Marivi has once again gone to the rescue of some unwanted dogs that might otherwise be sacrificed by their owner. This time it was a litter of puppies born to a pet in Irixoa, the village that's the "capital" of our little area. And once again she enlisted the help of APADAN, the animal rescue organization in Coruña that is operated entirely by kind-hearted volunteers. (APADAN is the same group that rescued the Orphaned Dogs at a house near us in 2004 when the owner died.)

We first learned of the newborn puppies while having coffee at a bar in Irixoa. The bar owners have a small male dog named Rocky that runs loose most of the day and, knowing that we had befriended Rocky, they told us he had sired some puppies at a nearby house. They said that the four puppies would probably be sacrificed if nobody adopted them soon. So Marivi sprung into action, contacted APADAN, who agreed to take the puppies after they're weaned. Marivi then visited the dogs' owner, who agreed to keep the dogs until then.

Folks out in the country aren't inclined to neuter their dogs. The men, especially, wince at the idea of castrating their male dogs, many of which roam around the area looking for female companionship. Some families try to keep their females confined to home during the times they're in heat. Unfortunately, unless the females are fenced in, the roving males mate with them anyway. We don't know (and don't want to know) how many unwanted puppies are born and then killed.

It's a pity, too, because the APADAN people told us that they usually don't have much problem finding people who want to adopt puppies and young dogs, particularly small breeds like the ones in these pictures.