A Rose for Minnie

Justice in Times of Complex Love

Blog

  • This discussion should come as no surprise to those of us who feel we have been tricked; bamboozled; snowed; and just plain lied to over the Project Jupiter debacle.

    This ongoing story is about what’s happening in my neighborhood in tiny San Miguel, 14 miles or so south of Las Cruces on Highway 28. Three and a half miles north of Chope’s.

    This story is about a man of indeterminate origin and citizenship status who has recreated a slum worthy of the poorest neighborhoods in Mexican cities. But what I know about this will be discussed in another post, focused on specifically the question, Who IS Pablo Cardona Martinez REALLY?

    Right now, this story isn’t even so much about the 50+ dogs he had in his compound. Right now, the story is about questions like Why has this problem been going on for six years. Six Years. 72 months. 365 days times 6 years plus a random leap year is 2192 counting 2 leap days. Two thousand, one hundred, ninety-two days of not knowing what will happen next because there is no control over what Martinez allows his dogs to do. What he does: He’s already threatened to shoot me.

    I’ve already talked about the destruction so it’s time to talk about how the laws are not enforceable. Yesterday after court, the former ACO who brought the original case said, We can’t MAKE him do it; we can fine him till he’s bankrupt but we can’t MAKE him do it. I wondered: Do they collect those fines? Or do they just pile up?

    But what is it we want him to “Do?” Follow the law but not having 50+ dogs? By having them vetted and chipped? By treating them like the companion animals they actually are? By not letting them run wild all over the neighborhood? Aghast I said: But it’s the LAW!!! He shrugged. For six years he has been slogging through this.

    What happens in our neighborhood is not the dogs’ “fault” because dogs are dogs; but they are dangerous when allowed to run in packs. Imagine walking your dog in the cool night of the Southern New Mexico summer and four or five dogs come charging at you down the berm with the speed of a loaded freight train just as you are coming up to your own property. What do you do? Above all, you can’t let them get into a dog fight with your girl.

    Finally, tired of the 3rd attempted intimidation out of four nights running, I kept my girl close and charged them. Unsure of what to do in the face of this unexpected behavior, they ran home.

    These things are happening; I have reported them. Why are they allowed to continue? Why is there no legal relief for the victims, the people who lived in this neighborhood sometimes long before he came? Why is the cost of defending and protecting our properties, our pets trivial in comparison? Comparison to what? That is a very good question.

    #WhoSpeaksForTheVictimsLasCruces

  • Single dogs are usually just messy; dogs in a pack are unpredictable.

    The big question is Why does this keep happening?

    Why after being cited, going to court, and then whatever, why does this keep happening in our neighborhood.

    I have an idea, though. People on social media talk about multiple calls to Animal Control, often for the same animals. A citation is not issued until the ACO confirms the complaint with a visit. The ACOs talk about having more calls than they can attend to in a single shift.

    My idea is that if the issues were dealt with with citations that were enforced, the number of calls would be reduced on both sides.

    On Camunez Road
    Seeing what’s there
    Heading back
    Half way
    Almost hoime
    Home

    I take photos for verification of what I am saying. If dogs keep moving and are gone by the time ACOs can arrive, photos are proof of the problem.

    #WhoSpeaksForTheVictimsLasCruces

  • Today was my 2nd court visit. I say “visit” because all I did was show up, sit there, and then leave.

    The first time was several weeks ago, April 7th, 2026. There was an agreement to work something out. I’m not sure what because everyone assumes everyone else understands the court system so they don’t explain.

    Shortly thereafter, Jimmy Snow, the hardworking ACO, came to collect the crate and to say they had worked out a plea deal. He could only have 6 dogs; they had to be vetted and chipped; and he had 90 days to comply.

    Well I guess the 90 days was up, or something else weird had happened, because on Sunday, 2 days ago, Jimmy sent me a subpoena for today’s court appearance. He apologized for the short notice but said “things had happened so fast.”

    So what happened: 3 ACOs plus Brian, the original ACO in 2020, Jimmy, and I all showed up for court. On time.

    The defendant showed up late, on Zoom, voice only.

    The prosecuting attorney showed up: on Zoom. Uh huh. Yep. Sorry for the sarcasm but that shows real dedication there, a real concern for our case.

    Next, the judge asked Jimmy what Animal Control was looking for. Huh? Somehow there didn’t seem to be any mention of the previous agreement, which it seemed Martinez, my scary neighbor with a gun and too many dogs, hadn’t agreed to.

    Okay then.

    But here’s the real kicker: the judge says “Oh I see your co-attorney is new to this case. Would you like an extension?

    …Would you like an extension

    What about the victims here?

    What about those of us who have spent hundreds on security cameras and thousands on fences to protect ourselves, our property and the pets who live there.

    This case has been going on since 2020. I’m involved because his dogs violate my property lines; leave trash they collect from the neighbors.  And, they killed Athena, who was 7 and had lived here all her life.

    And they killed Minnie.  She was just a baby. I only had her 2 months.

    In the Spring they hunt for the kittens in packs. They’re always in packs. And they leave the poor tiny broken bodies on the lawn for me to find. It’s an image, a series of images, you don’t get out of your head.

    And the County says: Would you like an extension…..

    #WhoSpeaksForTheVictimsLasCruces

  • I thought it would be fun to show the babies in clusters, 1, 2 then 3. See how sweet and friendly they are?

    The next row of pictures are not so happy. They show the dogs in the backyard, and the two dogs way in the back, so far you can’t see them. In the 5th picture, I think that’s a little girl chained to her dog house. She wags her tail in hopeful anticipation. It makes me cry thinking of her there.

    The final pic is my poster boy for 121 Camunez, Lonely Boy. His face tells the story.

  • Again, nothing I could say could come close to what these photos are showing.

    The first is the answer to a question I have been asked by Animal Control Officers many times: How do you know they are getting out of the fence.

    Next, we see the fence construction. I have no words.

    Then we have a long view. The black smudge in the top middle is where the babies live. The real, little babies as well as the younger dogs. The three we trapped come from that area in the back and only one was possibly over a year old.

    Then we are getting closer to where the babies live. And for me, this time, I do have words: It’s unbelievable.

    This is where the babies live, inside the plastic fence, from a distance away on the berm. The fence markers are clear.

  • These images show the Gate Experience at 121 Camunez.

    The first image is what you see when you head towards the driveway off Camunez. I think these images speak for themselves much better than I could, so I’m just going to say what they are.

    Coming up the drive, the first Shepherd spots you. Signals; but the others probably don’t need to hear, the sound of my passing is probably enough.

    I reach the gate. It’s and odd place.

    Dogs are on the move and they pile up against the fence, barking. That’s what they do. They come to the fence and bark. No one ever comes

    There are 9 dogs in the middle photo with the Beware of the Dog sign. There are some way in the back (2); some in the middle ground (4) and then the 3 in front at the gate. The image next to it has 11 dogs.

    The final two images are really interesting. The next to the last one shows one of the places where a bicycle wheel has been used to bolster the fence. The final photo is of two Shepherds making more Shepherds. I didn’t notice it at the time, not until I was editing.

  • The first image is the south yard. The shepherd like dogs run in this part of the yard.

    The second photo is where the babies live. These dogs are mostly black with splashes of white. They are sweet; some are very shy and submissive. I know this from the ones we trapped. They are now safely with Animal Control.

    Neighbors yard filled with junk and old vehicles deep in rainwater
    After the Rain

    This picture was taken after the heavy rains early this spring (2026).

  • Trash in my yard
    Meat package from Kitchen trash

    These two photos are of trash left in my backyard on two separate occasions. These are not unique; they are simply ones I chose to take pictures of.

    The first photo is a plastic bag full of beer cans. The dogs came back, shredded the bag, and left a storm of beer cans all over the yard.

    The 2nd photo is from an earlier event where the dogs located a bag of kitchen trash and tore apart the meat packages.

    Trash in neighbors' yards
    The trash covers two neighbor’s yards.

    This is a typical trash event here on Camunez Road for folks who live near the Route 28-Camunez intersection. We frequently see the results of the dogs’ night roamings: trash in yards, trash on the road, trash blowing around indiscriminately.