EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — For nearly three years, Patricia Zine has dedicated her time to rescuing dogs in distress from the streets of Ciudad Juarez and El Paso, building an adoption network through a Facebook page called “Paw Angel Rescuerr.”
Zine said she has rescued nearly 3,000 dogs, and is now aiming to expand her efforts.
“Well, my goal is to, once I become a 501 nonprofit, I will look into opening up my own rescue here, and one in Juarez, so that Juarez can have a holding place for my dogs. I do pay a lot of boarding over in Juarez, so once I have that in place and one over here, then I’ll be set,” Zine said.
Zine’s efforts have earned her a large following, especially from people in Juarez where most of the dogs she has saved come from. Her Facebook page has even reached 5,000 friends.
“I probably get about 500 messages a day, of people asking me for help. If there’s a dog on the streets in Juarez and that dog is dying, I’ll get a message from a random person asking for me to help, (and) I send my team to pick up that dog immediately,” Zine said.
The network Zine has built through her Facebook page is what has driven most of her efforts. She is mostly a one-person crew, but said she has developed friends who help her throughout the process of rescuing a dog.
When people reach out to her to report a dog in distress, she asks them to drop the animal off at a veterinarian, and she covers that expense. After that, she gets the animal their vaccinations and a thorough exam to get them ready to be adopted.
“I get them spayed and neutered, all their shots, and the CDC form that the government is now requesting. So once they’re ready, they go back to foster’s. And once adopted, I cross them over (to the U.S.) and I get them a transport to either New York or Chicago, anywhere they get adopted,” Zine said.
Zine said she currently has five people in Juarez and six in El Paso who help her foster the dogs in her care, and has others as far as Chihuahua, Mexicali, and Tijuana. She also said that in her network, there are currently 50 dogs that are ready to be adopted.
Zine’s efforts have been largely fueled through the help of donations and from her own pocket. She said what she needs to do next is find more people who can help her foster dogs as they wait to get adopted.
“The need for fosters is huge. Fostering saves lives because eventually the dogs will get adopted. But people are scared to foster. They think it’s more work. In reality, it’s not. I’ve noticed that the dogs I rescue from the streets are very good dogs. They behave well and I supply everything. I provide the food, everything that the foster needs,” Zine said.
As to what continues to drive her mission and efforts, Zine recalled the first-ever rescue she did of a dog named “Duke,” whom she picked up severely injured in the streets of Juarez.
Zine said she has always been an animal lover, and at the time she had a doggy day care, but she said that moment put her on a different track.
“The day I rescued Duke, it just opened up something in me. I decided this is what I wanted to do. It’s a huge satisfaction when I see them getting adopted. When I see them getting healthy. That doesn’t have a price,” Zine said.
You can find Zine’s Facebook page, Paw Angel Rescuerr, by clicking here:
If you would like to report a homeless dog in distress, Zine said you can contact her rescue phone number at: (915) 251-0881.
To support Zine’s efforts, you can find her GoFundMe page here:
Zine said she also takes pet food donations.
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