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Monte Cristo Restaurant Dog Isolated


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Update today to this olde posting.

The owner Martin of Monte Cristo restaurant went to seek guidance and advise from Aniita of Anita's Animals late this morning .

Martin brought his dog with him - Anita examined her and found her to be of good weight, no signs of physical or mental abuse, and commented that she is totally in love with her owner.

The reason Martin came to Anita was because Martin was very upset and crying, as he felt that he , his dog and

his business and lively hood had been just been threatened by a foreigner.

Martin explained that a Canadian woman had come to him and told him in a loud voice that he was abusing his animal by tieing her up on the patio. And that she was going to tell all of her Canadian friends not to come to his place of business because of this.

He said he tried to explain to this person that his dog is tied up on the patio during business hours,

so his customers could use the patio and bring their dogs who are also on a leash/restraint as a courtersy to others. .

He has provided shade, food and water for her where she is situated.

He understood the love for dogs as he loves his rescued dog very much.

He felt it better for the dog to come to restaurant during the open business hours, rather than stay home alone ,

as he thought the dog could have more enjoyment meeting / seeing people during this time.

After business hours the dog is not tied to one spot, and has the ability to roam around the enclosed property..

He stated that this person said he should give up his dog. He said he told her that if she was concerned for his dog, although he did not desire it , she might offer her a home. He said she replied, she already had three dogs and did not want another.

Then she went on to say he should bring it to Anita's. He does not want to give up his dog because he loves her and she him,

but he felt threatened . He is concerned about his dog and also about his ability to earn a living and have a business because of this threat. Fearing loss of his business, having to lay off his employees, etc.. and concern for his dog, he is thinking about leaving his dog at home so he will not receive more threats.

I realize this is a long posting, but I am doing this as the owner can not explain in English what has transpired and express the feelings that he has about his beloved dog and the emotion of fear that he is feeling about being threatened.

Each person has the 'right to vote with their feet' as to which place of business they will use, or not use, but you cross the line of making unwarranted treats to a person's business, I believe that crosses a moral and legal line.

I would suggest that if a person perceives real abuse of an animal there are legal avenues / remedies to deal with the situation, without verbalizing [ false ] accusations and threats to and about a person which affects their ability to make a living.

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And now we know the rest of the story. I hope the people that started and kept this thread going with prejudicial comments will now think again before they start a hullabaloo without really knowing or understanding the situation. This man obviously loves his dog and brings her to work so she won't be lonely at home. Your collective attitudes are not helping the animal situation at Lakeside and certainly not contributing to understanding between the gringo and Mexican cultures. What makes you think your condescending attitudes are OK if directed to a Mexican who "obviously doesn't know or understand how to take care of an animal" as well as they? If this situation were to happen in el norte, you would have had your behinds sued off for defamation.

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I think we could all help this situation by patronizing the restaurant and saying hello to the dog while we are there. I realize that this would not help much, but it would be a small help. Maybe bring some dog bones. Frankly, it sounds like both the owners and the dog can use some help. Chastising and being judgmental does not help, altho I realize it is hard not to, considering the look on the dog's face. Dog bones and buying lunch for yourselves might help. Think about what you can do in a positive manner! Me, I did not realize the owners did ironwork, altho considering the beautiful ironwork at the restaurant, I should have guessed. So, I will have lunch there, bring dog bones (well, Milkbones anyway) and see if I can order a trellis or two. Might help, can't hurt.

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Let us hope that we have more tolerance and understanding before being judgmental about what's going on in other peoples' lives.

Our interpretation of what we think a dog is thinking or feeling is not a valid reason to give its owner a hard time, hurt his business, judge his feelings or suggest he either give up his pet, get another one to keep it company or alter his premises. In other words, sometimes the 11th commandment should be heeded, most especially when we are not dealing with a person with the same cultural imperatives as our own. We can do damage, even when we are well meaning.

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I was there today to check for myself. The dog was running loose and frolicking in a joyful manner as it was before the patio was open. She is a good weight and coat condition and seemed quite happy. The people at Monte Cristo are folks I have known before the restaurant opened and are a lovely family who deserve a right to earn a living without all this drama.

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Dog abuse is leaving a dog chained outside for most, or all of, of the year, hitting or kicking a dog, using a dog for dog fights or sexual purposes, not adjusting the collar so it it too tight, not treating fleas, ticks, or infections, allowing children to torment the dog, scaring the dog, starving the dog, poor diet, not supplying constant clean water to the dog, not grooming long hair dogs so that matting and knots occur that trap feces, not allowing the dog to excercise, not keeping the area clean of debris or feces, not giving the dog toy, giving improper toys or not interacting with the dog, not giving the dog physical affection, keeping dog in the house too long and not giving appropriate bathroom breaks, punishing dog when it can not hold urine or feces, keeping dog in car for hours on end, keeping dog in too hot or too cold conditions, ... those are the clear cut ones that I can think of off hand

Doesn't sound like this is the case at Monte Cristo. I

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I have to chime in on this one. For some time (6 years) I made it one of my chores to walk big dogs that were at Anitas. The reason for that is that really big dogs don't get the same amount of exercise as the small ones, due to space restrictions. In the process, I would watch sometimes when men would come in looking for a large dog. Sometimes, Anita would just say no to the prospective owner. Finally, curiosity got the better on my manners, and I asked her why. She said that they were looking for dogs to fight other dogs. She had been doing rescues for so long that she could tell what they wanted the dogs for. For Anita to say that a dog is well treated, well fed and loves it's owner is more than good enough for me.

As to the correctness of a nonMexican threatening the livelihood of a restaurant owner who is a local and in a very difficult line of work, everyone can make up their own mind. I will bet tho', that those actions in her own country would get her official attention.

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I am the one who started this topic. I didn't put the question out about Chata's well-being until I had seen her, at least 20 times, totally alone during the hours the restaurant was closed, including holidays. I asked four different neighbors around the restaurant who told me that she was there always by herself. I never said she was abused -- I even said that one could tell she was well fed. I said she was depressed, which she was. She was clearly not "guarding" the place, as her neighbors said she stayed there all the time as a guard dog. I contacted the restaurant via his facebook page, and he thanked me for my concern and said he had taken her off the streets when she was skin and bones and was now the "Restaurant Pet" (Mascota del restaurant). He said he couldn't bring her inside in his house because he had smaller, older dogs, but that he would loosen her collar. I appreciated VERY MUCH his responsiveness. I intended to follow up, but couldn't, because my mother had a severe fall and broke her shoulder and cheek and got a concussion, and since then, I've had to do everything for her, including my own things, and work 8 hours a day, as I'm not a retiree. As the saying goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. My intent was never to incite people to physically approach and yell and threaten Martin. When I read the email above that Martin was crying, that made ME cry. I feel TERRIBLE that Martin cried, but am very proud of him for being so proactive and going to consult with Anita. I'm not one of those animal lovers who love animals and hate people. I also LOVE PEOPLE. I also devote a huge part of my life to 12 Mexican children -- their livelihood and their continuing education -- in person – on a daily basis -- not just via my wallet. I am not from the U.S. and I'm not from Canada. I have lived here for 10 years. I learned to speak Spanish almost fluently. I have multiple Mexican friends and am close with all my Mexican neighbors, poor and not poor alike. I have grown up all over the world (yes, you’re right -- lucky me). I love helping people and I love helping animals. Yes, I have made mistakes. But I'm also a very private person who values other's privacy as well. I am not prone to drama, melo or otherwise. I am sorry this upset Martin so much, and I'm delighted to discover he saved Chata from a worse fate, and that he loves animals. It is also clear that from the time I made my initial post, and interacted with Martin via Facebook (postings that I have now deleted so as not to cause him any harm), that Chata is now living happily in a beautiful dog house in her yard at Martin's place. I THANK Martin from the bottom of my heart for his progressive actions in altering his dog's situation with such love and concern. I will also inform everyone I know to patronize Monte Cristo and give it a chance, not only for its food, service and ambiance, but for the pro-active response of the owner, who is clearly a very caring human being. The reason I post on this board is because IT WORKS. Because OF YOU. I come on here to help. Period. And things changed for Chata from the time I posted the initial post until now. It's unfortunate that it got a little ugly, and trust me, I don't want this to happen again. But now things are better. Thank you all.

Poe Bango

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