Santa Rosa saves a load of Chihuahuas

SANTA ROSA - A head-on collision just outside Vaughn resulted in five human and at least 10 canine injuries early Jan. 3, and a van-load of Chihuahuas and other mixed miniature dogs at Santa Rosa's animal shelter last that morning.

According to Ray Wilson, public information officer for New Mexico State Police, the wreck occurred about 12:45 p.m. Jan. 3 when a 2000 Chevrolet Astro van driven by Missael Rodelo, 40, of El Paso, Texas, was going south on U.S. 54 about two miles northeast of Vaughn when "for reasons still under investigation," the van crossed into opposing traffic and hit a 2022 Freightliner tractor-trailer.

Rodelo and four passengers in the van - a 46-year-old woman in the front passenger seat and a 28-year-old woman, a 9-year-old girl and 4-year-old boy in the rear of the van, all from El Paso - were injured and transported to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening. State police did not release their names.

The name of the tractor-trailer driver, a 41-year-old man out of Ontario, and a passenger, a 21-year-old man, also were withheld. Both suffered minor injuries, Wilson reported. They were transported to Guadalupe County Hospital, where they were treated and released.

Rodelo was cited for failure to maintain traffic lane and no insurance, Wilson said.

Then there were the dogs, mostly Chihuahuas and small mixed breeds - with differing reports on how many there were in the van. 

Officers said none of the dogs died on the scene, and Wilson reported 55 were "rescued from the crash and turned over to the Santa Rosa PD."

Mayor Nelson Kotiar said Wednesday by his count, there were 82 dogs, including 64 that were alive after the crash, including about five newborn puppies, while 18 other dogs died.

Kotiar said he received a call early Tuesday morning from Joey Silva of Silver Moon Auto Repair & Towing, who was hauling the disabled van into Santa Rosa with the dogs inside. The mayor got on the phone to the police department to get them to open the city's animal shelter to receive the dogs.

City employees Adam Chavez and Bobby Baca were also on the job early to help, along with Crystal Trujillo, the city's animal control director - who was knee-deep in handling the situation that morning - while word about the chihuahua and other dogs' arrival got out on social media.

That's when the help poured in - with food, bedding and more arriving throughout the day.

"We have been so blessed by the community helping, with cleaning, blankets and so much more," Kotiar said Wednesday, "all day long and into today. We are so blessed by the community."

Trujillo echoed the sentiment, calling the community response "overwhelmingly good. We've had people showing up ready to help, not just with blankets and bowls but with the cleaning (the kennels), too."

Volunteers were also showing up to take the four large dogs taken to pens outside the shelter for walks. And for the injured dogs brought to the shelter, local veterinarian Erin Fuchs came over to treat them, with the worst of the injuries she saw being a couple with lacerations, Trujillo said.

Trujillo was told the Chihuahuas and other miniature dogs were being taken to a pet store in Mexico when the collision took place, and the owners had given their permission to the city to adopt the animals out. Several local people came and adopted dogs for themselves, while 32 were picked up by East Mountain Companion Animal Project in Moriarty - leaving only 10 at the shelter by 4 p.m. Wednesday, Trujillo said.

The dogs that remained at the shelter by Jan. 6 were to be picked up by DogTown out of Utah, Trujillo said.