Angie Manriquez/West Dallas/Vehicle

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Vegetarian Network of Dallas does not publish requests for donations. However, this is an unusual situation. Angie Manriquez fulfills a unique niche in the Dallas animal advocacy community. If not for her, many dogs in West Dallas would starve, freeze or go slowly insane at the end of a heavy chain. Does anyone have a large vehicle to donate? If not, contribute what you can. Contact Beverly Fyfe (see contact info below). Thank you. MargaretBeverly Fyfe [bfyfe]Thu

12/6/2007 7:23 PMMargaret MorinAngie Manriquez/West Dallas/VehicleMost of you know about Angie Manriquez and the incredible work she does caring for animals in West and South Dallas. In the equivalent of an 8-to-10-hour per day job (that she performs for free), Angie spends her days and her energy seeing to it that chained, neglected and abused animals are fed and have shelter. She lives on a very small Social Security check each month and spends most of that helping the helpless. She sees to it that the animals she runs across are on light weight tethers (that she purchases) and not on the heavy tow truck chains that weigh down and deform their necks/spines. She brushes aside used drug needles before she crawls under "crack" houses to rescue mama dogs and their pitiful puppies.

She stops her car and runs into traffic to get an injured animal out of a street where it has been hit by a car. Even with a "rescue" rate at the veterinarian's office, her bill there stays very high and her credit card is maxed out - not from eating in restaurants, traveling or buying clothes, furniture, etc. - but from the help she provides at all costs for the animals that desperately need it. Angie gets donations of dog food and distributes it in an area where animal owners do not care if their "pets" are fed or not. Of course they should not have them, but they do - for security. These folks take the biggest dog they can find off the street where there is always a selection of big, hungry dogs. They chain it in the back yard and feed it left over beans every few days if they remember it is there. These animals live a

sad, depressing existence - neglect and abuse are common in their neighborhoods of drug dealers, poverty and pain. If they die on their chain from starvation or disease or abuse, their bodies are thrown in the dumpster. If they become ill, the owners take them to the Trinity River bottoms or to the country and dump them because they are too debilitated to find their way home and they will die in pain and their bodies will rot. Then, these folks just step out in the street and get their next big, new guard dog and the cycle starts over. These are the forgotten animals that Angie spends her energy helping - in areas where the Dallas Police officers do not care to venture. Angie is the only volunteer Metroplex Animal Coalition has in this area - who else would go there? Every week, she takes at least three and usually five or six animals to a

clinic for the free spay/neuter that MAC offers, then returns them to their owners. Unless Angie did this, none of these animals would have the surgery that prevents the next litter and the one after that and the one after that, etc., etc. - all of which will be Angie's to care for. On the weekends, she drives from South Dallas to Belt Line and Preston in order to take a few of those she has rescued to a pet adoption sponsored by A Different Breed Animal Rescue. Then she drives back to West Dallas to feed and check on hungry and injured animals. After this, it is time to return to Belt Line and Preston to retrieve the dogs who were not adopted into loving homes that day. They are still lucky dogs - they will be under Angie's care until a good home is found for them. So many, many others are out there suffering while I write and you read this. Angie's vehicle is on its

last legs - 159,000+ miles and leaking everything. She bought it as a used car a few years ago and she has driven it many miles in her ministry of caring for the helpless. When it finally stops, hundreds of animals will immediately cease receiving food or care. With no transportation, Angie will not be able to help them at all. Please keep Angie, and especially the animals that she helps, in mind if you know of anyone who may be in a position to donate a vehicle as this year ends. Angie carries dogs, crates, donated sacks of food and dog houses, supplies, etc., constantly and a car unfortunately could not carry what she has to transport. A larger vehicle is necessary for her tasks. A tax receipt will be provided. If you can help Angie help the helpless, or know of someone

who could help - please let us know or forward this e-mail. If you have any questions, please contact me directly. Thank all of you for helping the animals. Beverly Fyfe 972/690-9260

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