Also cats. Bandido, the most compassionate kitty who ever lived, died from eating rat poison put out by a visiting Gringa years ago while I was away. If I had been here . . .

More recently, with the help of Gustavo during his second term, I and a Mexican couple stopped a neighbor who had killed more than 70 animals over the course of five winters. The key was having evidence. Once we formed a "neighborhood watch," it didn't take long for someone to see the guy turn off his security lights and put out a bag of meat at the edge of his yard. The witness took his picture, then grabbed the bag, whose meat tested positive for poison.

This is actually a much longer story, but the point is to be vigilant and not be afraid to interfere. For me, nothing is more horrifying than deliberate animal cruelty.