Meet The Pack

This past year, my work with Xoloitzcuintli dogs has been intense, humbling, and deeply personal. What began as rescue quickly became long-term rehabilitation, emotional repair, and learning how to hold space for dogs who have experienced neglect, overbreeding, instability, and loss. Several of the Xolos in my care arrived underweight, fragile, or emotionally shut down, while others came in carrying anxiety, insecurity, and survival behaviors that made daily life and pack integration complex.

Rescue is often imagined as a single act, but in reality it is months, sometimes years, of showing up consistently. This year has been about creating safety through routine, rebuilding trust at each dog’s pace, and working through fear-based behaviors with patience rather than force. Training has not been about obedience or control, but about consent, confidence, and regulation. Some days brought real progress, and others brought setbacks that reminded me that healing is not linear, for animals or humans.

One of the most difficult parts of this work has been navigating pack dynamics among dogs with very different histories. There have been moments where separation was necessary, moments of tension, and moments where I had to slow everything down to prioritize emotional safety over timelines or expectations. Medical concerns, behavioral stress, and limited resources added layers of challenge, especially when trying to balance what each individual dog needed with verses what I wish could be a united pack.

This work is deeply rewarding, but it is also demanding. It requires time, emotional labor, specialized training knowledge, and financial resources that are difficult to sustain alone. Documentation, behavior tracking, veterinary care, enrichment, and daily hands-on support take place quietly, outside of public view, yet they are the foundation of ethical rescue. Despite the challenges, there has been meaningful growth: healthier bodies, calmer nervous systems, stronger bonds, and small but powerful moments of trust that didn’t exist before.

This next phase is about sustainability. It is about honoring what this difficult year has taught me and building a structure that protects both the dogs and the work itself.