When Maureen Cattieu moved to Cartagena, Colombia she had no idea the impact it would have on her life. What started out as a teaching position turned into a dog rescue that would change her for the better – Cartagena Paws.
“I came down here to teach at an international school and then after a few years saw the huge need for helping street dogs. I started helping one dog at a time and then it just grew and now we try and help as many as we can. We even have a few rescues in Buffalo that work with us,” she said.
Street dogs like her most recent rescue, Bella and her brother, who Cattieu found in Playa Blanca so dehydrated that they could barely stand on their own. Sadly Bella’s brother didn’t make it, but Bella is still fighting for her life.
“The one male puppy died in my arms before we could make to the vet. We were able to save Bella. She is very weak and still in a critical state.”
Bella is currently on an IV and receiving parasite treatment and luckily Cattieu already found her a forever home.
“It breaks my heart to go to the islands and see the animals in these conditions. It is a sad situation, but so many times people just ignore these sweet, suffering animals who have no food or water.”
Cattieu says more than 30 dogs she has rescued are in Buffalo and she’s always looking for families to adopt. If you’re interested in adopting a Cartagena Paws pup visit www.cartagenapaws.com or if you would like to make a donation, you may do so via PayPal at Maureen.cattieu@gmail.com.
Take a look at the inspiring Sweet Buffalo video we put together for Cartagena Paws:
