A dedicated group of volunteers has committed to providing loving care and wholesome food to all the dogs that end up in San Miguel de Allende’s municipal pound, Control Canino. The volunteers’ efforts have dramatically increased the percentage of dogs that get adopted from the pound from nearly none to an impressive 42% this year to date. This plucky nonprofit organization, Yo Animalitos SMA (or the non-reader friendly Yo❤️Animalitos SMA), was founded by Crystal Calderoni in 2022 and is currently run by Hannah Hoch and Michellene Kandert.
Teams of volunteers work three-hour shifts four days per week at Control Canino, providing food, medications and supplies for all the animals, bathing and exercising them, and seeking private veterinary care when needed. They also undertake vigorous outreach efforts to place as many of the animals as possible in loving homes before they must be put down 10 days after their arrival at the pound.
These volunteers’ efforts are especially significant because there has historically been a fraught relationship between San Miguel’s Control Canino and previous volunteers, with some volunteers finding themselves banned from the facility for questioning the welfare of the animals. The municipal government and Yo❤️Animalitos SMA are working to improve that relationship for the good of the dogs — and the few cats — in their care.
Yo❤️Animalitos SMA continues to lobby for a higher standard of care, including the regular provision of food, veterinary care and exercise on the days volunteers are not at the facility and for humane euthanasia methods for those animals who sadly are not adopted before the 10-day limit is up. A liaison officer, Yanis Romero, from the office of the Director of Public Services, Laura Flores, now regularly joins the volunteers at the facility to troubleshoot problems.
“We’re moving in the right direction, due to the strength, passion and heroic efforts of our volunteers,” noted organizer Michellene Kandert.
To the best of the nonprofit’s knowledge, 514 dogs landed at Control Canino from January through October 2024. Of those, the group managed to rescue 212. The majority of the rescued dogs have been adopted, while some are now living in foster care awaiting permanent adoption. Also, 17 dogs (4% of the total) were returned to their owners.
Yo❤️Animalitos SMA has achieved this huge increase in adoptions through a concerted social media campaign on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, and through other outreach efforts. To learn more about the animals currently available for adoption, visit the group’s Facebook page, Yo❤️Animalitos SMA SMA – Los Voluntarios de Control Canino.
Yo❤️Animalitos SMA has invested approximately US $17,000 in improving the facilities at Control Canino on land generously donated by Arno K. Naumann, an expat who also founded the nonprofit organization Amigos de Animales de San Miguel de Allende to address the overpopulation of dogs and cats in the area through spay and neuter campaigns. Naumann was a tireless advocate of animal welfare until his death in 2021. Amigos de Animales recently began providing partial reimbursement to Yo❤️Animalitos SMA to defray the expense of sterilizing each animal adopted from Control Canino.
“We hope that someday the government will utilize the building on this land that was intended to become a spay and neuter clinic,” noted Yo❤️Animalitos SMA founder Crystal Calderoni, “because making sterilization a municipal priority is the only effective way to mitigate the need for a kill shelter.”
Yo❤️Animalitos SMA also works with various local groups and individuals such as Lucky Dog and Jessica Princess Pea. By combining their efforts, they find more homes for more dogs.
The organization has developed strong adoption protocols, accompanying new owners on initial required veterinary visits — and paying for the veterinary services if the adopter is of limited means.
Another important improvement that Yo❤️Animalitos SMA is currently pushing the government to adopt is the use of red biohazard bags for euthanized dogs (since they are not cremated due to lack of a cremation facility). The corpses are currently disposed of in standard black garbage bags which creates a potential biohazard for trash pickers at the municipal dump who scavenge for valuables in the garbage.
How readers can help
Yo❤️Animalitos SMA eagerly welcomes volunteers, who can be helpful in a variety of ways, from directly caring for the animals at Control Canino to hosting fundraisers for the organization. The annual budget required is a minimum of US $25,000 for food, veterinary care, equipment, and some of the transport costs for dogs who are adopted by people living in the U.S. and Canada.
Readers can also support the organization’s efforts with in-kind donations of dog and cat food, collars, leashes, blankets, treats, sweaters for the winter, flea + tick shampoo, and cleaning supplies, and through PayPal donations. Two of the volunteers also host a monthly yoga class in San Miguel de Allende as a fundraiser. To donate, volunteer, and attend or host a fundraiser, contact the organizers through Yo❤️Animalitos SMA SMA – Los Voluntarios de Control Canino.
Based in San Miguel de Allende, Ann Marie Jackson is a writer and NGO leader who previously worked for the U.S. Department of State. Her award-winning novel “The Broken Hummingbird,” which is set in San Miguel de Allende, came out in October 2023. Ann Marie can be reached through her website, annmariejacksonauthor.com.
