Mexico City dog sanctuary helps heal severely injured canines

Earlier this week, a Mexican dog sanctuary made headlines after a tortured and mutilated dog made a remarkable recovery.

Belgian shepherd Pay de Limon, or Lemon Pie, had his front legs cut off by drug traffickers and was left in a trash can to die.

Mexico City dog sanctuary Milagros Caninos took him in. Owner Patricia Ruiz raised the $6,000 needed to order the wounded animal a pair of prosthetic front legs from a Colorado company that specializes in animal prosthetics and orthotics.

Since being fit with his new legs, Pay de Limon can once again walk, run and jump.

"Pay de Limon had the misfortune of running into an organized crime group, in Fresnillo, Zacatecas, Mexico, and they used him to practice cutting off each one of his paws, like they do when they cut fingers off human beings that have been kidnapped," says Ruiz.

"Unfortunately, Pay de Limon had to live through that, but thanks to a few good people who rescued him, Pay de Limon was able to come to Milagros Caninos and here we try to give him the best life possible."

Milagros Caninos, translated as "Miracle Dogs," was founded by Patricia Ruiz, who started rescuing ill, injured and abused dogs shortly after the 2004 death of her own pet dachshund.

At Milagros Caninos, there are no cages. Dogs are never locked up, nor are they tied. Ruiz insists the dogs have suffered enough and deserve freedom.

"This is not a prison," Ruiz explains. "Thousands of dogs suffer terribly when they have born and grown on the streets without food or water. They look for a way to survive, but this is not enough because there will always be a leg that kicks them, a stick that beats them, a car that runs over them or someone who burns them."

There are now 128 abused dogs running around the property.

"If you are interested in physically adopting a dog, that is, to take him to live with you, we should evaluate the dog’s condition as well as the adopter’s. I will never ever allow that any of the Canine Miracles dogs suffer again," Ruiz insists, adding that ill and elderly dogs are no available for adoption.

Many supporters choose to sponsor dogs at the sanctuary, paying for their care and recovery. Some even visit Milagros Caninos to see the dogs thriving.