At Rosita’s Way Chihuahua Sanctuary in New York, a mermaid shimmies her way through a tall pile of toys. Completely unbothered by the uncontrolled tremors of her body that makes her appear to dance when she walks, she grabs a toy from the pile and invites another dog to play.
The ‘mermaid’ is a chihuahua mix named Nixie Pearl, a dog with cerebellar hypoplasia which causes the tremors. Although she is beautiful, cheerful, and beloved by all who meet her, she originally came to the sanctuary because no one wanted her. Special needs dogs are often hard to place.
The dog she spends most of the day enthusiastically playing with is Althea Rae, another puppy who has a deformed pelvis from a birth defect that makes using her back legs impossible. Although she is in no pain and is able to move easily despite her disability, she was also unwanted by the world.
When senior or special needs chihuahuas find themselves unwanted and alone, no matter where they are in the United States, there is a “one woman show” who wants them. Bonnie Mason has opened her heart and her home to almost two dozen special needs chihuahuas over the years.
Her beautiful special needs dogs have come from small rescues everywhere, including Texas, California, Connecticut and Pennsylvania as well as local dogs from New York.
She shares their daily adventures on her Facebook, TikTok and Instagram page, where she has built a warm community of people who love their daily exploits.
Every dog that comes through the sanctuary doors are loved, cared for, treasured. Since Mason first started accepting special needs dogs into her home, 23 needy dogs (including the current residents) have found a place to call home.
A Special Place to Call Home
Rosita’s Way Chihuahua Sanctuary rests on land that has been in the family for generations. The home first belonged to Mason’s grandparents, who passed it on to her mother, and now she lives on the same land. Although it’s no longer the same house on the land, the love and care of so many family members have made it something special.
As Mason put it on her Facebook page, “There is a healing magick that happens here. It’s hard to explain but anyone who visits feels it.”
If you have not yet visited her Facebook page, I encourage you to do so. You will fall in love with the personable characters that make up her crew, cry when they pass on, and celebrate new dogs. This is a special place, and we are very lucky to be part of it.
Although they seldom ask for donations, if you would like to help with food, toys and vet trips for the dogs, you can do so through either
Paypal:
rositasway13 AT gmail DOT com (spelled out so that spammers can not take her email.)
or Venmo:
rositaswaymama
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What a wonderful place this is, and Mason sounds like an Angel. It’s so sad when special needs dogs are unwanted. This place is a blessing for them.
She truly is! I have been following her for a couple years now and just love all her stories. I cry when they pass and cheer for the new babies. She’s such a wonderful person.
Bonnie is an amazing very gifted individual xxxx
What a fabulous rescue! Big hearts! Kind souls! I love that they are taking in the “unwanted” and giving them their best lives. My Henry was fostered with all chihuahuas, which I think is funny. He does get super excited when he sees a chihuahua on a walk. Perhaps he thinks it’s one of his friends, and maybe it is a buddy from his past.
Andrea, thank you for sharing this very special rescue. I’m sharing with all my pet parents and hope they support them and their efforts.
Aww, that’s so sweet! It’s possible he’s got a speck of chihuahua in there. I sometimes read the “dogdna” subreddit and it’s a joke on there that every single mix on earth is at least 1% chihuahua, and/or 1% pitbull. Has he ever had a test done?
What an amazing woman to open her house to those special need chihuahuas, I have the utmost admiration for her, I am going to follow her FB page now also. Thank you so much for sharing and telling me about her.
I adore her. She’s truly an inspirational person who cares deeply about the pups.