a dog rescue, south of the border

"Ajijic is located 37 miles south of Guadalajara, the second largest city in Mexico with a population of over seven million people. Needy children, homeless people, and severe poverty leave little concern for animal care."

So in 2001 Diane Hazen and Gudrun Jones decided to do something about that. They opened the Lakeside Spay and Neuter Center in Ajijic, intending at first simply to cut down on overpopulation by sterilizing as many stray pets as they could -- and they get to about 2.5 on average a day. But they quickly opened their hearts as well to the abandoned, abused and hungry dogs on the streets, and created a place of rescue for them.

Yes, they do so in the middle of great human need. One could argue they have a duty to help their own species first. But human beings have that choice. . . animals have none. And people's gifts of giving take many forms: to the elderly, to the very young, to places of learning, and sometimes to four legged creatures.