History
Our History
“Compassion isn’t just about having empathy for another’s suffering, it’s seeing that suffering and taking action to alleviate it.” - Dr. Christi Camblor
Our story begins well before our doors ever opened, standing in Anapra, Mexico, a suburb of Juarez Mexico on the other side of the El Paso, Texas border. A 26 year old. Christi Camblor found herself surrounded by hundreds of homeless, suffering animals. Animals that were starving to death, covered in mange and inflicted with preventable illnesses. Diseases that they could have been vaccinated against if the resources had been available. But in the community of Anapra, like so many communities in Mexico, there was no access to even the most basic veterinary care.
She had just come from an animal control center where dogs were housed in horrific conditions. Overcrowded, starving, covered in filth, suffering from disease.
Looking up, Dr. Christi could see the high rises of El Paso on the other side of the border just one mile away. How could a place so close to us be experiencing so much suffering?
With this question, the first seeds of Compassion Without Borders were planted.
The work began in Mexico City with her husband Moncho Camblor where the two volunteered at the Refugio Franciscano in the center of Mexico City. At any given time, up to 2,000 dogs were housed in the Refugio, most of them never leaving.
In collaboration with multiple animal welfare organizations in the U.S., including Animal Place and the Center for Animal Protection and Education, the Camblors began pulling dogs from the Refugio and adopting them out to families from U.S. shelters.
But rescue and rehoming was only one part of the equation. What was really needed was access to resources–spay/neuter, flea and tick control, affordable veterinary care, and education.
The idea: Bring veterinary care directly to the communities where need is high and resources are scarce.
Despite doubts that families might not be interested in utilizing these resources, CWOB began offering Spay/Neuter Camps in Chihuahua, Mexico. To their great delight, families began lining up as early as 4 o'clock in the morning to have their animals seen. The camps confirmed their hope–when given access to resources, families will go to great lengths to ensure their pets receive the best care possible.
The same has been true in the U.S. where they provide monthly free and low-cost clinics. Over the years, they have witnessed people arriving the night before the clinic, sleeping in their cars to guarantee their beloved pets get seen.
Since 2001, the call for compassionate care has taken them to numerous places throughout Mexico. It has also led them to relieving shelters in the United States, taking in animals that other shelters don’t have the veterinary resources to care for.
Ultimately, they found their first physical location at a former convenience store in Puerto Peñasco, Mexico where they continue to collaborate with the community to rescue, rehabilitate, and rehome the most vulnerable animals.
In 2016, thanks to the generous support of Center for Animal Protection and Education, they were finally able to open their first U.S. shelter, Muttopia.
For more than 25 years, Compassion Without Borders has worked to break barriers, save lives, and create hope. Their mission is more than just rescuing animals off the streets and from overcrowded shelters, it’s bringing critical services directly to the communities without access to keep them off the streets in the first place.
