Gimpy's Story

This is Gimpy. We met him very soon after our arrival in Guatemala. He came limping up the road from towards the park, sat down, and watched us curiously. We were immediately enamored with his giant ears and African bush-dog look. But we could see he really needed help.

Gimpy and his poor paw. 

It didn't take Gimpy long to be friendly with us. Such a sweet pup!

Despite his injury and what must be neverending pain, Gimpy was friendly and approachable.
Watching him walk, it seemed to me he had dislocated his shoulder and was unable to lift his paw off the ground. He moved quite well, albeit slowly.
We started feeding him a bit of kibble each night. He gobbled it up! Soon, he was coming back every night he could get out of his yard, sitting patiently at the end of our driveway until we noticed him. Greta accepted him gladly; Jack was gruffly polite. Not long after meeting Gimpy, we adopted Pachi. She gave him a stern bark when he got overly friendly with her nether regions, but accepted him too. Seems like he was becoming a satellite member of our ragtag pack. :)

We spoke to our landlady about him, and discovered he was owned by the Mayan family across the road. She warned us that people could be very protective of their dogs around here, as they are "property".

We decided the best course of action to help Gimpy was to contact Ayuda Perros Y Gatos, a local charity I have spoken of before. I wrote to them through Facebook, sent pictures of Gimpy and his paw, and explained the situation. I asked if they would go talk to Gimpy's owners and see if they were willing to get treatment for him. They agreed to come by!
Selaine, Ayuda's founder, came by with an intern on a sunny Friday afternoon, and spoke to me briefly before heading down the lane to Gimpy's house.
I waited anxiously. Would they be receptive to helping Gimpy? Would they turn them away? Would they take offense to the interference?
Selaine returned after several minutes with a cheerful thumbs up! She told me that the family loved their dog and wanted to help him, but didn't know what to do, and also didn't have the money to take him to the vet. Selaine told them that her charity, Ayuda Perros Y Gatos, would be willing to help Gimpy if they agreed to also get their animals all fixed, plus pass the word around to other local Mayan families about the importance of animal care and sterilization.

A few days ago, we were thrilled to see Gimpy hopping up the lane... a happy tripod!

Gimpy looking a bit sour, but honestly much happier and healthier than before!

The vet had had to amputate his whole leg, but Gimpy didn't seem to mind! He's been at our house every day over the past few days, sitting politely and watching with those big ears straight up, and even playing with Greta and chewing on the dog toys. He's quite quick on three legs!

Gimpy doesn't seem at all phased to be without his leg. In fact, he is much happier!

Look! So happy! He's like a new pup!

We are so thrilled that Gimpy was able to receive the help he needed. Selaine and Ayuda Perros Y Gatos are a blessing to this community.

If you would like to make a donation in support of Gimpy's surgery, or to help the many dogs and cats on Lake Atitlan, please visit their webpage Ayuda Perros Y Gatos where they take Paypal donations, or their 2015 GoFundMe Campaign where they accept credit cards. You can also like Ayuda Perros Y Gatos on Facebook.
Give YOUR pet extra love today with thoughts of Gimpy! :D