luggage in tow, off I went on my new journey, that again would change my life. Arriving April 20th to Cartagena, I started my trip visiting FRAD. FRAD is a sanctuary, where Dra. Ingrid dedicates her life helping over 300 homeless dogs, cats, donkeys. Then apart from me meeting Beni, the second most exciting event of my trip was meeting Maureen, Luis and Stephanie of Cartagena Paws. Their warmth and love for animals shines through and I now have new lifelong friends!

As I had never flown before with a dog sitting at my feet, I must admit, I was very anxious about it. Maureen was awesome in walking me through the steps and preparing me for what was needed to fly home.

My mini vacation of 4 nights was awesome! First 2 nights gave me time to explore Cartagena, meet my old friends that helped me with Nikko and meet my new lifelong friends that were helping me with Beni. Rooftop bars, delicious Colombian food, shopping and salsa dancing definitely was absolutely wonderful. My last 2 nights, Beni stayed with me in the hotel, preparing for our exciting adventure ahead. He was doing laps on the king sized bed, running down the hallways like a bullet and jumping in my suitcase, saying mama, “I’m ready to go home”!

Off we go, April 24th, my lovely “Benito Diego Dante” landed in USA. He did extremely well on the flights. I was certainly more nervous than Benito! Once getting home, I wanted to make sure I did a slow introduction with Benito and my two Pyrenees. It was midnight when we got home and my friend helped with the intro, in which we all went on a long walk. As Benito is 30lbs, Teddy 85lbs and Zoe 100lbs wanted to make sure the little fella was comfortable as I could see on our walks in Cartagena, he was a littke afraid of large dogs. I crated him at night and made sure I kept him on a leash wherever he went. On our 3rd morning walk, Teddy started getting excited jumping like a chili pepper so I let go of the leashes. Holding my breath and praying, success, they were all ecstatic to play, jump and run. I was thrilled and so happy as it showed me they accepted the new little fella Benito into the pack.

Anyone who is thinking of adopting a new family member, I truly encourage you to look at the dogs and cats of Cartagena Paws and FRAD. Many are sick and need your help in giving them a second chance at life and a forever home. Make it an adventure that will melt your heart! Go and get your Colombiano, they will be forever grateful and give you their endless unconditional love!

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The Beginning

5/15/2018

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A letter from our Founder, Maureen Cattieu:

When I arrived in Cartagena in 2011, I was taken aback by the number of strays on the streets and the terrible injustices that took place to the animals on a daily basis. I began my fight to save animals here in the markets. Endangered parrots were being taken from their nests or were caught with super glue on painted on tree branches. They were then sold illegally to people who would place them in cages for the rest of their lives. Luckily, I was able to rescue many of them and they are now free in the National Aviary of Baru.

Then came along my dear sweet Ramona, who was run over by a bus in the streets of Cartagena. Luis, my husband, and I were walking home from dinner one night and saw her bleeding and limping on the streets. We scooped her up and rushed her to the emergency room. She spent 72 days at the vet clinic and underwent a series of major surgeries and tests. Of course, we decided to adopt her and took her home to her new sister, my first rescue Tica. I had rescued Tica over 14 years ago in Costa Rica, and she has recently passed away on April 12th, 2018. Tica opened my eyes to a whole new world and taught me how to love and appreciate animals in a way I never knew was possible before. I miss her everyday and will never forget all that she taught me. I will continue to help animals in anyway I can in memory of her legacy.

After Ramona, it was impossible to pass an injured animal without helping it. Soon after came Amador who was stabbed by gang members and needed immediate surgery. Then came Bear, who was found lifeless at a gas station with a severe maggot infection in his ear. At this point it was becoming more than something Luis and I could handle on our own. There were too many animals in need. I knew that more had to be done, so we started a GoFundMe account and a facebook account called Cartagena Paws. From there big things began to happen.

Over the past three years, I have had the pleasure of meeting amazing people from all over the world, who share the same interest and love as I do for animals. Together we have saved many lives and I am so grateful for those experiences. Throughout the past 3 years, Cartagena Paws has been able to save hundreds of lives. We have helped over 50 animals be adopted locally, and have sent over 86 dogs and cats to both Canada and the United States. We are also in the process of becoming an official 501c3, which would allow us to save more lives and begin some larger projects within the community like spay and release programs, as well as animal rights and welfare educational programs.

I am so grateful for all of our followers, friends, adopters, donors, and supporters. I am also grateful for working with Dr. Ingrid and her FRAD foundation, Kim with Little One’s Rescue, and Paula at Buffalo Cares. I also appreciate all of the amazing veterinarians who have stepped up to help out and give us advice and donate medicines.

Today May 15th, 2018 we celebrate 3 years of Cartagena Paws, 3 years of teamwork and dedication, and 3 years of serving as the voice for the innocent animals who do not have one.

PLEASE NOTE: We are no longer using our Cartagena Paws FB Profile, we now have an OFFICIAL Cartagena Paws Page, which you can LIKE AND FOLLOW, if you would like to keep up with the most latest news and rescues at Cartagena Paws.

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Meet Ella

5/15/2018

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Cartagena Paws is looking for a sponsor for the adorable wonky-eared Ella. With a name meaning “beautiful fairy woman”, this lady is the perfect combination of grace and kindness. As a 3 year old, shady hair mix with one perky ear and one floppy one, Ella dreams of a forever family where she can give mounds of kisses on the nose and spent long lazy nap days. With her mocha eyes and beautiful smile she seems to leave a little magic behind her, wherever she goes.

Ella is in need of two very important things: a sponsor for treatments and a forever home. This loving lady is currently in chemotherapy treatments for a 100-percent curable cancer. Sponsorship would allow her treatments and veterinary hospital stay to be covered. But most importantly, Ella is looking for that family for her to give all her hugs and cuddles to.

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Monthly Pet Tip

5/11/2018

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The Summer swelter is just about to hit and that means...traveling! Beaches, mountains, BBQ’s, and boating. Some of the best summer memories are built around these trips with family and friends. If your pet is lucky enough then your plans might also include them. But before you pack all of Fido’s things here are some travel trips to keep in mind.

Traveling brings anxiety. While the idea of a new place seems like an adventure to you, your dog or cat doesn’t know where you are going or for how long. Even for animals that are used to travel, extended trips can make them uneasy. One thing you can do is ask your veterinarian for sedating and/or anti-nausea medication at a quick check up before your trip. Another way to calm nerves is the bring that special bed or toy that your pet loves to snuggle with so much. This will help him or her feel more at home in the new surroundings. Finally, it’s always best to bring your pet’s favorite play toy for all those rest stops or breaks along the way. Having exciting play time releases endorphins that produce happiness and a sense of well being. It also tires them out for the next leg of the journey.

Happy Travels!

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Adopting... it's Addicting

5/11/2018

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For months, my partner, Jack, had been insisting that we adopt a puppy. I, of course, was the resistant one, mostly because I like my free time, and I am not a big fan of moving from country to country with an animal. So at the time, I am not in a position to be a good doggie daddy. However, I love animals, and volunteer with Cartagena Paws. Following their Facebook and Twitter feeds is a daily vice for me, and back in early February, I ran across this post with pictures of Beso:

Something about this post got me thinking, “well, maybe we can compromise and get a cat.” They are independent, and not very time consuming. I brought it up to Jack, and immediately we scheduled a time to go visit him, and decided to adopt him. We took him home on February 16th. After a week with Beso, I found myself wanting to make sure that he was socialized well with other animals, and thought it might help him get out some of his energy if he had a friend. Two cats can’t be more difficult than one, right? It was almost as if the timing was perfect, because just before we had adopted Beso, this post appeared:

A post about two kittens (brothers) that needed homes! After meeting them both, the decision to adopt Thor was made. Beso was reluctant to get along with this outsider at first, but after 24 hours together, they were playing together and cuddling each other. After a week with Beso and Thor, Cartagena Paws needed Loki’s foster mom to foster some puppies, and I was asked to foster Loki, too in order to make room. Since Loki would be heading Stateside soon enough, it just felt right to put Thor and Loki back together to grow together and learn from each other. But we would have 3 kittens running around the apartment! How did this happen??? Within a day, everyone got along well, and Loki became very close with Beso, as he had the energy that Thor lacked to keep up with him. Currently, Beso is the strong, peaceful, older brother that keeps everyone in line, while Thor is a shy, sweetheart that just wants his humans to feed and pet him. They both cuddle with us any chance they are given. As for Loki, we call him the spaz! He’s the sneaky, trouble maker that knocks everything off the chairs, tables and couches. But we have grown to love him as if he was our own. He’s the one that meets us at the bedroom door in the morning, and hops up on their tower to greet us, as if to say, “Good morning, human! Now feed me. Please!” Look at them now:

Both photos: Beso, Loki, Thor.

Beso and Thor will be staying with Jack and me in Cartagena. Loki has found a new family in Portland, Oregon, and I couldn’t be happier about it! I am from that area, and just maybe, Beso, Thor, and Loki will reunite someday!

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Newsletter Stories

Safely Home

Benito's Story

The Beginning

Meet Ella

Monthly Pet Tip

Adopting... it's Addicting

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