Life's a Beach | Expat Life in Playa del Carmen

"On the 12th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...."

This beloved traditional holiday song is the inspiration for our seasonal blog series, "12 Days/12 Ways", a promotional effort of goodwill we started last year to draw attention to 12 not-for-profit groups or charitable organizations in Playa del Carmen and along the Riviera Maya. So many people from around the world travel to the Riviera Maya during the holiday season. Many reach out to us via regional message boards and Facebook looking for a way to give back to the less fortunate residents in our local communities. 12 Days/12 Ways was started to help these generous, kind-hearted visitors find legitimate and worthy charitable organizations to support, addressing their particular needs for this holiday season.

For each of the 12 days of Christmas, the BuyPlaya Blog, better known as "Life's a Beach", will spotlight a charitable organization or giving opportunity. Some may already be familiar to locals and frequent travelers to this area. Others, perhaps those most in need of recognition and support, may be new to our readers. It is our hope to do this every year, with updated information and wish lists.

The "12 Day/12 Ways" list has not yet been completed for 2011. If you have a favorite charity that you feel belongs on this list, collect all of the information you can and I will be happy to consider your group for inclusion.

__________________________________________________________________

 

Playa Animal Rescue A.C. is a non-profit no kill shelter located in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. PAR is dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating injured and abandoned dogs and to finding permanent loving homes for each of them. PAR is committed to promoting responsible pet ownership through community outreach and education as well as promoting sterilization of companion animals. This community outreach to educate on the importance of sterilization and good pet care is vital to solving the street dog problem in this area. Playa Animal Rescue will work in coordination with other animal rescue organizations like Coco's Cat Rescue A.C., VIDAS and CANDi International to ensure that all current and future PAR animals are sterilized, vaccinated and moved forward into loving forever homes.

In October 2011, Playa Animal Rescue was established to continue the work done previously by the Peanut Pet Shelter and coordinate the care of the dogs being housed in Playa del Carmen and Akumal. Immediately, PAR began a quest to find and acquire land where a permanent shelter could be built to accommodate all the animals in one place. The goal: to build a permanent facility to house and rehabilitate all the dogs until homes can be found for them, a safe place where they can get healthy and strong, socialize with people and learn how to be good pets. Through a donation from a very generous family, a parcel of land was acquired and plans initiated for a permanent shelter in Playa del Carmen. Architectural drawings for the new shelter are now complete, and all governmental approvals and permits have been approved and signed.


How can YOU help?

Make a monetary donation!
You can donate via Paypal from the Playa Animal Rescue web site and the PAR Facebook Page by clicking on the donate button. PAR receives no Governmental funding and is 100% dependent on donations to continue operations. Playa Animal Rescue received it's Civil Association status in early December 2011, becoming a legal charitable organization in Mexico and an application for 501c3 not for profit status in the US is in process.

In the US or Canada, monetary donations may also be sent to:

Playa Animal Rescue
20 Copperfield Avenue
North Easton, MA 02356

Every donation, large or small, helps to save a dog's life!

Make a donation from the wishlist!
Help the daily operations of the shelter by donating much needed items and supplies. Most of the items are used frequently and need to be replaced/replenished on a regular basis. Other items, such as a reliable vehicle to transport rescue and transport animals, washer/dryer, refrigerator, pressure washer etc. are more long term goals for the permanent facility. If you live locally and are planning to replace any of your older household appliances (or vehicles) please consider donating the older models to the PAR shelter.

Animal Grooming Supplies:

Flea and tick shampoo
Ear cleaning solution
Q Tips 
Tweezers for tick removal
Cotton balls
Brushes
Wire slicker brushes
Dog clippers
Heavy duty nail trimmers
Flea combs

Cleaning Supplies:

Puppy training pads
Bleach
Sturdy garbage/collection bags
Laundry detergent
Rakes
Dustpans
Wash cloths/dish towels/hand towels
Antibacterial hand sanitizer
Buckets and mops
Clothes line and pins

Medical Supplies:

Non-latex gloves - mixed sizes
Scissors
Hot water bottles heat pads
Heat lamps
Animal thermometers
Scale to weigh animals
Antibiotic ointment
Frontline flea and tick prevention
Heartguard heartworm prevention
Animal vitamins
Animal nursing bottles
Rubbing alcohol
Hydrogen peroxide
Disinfecting wipes
Syringes
Anti-fungal cream
Blood stop powder

Food and Feeding Supplies:

Dog and puppy food
Cat and kitten food
Dog treats/biscuits
Dentasticks/Dentabones etc.
Stainless steel bowls - mixed sizes

Maintenance Supplies:

Hose
Spray nozzles - variable jets
Tarps
Bungees cords
Heavy duty pressure washer
Garden sprayers

Other Supplies:

Blankets
Pet carriers
Pet beds
Collars and leashes
Doggie toys e.g. kong, nylon bones etc
Cat scratching toys
Pet friendly mosquito spray - for volunteers
Reliable vehicle for rescues
Portable fans
Portable air conditioner
Laminating pouches and laminating machine
Washing machine and dryer
Refrigerator
Gazebo/shade structures
Folding/stacking chairs

PAR also has a wishlist on Amazon.com. Just go to Amazon.com and click on wish list, then type in Playa Animal Rescue.

Sponsor the new PAR Shelter!
You can sponsor an element of the new PAR shelter in commemoration of a favorite pet, a loved one....anyone or anything you like. Contact Sue at sue[at]playaanimalrescue.org for more information.

Volunteer!
Playa Animal Rescue has dog washes every Saturday. Watch the PAR Facebook page for announcements of pick up times and locations. All of the dogs love time spent with people! Come to the shelter, walk a dog, play with a puppy, help clean up or medicate dogs.



Adopt!
Do you have a place in your heart and home for a dog? Cross border adoptions are easy, and we will facilitate them for you. If you would like to adopt a PAR dog or puppy, please send an email to info[at]playaanimalrescue.org.


Foster!
Foster homes are always desperately needed. The dogs need to learn to love in a home and be good pets. In addition, they benefit greatly from the one-on-one attention. If you are able to foster a PAR dog or puppy, please send an email to info[at]playaanimalrescue.org.


Sponsor!
Would you like to Sponsor a PAR Animal? Though the Playa Animal Rescue Sponsorship Program you can sponsor the PAR animal of your choice!  Your monthly sponsorship donation will go directly toward food, shelter and medical care for your chosen PAR animal, helping provide a better life for a deserving and loving dog or puppy.

For more information
Spanish 984-142-1995
English 984-130-2655
U.S. 1-508-238-1420
info[at]playaanimalrescue.org