SPCA-PV Makes Headlines at World Animal News Taryn - World Animal News
go to original September 7, 2014

Janice Chatterton and all the staff and volunteers at SPCA Puerto Vallarta are honored and happy to be recognized by World Animal News as their headline reads: "The Sanctuary" Provides Relief for Homeless Cats & Dogs of Puerto Vallarta.

Here's the story as published in World Animal News:

Conditions are dismal for the stray cats and dogs of Mexico. Overpopulation, lack of adequate medical attention, inhumane population control and congested animal shelters are few of many troubling issues that have devastated animal welfare in Mexico.

The lack of available spay and neuter services complicates breeding regulation, furthermore facilitating the overpopulation crisis. Stray cats and dogs wander the streets of Mexico aimlessly with little to no food, water, shelter or health care.

In some cities, homeless dogs outnumber the amount of humans. Sadly enough, it isn’t uncommon for unwanted animals to be brutally electrocuted as a means to avert these overpopulation issues. Naturally, these poor conditions have animal activists beyond concerned.

Lifelong animal lover and owner of Puerto Vallarta’s luxury boutique hotel (Hacienda San Angel), Janice Chatterton is one of them.

Committed to making a difference, Janice started her local chapter of SPCA in Puerto Vallarta, and decided to build a safe haven for the cats and dogs of Mexico. Janice closely observed how the social and environmental conditions of the shelter influenced the animals’ behavior. She paid close attention to the circumstances that elicited positive and negative reactions.

After much fundraising and community outreach, Janice was able to build a bigger shelter with a design conscious of the animals’ behavior and the potential adoptive families’ experience. She calls it, The Sanctuary.

The Sanctuary believes that improved standards of care for the homeless animals of Mexico, and U.S. are vital. At The Sanctuary, animals are provided pens that have indoor & outdoor access, common areas for socializing, quiet areas for retreating, significant time with humans, basic obedience training, appropriate healthcare, quality nutrition and physical rehabilitation.

The Sanctuary’s efforts extend beyond sheltering animals. Janice offers educational outreach sharing her method and encouraging others, in Mexico as well as in the U.S. and Canada, to consider animal behavior when shaping their shelter and rescue systems. Thanks to The Sanctuary, there is a light at the end of the tunnel for the homeless cats and dogs of Mexico.

  Learn about SPCA Puerto Vallarta