{"id":8080,"date":"2025-12-14T10:44:41","date_gmt":"2025-12-14T16:44:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wendywolfe.com\/?p=8080"},"modified":"2025-12-14T10:44:41","modified_gmt":"2025-12-14T16:44:41","slug":"finding-home-choo-choos-rescue-and-the-power-of-animal-instinct","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wendywolfe.com\/?p=8080","title":{"rendered":"Finding Home: Choo Choo’s Rescue and the Power of Animal Instinct"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rupert Sheldrake is a prominent biologist and author, best known for his hypothesis of morphic resonance, which proposes that natural systems inherit a collective memory from all previous things of their kind. In 1999, he wrote the book, Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home, and Other Unexplained Powers of Animals.<\/strong> I highly recommend this book, as it takes a scientific approach to demonstrating the truths suggested by its title. Our dogs know so much more than we realize.<\/p>\n

After over twenty-five years of communicating with animals, I can emphatically state that dogs and other animals possess an extraordinary ability to read the humans around them. They seem to instinctively know who the kind humans are, whom they can approach for safety, and who will truly listen to them.<\/p>\n

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The family compound<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Let me share a story. In March of 2023, I joined a small group of women for a Spiritual Pilgrimage to the Sacred Valley of Peru.<\/strong> We spent two days in Cusco to acclimate to the altitude and then traveled to the family compound of the Paqo (Shaman) who would guide us over the next two weeks. While in Cusco and along the way, we encountered many dogs roaming the streets\u2014some healthy, others not.<\/p>\n

One of our first evenings at the compound, we sat in a circle outside, awaiting the Paqo, when a dog found his way into the compound and approached me and another woman. He was covered in scabs and quite thin; his skin looked terrible. He specifically came to us, seeking comfort, as he realized we had the ability to help him. I could hear him, and my companion was skilled in energy healing.<\/p>\n

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Happy Choo Choo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We spent time providing energy healing to him. He was incredibly sweet and made a point to engage with all the women gathered. It wasn\u2019t mere coincidence\u2014he continued to visit us at various times throughout our stay. After about a week, we left the compound to travel to Mount Ausangate<\/strong> for three nights of camping and sacred communication with Apu Ausangate and Pachamama.<\/p>\n

Upon our return, the dog was there waiting for us. As a group, we decided we needed to help him and named him Choo Choo.<\/strong> Despite radiating love and happiness, he clearly wasn’t well. Through our hosts, we found a family member willing to be responsible for his care and traveled many miles to get him to a vet. We provided funds for the necessary veterinary services. His skin was a mess, riddled with scabies and bacterial infections, along with blood parasites. He would require multiple visits and months to heal.<\/p>\n

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Choo Choo greeting Wendy upon Return<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Originally, we hoped one in our group would be able to bring him back to the States once he recovered. That didn\u2019t happen, but he was adopted by the young man who initially cared for him.<\/p>\n

Over the years, many animals have approached me to share what they needed humans to know\u2014horses in barns, animals in shelters, and those on the streets. You probably know people who always seem to attract strays to their homes; this is because animals can sense who is safe and will help them. They can truly read our hearts.<\/p>\n

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Choo Choo post Vet visit<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Often, those who hold a deep love for animals find themselves attracting strays, ultimately engaging in rescue work one way or another. Recently, I learned from a friend in Peru about a couple\u2014Nancy and Victor\u2014who are helping the local strays. Although their work isn’t a formal non-profit rescue yet, it is evident that these dogs know who to approach for help. They continuously show up at the home of Nancy and Victor, who created Campos Santo (Sacred Ground) Rescue.<\/strong> Sometimes, we don\u2019t set out to create something, but Spirit guides us. That\u2019s precisely what happened here. Now that others have witnessed their efforts, even more dogs are coming to them for assistance.<\/p>\n

This month, I turn 69.<\/strong> Yep, I\u2019m not quite sure how that happened (inside, I still feel like I’m in my 30s!), but I\u2019m grateful to be healthy and blessed in so many ways. For the last several years, I\u2019ve utilized Facebook’s Birthday Fundraiser to support causes close to my heart. While Campos Santo Rescue isn\u2019t included in this platform, if you feel called to support Nancy and Victor’s work, you can make a donation below. Every little bit helps.<\/p>\n

For Paypal<\/strong>:\u00a0 @namcyalfs (She is wearing a green jacket)<\/p>\n

For Venmo<\/strong>: @Nancy-Alfs<\/p>\n

Here’s more from Campos Santo Rescue<\/h5>\n
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*Birthday Fundraiser for Wendy*<\/b> Dear Friends of Wendy, Wendy has generously chosen to celebrate her birthday by shining a light on our informal dog rescue here in Peru. My name is Nancy Alfs. Together with my husband, Victor Caballero, we have taken in more than 30 dogs over the past eight years at our home, Campo Santo\u2014a pre-Inka cemetery at the foot of Apu Pitusiray\/Sawasiray, near Calca in the Sacred Valley. Wendy has been a wonderful supporter of our work and asked to share our rescue on her birthday.<\/p>\n
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Nancy and Victor at work<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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Any gifts raised will go directly toward:<\/div>\n
*Food*<\/b> \u2013 We feed 15\u201320 dogs every day. A single large bag of kibble lasts barely a week, and 2\u20133 times a week Victor cooks a big pot of meat-scrap soup to stretch it further. Feeding the pack modestly costs us roughly $1,000 a month. Your help means better nutrition, more treats, and a little breathing room in the budget.<\/div>\n
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*Spay & Neuter*<\/b> \u2013 Every dog that passes through our gate is sterilized, whether they stay forever or only briefly. We\u2019ve already sponsored at least 30 surgeries and would love to keep offering this service to dogs in our small community.<\/div>\n
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*Veterinary Care*<\/b> \u2013 Most of the pack is healthy, but we have a few elder and special needs dogs that need a little more care. We would like to bring a local vet for a full wellness check and more complex care for Sunny, Twinkie and Wayqui as well for our older ones, Ichu, Rojo and Abuelita.<\/div>\n
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A few Campo Santos Dogs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

*Parasite Control*<\/b> \u2013 Rainy season brings fleas, mites, and skin infections. A kind veterinarian in the U.S. has been sending us expired Frontline, which helps enormously, but we now need oral medication (Bravecto or similar) for the tougher mites and fungal issues. Treating the full- and part-time residents will cost about $500.<\/div>\n

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If you\u2019d like to meet the dogs and read their stories, we have a Facebook page: *Campo Santo Rescues*<\/b> (facebook.com\/campo.santo.rescues<\/a><\/span>). We are not a registered non-profit or Peruvian foundation\u2014just two animal lovers trying to give back some of the love and loyalty these dogs show every day. Victor and I are deeply grateful for your attention and care. The support we\u2019ve already received has meant the world to us, and sharing each dog\u2019s story (often a mix of heartbreak and astonishing love) has been incredibly healing for me. If you feel moved to contribute, you can honor Wendy by sending your gift to my PayPal or Venmo listed above. I\u2019ll let Wendy know about every donation, and together we\u2019ll celebrate your beautiful friend (and ours). Because we are informal, I am not able to provide a tax-deductible receipt, but I will send a personal thank-you note for your records and will report all gifts to my U.S. accountant. Wendy, may your birthday be filled with love, laughter, and the very best people.<\/div>\n
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From the entire pack: *Aaaaaaarrrrrrooooooooooooo!*<\/b> With gratitude, \u00a0 Nancy, Victor, and the Campo Santo crew: \u00a0 <\/strong>Rojo, Ichu, Chicha, Mona, Mila, Twinkie, Muqui, Yapa, Blanquito, Paco, Pic\u2019chu, Sunny, Abuelita, Pelusa, Choqalaqa, Wayqui, Chiqui\u2026 and whoever walks through our gate next<\/em>. \"\ud83d\udc3e\"<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Rupert Sheldrake is a prominent biologist and author, best known for his hypothesis of morphic resonance, which proposes that natural systems inherit a collective memory from all previous things of their kind. In 1999, he wrote the book, Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home, and Other Unexplained Powers of Animals. I highly […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":8083,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[50,51,1,55,57],"tags":[64,170,171,169,172],"class_list":["post-8080","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-animal-communication","category-animal-health","category-uncategorized","category-human-energy","category-instinctual-nature","tag-animal-communication","tag-animal-instinct","tag-animal-intuition","tag-dog-rescue","tag-energy-healing","entry","gs-1","gs-odd","gs-even","gs-featured-content-entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wendywolfe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8080","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wendywolfe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wendywolfe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wendywolfe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wendywolfe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8080"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/wendywolfe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8080\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8096,"href":"https:\/\/wendywolfe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8080\/revisions\/8096"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wendywolfe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8083"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wendywolfe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8080"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wendywolfe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8080"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wendywolfe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8080"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}