As illegals make their way to the border between Mexico and the United States many of them don’t just bring along their luggage and stories of their homelands. They also bring along their four-legged companions, their dogs. Walking along faithfully, they watch their owners backs and often take the night shift to ensure they can sleep safely.
Upon getting to the border, many of these illegals are shocked to find out that while they can come through without papers, their dogs need shot records, a microchip, quarantine time, and other things to come in. No space for any of that is available in detainment centers, and there are no organizations to take them in. This has resulted in thousands of dogs now running all over both sides of the border, especially in hard-hit Eagle Pass, TX.
Left behind by the very people they trusted most, these dogs are tossed away like broken shoes or broken toys when they cross the border. This results in them being very skittish, untrusting, and at times very attack-prone. Even setting a bowl of water down can send these dogs ready to race for the hills. For food, many are trying to grab scraps anywhere they can find them, even inside the razor wire.
Here on the US side of the border National Guard troops have been taking care of them as best they can, but rules about strays can sometimes complicate keeping them around. The lack of resources to clean them up and get them into new homes makes taking care of them a heart-wrenching thing. A few rescue organizations have tried setting up systems on either side of the border, but once the illegals are released on the US side, they are long gone, and the dogs are forgotten about.
In Mexico, the dogs from rabies-prone countries like Belize, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, and Honduras, among others are left behind faster than most. Sadly, these dogs are automatically disqualified from coming into the US due to this enhanced risk.
As much as groups are pushing for this to change, even if they could secure the dog’s safe passage, there isn’t room to bring them along on the long bus rides, and the trip takes days. A trip by air is no better as the same paperwork they lack to cross the border is what they are missing to get on a plane.
Complicating the problem is the lack of spaying and neutering of these pups. Breeding left and right, their litters are having pups, which in turn have pups yet again. With some of the migrants walking the whole way, they can start with one dog, and drop off 5 when they hit the border. Then the numbers just multiply even faster.
For those who snuck over and brought their dogs with them, once they get to their destination cities, many are being forced to dump them once again. In Colony Ridge- just 35 miles north of Houston, TX the area has seen over 1,000 abandoned dogs who are in desperate need to rescue and many of those need medical attention.
While the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and conservatives rarely share the same platform as conservatives. Typically, they love tossing their support behind the liberals as they share the same love of rabbit food. However, for man’s best friend, we are on the same side.
PETA spokesperson Catie Cryar knows some on the Mexican side are trying to get pets across, “But we know that the border processing facilities don’t allow it. We have also heard of an informal network of people on the Mexican side who are looking after animals who have been denied entry. Many animals are a cherished, integral part of the family and, just like children, should not be separated from that family.”
If the Biden administration wants to make a real impact on the illegal immigration problem, they can start with the dogs. God knows they take up less space and resources than the illegals he keeps rolling out the red carpet for.
