The Forgotten Packs of Sonora

In the dust-blown streets of  Sonora, the street dogs run like ghosts. They weave between traffic, sleep under rusted cars, and fight over scraps near the markets. Locals called them “los olvidados” – the forgotten.

Estimates said there were over 200,000 stray dogs across Sonora. It is estimated there are 100,000 feral cats.

No one knows the real number. They breed fast and few are ever spayed or neutered. Puppies are born behind taco stands, under porches, in abandoned lots. There are kittens in every corner. Many don’t survive past a month old.

The problem wasn’t just sad – it is dangerous

These dogs carried diseases: rabies, canine distemper, parvovirus, mange, and intestinal parasites like roundworms and hookworms. In poorer neighborhoods, kids played barefoot in the same dirt where infected dogs defecated. Pregnant women’s fetuses are particularly at risk for Toxoplasmosis from cat feces in the decaying water system, in that the parasite passes through the placenta to the fetus. This increases the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth or serious health problems for the future child. Complications of being born with toxoplasmosis include vision problems, blindness, developmental delays and learning disabilities.  Rabies is rare, but not entirely. Just one infected dog could spread it quickly in a state with no leash laws and no animal control.

During one of our campaigns to spay and neuter, I was bitten by a stray chihuahua which inadvertently was released back to the streets. I was compelled to undergo 6 rabies vaccines, not in the stomach as previously, but burningly in the arm.

Local shelters are few and far between and rely on donations to exist. Rabies vaccines are free in Mexico but hard to obtain from the government. One shelter meant for 80 dogs end up holding 200. Most of the animals are thin, shaking, and afraid.

It isn’t the dogs’ fault

People dump animals when money runs out, or when they just don’t want them. Puppies are left in boxes by the road or in empty lots or in the desert. Some families feed them scraps when they have enough. Others chase them off with sticks or stones. Every now and then, a dog gets  lucky – someone took them in, gave them a name, a home.

But for most, the street was all they knew

In Sonora, the dog and cat problem isn’t just about animals—it was about poverty, lack of education, lack of public health or governmental subsidies, and forgotten lives, both human, feline and canine.

This is why SBPA exists – to try and curtail the number of feral animals through free spay and neuter. Last year we sterilized over 7000  animals, both owned and callejo (in the streets). Money is always an issue for us to maintain this work and the increasing number of animals in need of sterilization.

Until that changes, the packs will keep on  running. You can help by volunteering or donating