ABOUT FURRY TAILS OF OAXACA
Furry Tails of Oaxaca, incorporated in 2022 as a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) in Washington State, aims to improve the well-being of cats and dogs in Oaxaca, Mexico, by helping to reduce the population of street animals, and by providing animals in need with access to veterinary services and the ability to find a forever home through fundraising, education, and community outreach.
Currently a number of dedicated and skilled animal rescuers, veterinarians, and volunteers work independently and/or with groups and organizations to improve the lives of dogs and cats through ethical and humane treatment. They do this by organizing and holding sterilization and vaccination campaigns that are often free or cost a nominal fee. Some focus on catching street animals, sterilizing them, and releasing them back to where they were picked up. Some focus on finding foster and forever homes for unwanted or abandoned animals. Often rescuers and even veterinarians work at their own expense.
Furry Tails of Oaxaca was founded to support these various efforts by taking the burden of fundraising or finding resources off the shoulders of these rescuers, veterinarians and animal welfare volunteers.
Furry Tails of Oaxaca is not a shelter nor do we rescue or foster animals. Rather we support those already involved in this work through fundraising, networking, and education.
Furry Tails of Oaxaca is operated by a volunteer board of directors. We have no paid staff and keep our costs to a minimum. We work in particular to raise funds for:
- Free and low-cost sterilization campaigns
- Reducing the street populations of dogs and cats
- Networking of resources and information
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Mary Maier
President
Mary is wildlife biologist who worked for over 30 years protecting and restoring the forests and rivers of the Pacific Northwest. She has had a passion for giving a voice to, and helping, animals her entire life. She now brings this passion to Oaxaca to help empower the people, groups, and organizations who work for the well-being of our four-legged friends.
Growing up in NY, Mary wanted to be a veterinarian and would study the dog breeds in the encyclopedia. She learned that it was easier to take a needle or deal with pain than it was to administer a shot or inflict pain, albeit for the benefit of an animal, so she chose a career helping wildlife. She graduated from Humboldt State University in California in 1996 with a B.S. in Wildlife Management. She spent numerous years conducting field work in the forests of CA, OR, WA and HI to protect the habitat needs of various threatened and endangered species including various owls and hawks, fishers and the Hawaiian crow and hawk. This migrated into a position of working to protect and restore salmon and trout first for a non-profit watershed council in southern Oregon, and then spent 18 years working for King County in Washington state as a Watershed Steward and Project Manager. In this position she wrote and managed numerous grants to fund acquisition of land and restoration projects to protect and restore rivers and forests for fish and wildlife.
She began coming to Oaxaca in 2011 and immediately felt a strong kinship with the people and culture of Oaxaca. She moved to Oaxaca in 2018 with her two rescue kitties. She has fostered several kitties including Diega who came to her care when she was one week old.
Seeing all the street dogs in Oaxaca city and the surrounding pueblos, and posts for abandoned animals motivated her to find a vehicle to make a difference. She spent the pandemic years learning about the needs and what was being done to help the animals. She saw the need to bring more resources to empower and expand the current efforts, thus, Furry Tails of Oaxaca was born in 2022.
Christopher Lockwood
Vice President
Chris Lockwood spent twelve years as the Head of English, Bilingual and International Education in Oaxaca de Juarez, Mexico, and as the Upper School Principal at the American School Foundation of Chiapas in Tuxtla Gutierrez, Mexico. He taught upper-level classes on Modern Drama, the Contemporary Novel, and Shakespeare. He is now the Director of the National English Honor Society and ELA Honor Society, both international 501(c)3 nonprofits based out of DeKalb, IL, and sits on the Board of Directors for Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honor Society. He translates academic work for Tecnologico de Monterrey and grades research papers for the University of Buckingham’s PGCE program. Chris holds a B.A. (Hons) from the University of Keele (Keele, England) and Loyola University New Orleans (New Orleans, LA), an M.Phil. (Cantab) from the University of Cambridge (Cambridge, England), and an M.Ed. from the University of Buckingham (Buckingham, England).
In his free time, Chris enjoys the company of his two Oaxacan rescue dogs, Petunia and Cosa, who bring joy and companionship to his life. Their playful antics provide a welcome contrast to his other pursuits, reminding him of the simple pleasures that come from caring for pets. Whether going for long walks around the neighborhood or simply lounging at home with a good book, Petunia and Cosa are always by his side, embodying the love and loyalty that pets uniquely offer. Chris and his partner Pompi have successfully rescued numerous dogs and cats, have fostered them, and successfully adopted them into forever homes. He is committed to improving the lot of the street animals of Oaxaca.
Manuela Gomez Rhine
Secretary
Manuela Gomez Rhine is a writer, editor and author who lives in Los Angeles, California, and Oaxaca, Mexico. She began traveling from the U.S., where she was raised, to Mexico as a child, to visit paternal family in Tampico and Mexico City. For the past ten years, Manuela and her husband, Michael, have lived part-time in Oaxaca City. Manuela has an MA in English from the University of Kansas, a BA in journalism from San Francisco State University and an AA from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles. As a writer, journalist and editor, she has worked for organizations and companies that include Asian Hall of Fame, The Los Angeles Times, and the Huntington Library, Art Museums, and Botanical Gardens. Manuela has authored two novels, The Palm Tree Chronicles and The Wild Chihuahuas of Mexico, as well as the nonfiction photo-essay book, Power of One. Throughout many years, Manuela and Michael have rescued, fostered and adopted numerous cats and dogs. The family now includes Bennie, a senior Chihuahua pulled from a Southern California kill shelter; Bella, a Oaxaca street dog; and Lincoln and Cypress, sibling cats adopted from a Los Angeles shelter.
Catherine (Cat) Droden
Treasurer
Catherine is a former bookkeeper, banker, restaurant owner, and general self-employed business manager. After spending most of her life in the Seattle area, she moved to Oaxaca in the spring of 2016. Within the first year of living in Oaxaca, she rescued Dainzú, a sweet, frightened, abandoned puppy. A year and a half later, Gatita was adopted and joined the family. Catherine has been actively involved with dog rescue in Oaxaca and has volunteered her time working many sterilization campaigns with Huellas de Ayuda Oaxaca.
Yesenia Alderete
I am a Spanish teacher who lives in the center of Oaxaca City with my parents, sister, five dogs, four cats, a rooster, and a rabbit. Looking back on my life, I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t surrounded by pets. I love dogs and especially cats. This characteristic is a great influence of my paternal grandmother.
I’m from Oaxaca, Mexico. I spent my first years of life in Xoxocotlán, a municipality south of Oaxaca City, in a house belonging to my paternal grandparents. I spent very happy moments there. The house was big and my cousins, brothers, and I played there freely. We were surrounded by nature – many trees and plants – and of course, animals.
My grandparents raised chickens, hens, and goats. There were cats and dogs. I remember from an early age watching my grandmother care for her pets.
It was she who gave my sister and me our first pets. She instilled in us care and respect for other living beings.