Nayra Rivera / Reform Agency
Friday, February 17, 2023 | 23:42
The mestizo dog Pay de Limón is emerging as the winner of America’s Favorite Pet in the United States after his story became known to the world: the dog survived acts of torture perpetrated by the Los Zetas Cartel in Zacatecas during 2011, the year in which the Asociación Milagros Caninos He rescued it from a dumpster.
mutilated by the narco
Pay de Limón, the name they gave him after he was rescued in 2010, was under the power of an organized crime group in Fresnillo, Zacatecas.
Members of this criminal group mutilated the toes of his front legs. As they usually do against kidnapping victims in this entity with high rates of violence.
“When he arrived with us, he was very suspicious and fearful. He always went to any corner he found. He was afraid,” said Paty Ruiz, the founder of the Milagros Caninos Association.
When he was found, he was barely 10 months old and due to the intense bleeding derived from the mutilation he was about to die.
The rescue
People who saw the puppy inside a dump alerted the animal organization, and a veterinarian took him to Mexico City.
After his attention and recovery, Paty Ruiz decided not to talk about the rescue of Pay de Limón and to keep him safe to avoid any type of reprisals from criminals.
A little over a year later, in 2012, Paty looked for prostheses for the dog in the United States.
The ones he currently uses were made by specialist Derric Campana, known as “Dr. Dolittle'” who has made prostheses for animals around the world, including Winter, the dolphin that lost its dorsal fin.
Every year it requires new ones and they reach a cost of 2 thousand dollars.
America’s Favorite Pet
Paty Ruiz does not know who nominated Pay de Limón as the best mascot in America, but she was notified by the organizers, who asked her for information about her life story.
Pay is the only Mexican dog that competes in this edition and according to his caretaker, he has been in first place since day one.
The contest prize will be $5,000 and will also be featured on the cover of Dogster Magazine.
canine miracles
The Animal Association was born a little over 18 years ago, after its founder’s pet, a dachshund named Clavo, suffocated to death overnight
In those years, between 3,000 and 4,000 puppies suffering from some extreme situation, such as cancer, accidents or aggression, have been received and cared for.
Currently, there are around 400 dogs and 89 cats in the shelter near the Xochimilco canal area, south of Mexico City.
