Tamarindo’s Story: Why Hope is a Universal Language

Tamarindo

Last November - post-Kincade fire, but before coronavirus and the whirlwind of 2020 - we found a dog in dire condition wandering the streets of Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, Mexico. He showed signs of long-standing starvation, with severe mange, open sores, and tick-ridden ears, one of which had been torn. While suffering may be a universal language, we know it can be remedied by compassion and hope. In late November 2019, it was Tamarindo’s turn for a second chance at life - and to remind us that hope, too, is a universal language.

A tamarind is a tropical fruit encased in a brown pod with a juicy, spicy pulp. We named this brown stray Tamarindo because, after only moments in our care, he showed a zest for life and a tireless resilience. Despite his grim condition, his eyes held a juicy, spicy liveliness, much like his namesake fruit. There were full body wiggles, wags, and lots of kisses. People sometimes speak of dogs’ intuition. When Tamarindo entered our care, something seemed to tell him there were better days ahead.

Tamarindo before rescue

We got Tamarindo settled in at our Mexico clinic and started treatment immediately: a hearty, well-balanced diet to up his weight, frequent medicated baths and medication, tending to his open sores with care and consideration, and removing the ticks from his ears. He relished his playtime, accepted each treat with deep appreciation, and pushed his recovering body against us for more love. Tamarindo was well on his way to healing and greeted each day with gratitude, hope, and enthusiasm.

Tamarindo had been with us nearly three months when COVID-19 swallowed the United States whole, with Mexico not far behind. Our organization tries to rescue dogs where the lack of resources is especially acute due to geographic, economic, and cultural barriers. COVID-19 made stone walls out of those barriers. While the pandemic initially put a severe damper on our international rescue efforts, saving animals is an essential service. We persevered. 

Dogs in dire condition, like Tamarindo, receive treatment at our Mexico clinic before being transported to Muttopia, our shelter in Santa Rosa, California, created with the Center for Animal Protection and Education (CAPE), where they are then adopted out. We’ve seen the harrowing effects the pandemic has had on the economy, our social lives, interpersonal relationships, our health, and our planet. We’ve also seen the way it’s impacted dogs on both sides of the border, with animal surrenders and abandonment reaching all time highs.

Yet despite the trials of the pandemic, dog lovers everywhere realized that companionship can be just as infectious as COVID-19, spreading love, hope, and camaraderie as only a dog can. It’s the same infectious joy that Tamarindo showed from the moment we rescued him on that street in Puerto Peñasco.  Across the country, dog adoptions and fosters rose to meet the need. 

In 2020 - a year in which we grappled at slivers and fragments of hope - Tamarindo taught us the most important lesson of all. With the love of dogs, hope is always possible.

On October 16, with threats of wildfires and COVID-19 still lurking in the shadows, we crossed the border with 40 Mexi-mutts, arriving safely back in Santa Rosa at Muttopia. When we unloaded Tamarindo from the van, he was hardly recognizable as the same dog we’d rescued months before. His body, once frail and skeletal, now held a steady, healthy weight. His skin, once covered in open sores and mange, was healed over with fur that grew thicker each day. His ears, once torn and tick-ridden, now perked up with life and exuberance. 

Amid global pandemic, wildfires, and widespread uncertainty, Tamarindo’s journey teaches us that hope is, indeed, a universal language. To save a life is to save a world. Despite the obstacles we’ve faced in 2020, Tamarindo’s life - his world - is enough to make it all worthwhile.