If we are talking about stories of love, there is an amazing love story in San Miguel de Allende. Local celebrity and animal protector, Arno K. Nauman wasn’t happy with just two or three pets to take home with him: he personally takes care of 85 dogs, 17 donkeys, a sheep and dozens of swallows that have made their nest on the porch to his house.
President and founder of the Amigos de los Animales Association Arno K. Nauman has a property that is as vast as the number of pets that roam it. The dogs visit every day, many live inside the house. He takes them on walks, feeds them and calls each one by name.
His property is located alongside a highway in the countryside, out by Jalpa. It is well equipped to receive this many animals, providing them with enough space to move around and keeping them safe from the dangers and the loneliness of the street. Many of the dogs move in packs of three, but all of them get along, each one with his or her own place to sleep.
Dinner arrives on a truck, served on silver-colored dishes, adorned with little bones and paw prints. Lunch and dinner come in all sizes, and everywhere you look there are water dispensers filled with purified water to quench the thirst of his hairy guests.
German by birth and raised in Chile, Arno Nauman is now 80 years old and speaks as many languages as he has nationalities: German, French, English and Spanish. He worked as a chartered accountant in the United States and later decided to escape, taking refuge in Mexico.
He was married once, but that didn’t work out. So, he decided to live with those who would help him take care for his furry friends, and most importantly, his Labradors and long-haired breeds, who are his closest companions.
Upon arriving to Mr. Nauman’s home, you are greeted by Cocoroco, the only donkey that ventures out to the entrance of the property, which you can see from the highway. He was the last donkey to be rescued: he was found tied to a tree, his leg bleeding. It took quite a bit of time to nurse him back to health, following which his original owner came to reclaim him. Nauman gave the guy 300 pesos and he has never been back since.
“Today, Cocoroco is the sweetest, most affectionate one of them all. He spends his days at the front of the property, he loves walking around there,» says Arno Nauman, proud of his labors, helping animals in trouble.
