What makes a dog lucky?
Maybe it is having a family that loves them. Maybe it is a warm bed, a full bowl, and a safe place to sleep. Or maybe luck is something a little more fundamental: having people who see you as an individual and take the time to understand what you need.
At Lucky Dog Rescue and Adoption Center near Lake Chapala, Mexico, the dogs may still be waiting for permanent homes, but in the meantime, they are surrounded by caring people who show up for them day after day.
At Lucky Dog, everyone has a unique way to help and collaborate.
Some volunteers walk dogs. Others train them, clean their enclosures, help with fundraising, or coordinate veterinary care. Some foster dogs in their homes. Others help with the less visible work that keeps the center running.
We All Have Something to Give
When I visited Lucky Dog, I arrived with Mark and Nancy. Mark helped build the Thursday volunteer group, bringing together people who wanted to help in different ways.
“I’ve gotten to know a lot of people who want to help, and somehow Thursday became our day. We have our group, and everybody has something they can do. You don’t have to do everything. You just have to show up and help with what you can.”
Mark has an injured knee, and at the moment, he cannot walk the long distances over cobblestone roads around the center, but he and Nancy have their own important role. They bring chairs into the enclosures and spend about 20 minutes with the dogs, offering pats, treats, kind words, and ear scratches. The dogs happily settle in beside them.
Different volunteer groups cover each day of the week. Some take dogs for walks, while others help with training, cleaning, maintenance, administration, or fundraising.
That Thursday, each person simply did what they came to do. For the dogs, every part of that effort is what makes them feel lucky.
The Importance of a Routine
During the day, the dogs stay in pairs in larger enclosures. They are taken out for long walks or playtime in the larger garden areas around the center. In the mornings and evenings, Valentin, one of only two paid workers at the rescue, moves the dogs between their daytime and nighttime enclosures and feeds them breakfast and dinner. During the day, volunteers help with walks, playtime, training, and puppy lunchtime.
At night, the dogs return to smaller individual enclosures.
When a dog needs medical attention, a veterinarian comes to the center to examine and treat them. Volunteers then follow the veterinarian’s instructions and continue treatment.
From Valentin’s morning and evening routine to the volunteers who walk, train, feed, and care for the dogs, many people contribute to a Lucky Dog’s day.
Lucky Dog Would Not Exist Without Volunteers
The roots of today’s Lucky Dog Rescue go back to 2001, when Geoffrey Kaye and Lourdes Avila started an animal shelter in Riberas del Pilar. When the shelter closed in 2012, the commitment to helping the area’s dogs continued. Volunteers regrouped with veterinarian Dr. Antonio Ladron, and in December 2012, Lucky Dog Rescue and Adoption opened its doors.
Since then, the center has continued caring for abandoned and abused dogs while helping prepare them for permanent homes.
In 2025, Lucky Dog took in 23 dogs and placed 23 through adoption or transfer. Approximately 35 new volunteers joined, with around 30 committing to weekly shifts. The center’s intended capacity is 22 dogs, yet its average monthly census was close to 30 during the year.
Those numbers give you some idea of the work happening behind every individual dog.
Every Dog Has a Story
Spicy is dog-reactive and needs to be housed separately from other dogs. Mark has developed a close relationship with her, and she has a very clear opinion about where his attention should go.
“Spicy loves me, and she is not happy when she sees me go into a different enclosure to pet another dog,” Mark said. “I have to do it in a way that I hide from her so she can’t see or she won’t stop barking.”
It is a sweet story, but it also shows why understanding each dog’s personality matters.
Hope Procops, who works as a groundskeeper and guard at Lucky Dog, understands how important volunteers are to organizations like this. It’s not just about the day-to-day tasks. It’s about looking after the dogs in their care and preparing them for life beyond the shelter. She says the goal of Lucky Dog Rescue is “to ensure all the dogs in our care are kept healthy, loved, socialized, and given the best chance to find their forever homes.”
Giving Dogs the Tools They Need to Succeed
Camille Short is in charge of training volunteers and dogs at Lucky Dog. Her approach goes beyond teaching basic commands. The goal is to help dogs develop skills that can help them succeed in a home.
Three young siblings, Sasha, Stephanie, and Sergio, were already showing how quickly puppies can learn. They knew how to sit and lie down on command, and were learning to walk with their harnesses. They were highly motivated by treats and, judging by the puppy kisses, equally enthusiastic about people.
Two of the puppies, Stephanie and Sergio, have already been chosen by families; their adoption papers are signed and ready. Sasha remains available for adoption.
As for Spicy, she arrived at Lucky Dog in 2022 and has been waiting for her new home ever since. Initially anxious and mistrustful, she has come a long way with the daily attention and interactions she receives from volunteers. Now, Spicy is looking for a confident new best friend.
“Everything nice with a little bit of spice,” says Camille of Spicy. “She loves people and attention but is selective about her four-legged friends.”
Some dogs find their people quickly. Others need more time, medical care, or someone who understands their particular personality. Until then, their days continue with walks, play, veterinary care, clean enclosures, treats, kind words, and volunteers who take the time to understand them.
Helping Dogs, Supporting People, and Building a Kinder Community
Vice President of Lucky Dog Rescue, Darryl Painter, describes the mission as:
“Improving animal welfare in Lake Chapala via rescue, adoption, community, and fostering.”
The sense of community was tangible during my visit, but perhaps what stayed with me most was how much we humans and dogs have in common. We are all sentient beings, and in our own ways, we all need to be acknowledged, accepted for who we are, and given the opportunity to love and be loved.
At Lucky Dog, those needs are met in many different ways. A walk, a clean enclosure, a treat, a kind word, or simply having someone take the time to know an individual dog.
Maybe that is what makes them lucky.
Not just having people who care for them, but having people who take the time to know them.
And that is something anyone can do. Whether it is volunteering, fostering, sponsoring, or simply offering time and attention, there is a way to help.
And every morning, people arrive.
Someone opens an enclosure.
Someone picks up a leash.
Someone brings a treat.
The dogs’ days begin again.
And perhaps…that is what makes these dogs lucky.
