Animal Welfare Peru Project #6038

Spay & Neuter street dogs of Huanchaco, Peru

by The Perros Project

Project Report | May 14, 2019
We're getting closer to our 2019 Clinic!!

By Courtney Dillard | Co-Director

Hello friends!

It’s a very busy time for the Perros Project as we hit the ground in Huanchaco, Peru on July 17th. We have all sorts of planning to do before the big day arrives. In this report we want to give you a brief overview of our plans for the clinic this year, update you on what our partners on the ground are currently doing for Huanchaco street dogs, and offer you a snapshot of two of our team members.

We have the largest team yet signed up to participate in our week long spay and neuter clinic! There will be 4 veterinarians, 6 veterinarian technicians, and at least 8 support staff. It seems that more partners and family members have been corralled into helping out this time around! With the larger numbers, we look forward to being able to sterilize more animals as well as doing additional activities, depending on our partners’ needs. We are particularly interested in distributing flea medication, joining Peruvian veterinarians to offer wellness exams, and offering an open visiting day where community members can bring their pets with issues they have not been able to resolve. Be on the lookout for some great pictures and updates on Instagram and Facebook.

As for our partners in Peru, they continue to be busy with their daily activities. Our friends at Huanchaco Al Recate continue to help the street dogs and have had a great response from local area volunteers as well as from the backpacker community visiting area hostels. Ursula continues to put much of her time into getting the local community committed to bettering the lives of the dogs. She's a champ! Make sure to follow them on Instagram and Facebook.

In terms of our team this year, we have many folks returning for repeat service, while also adding new faces to the fold. Below are brief bios for two members, Mary a returning veterinarian and Kristen, a new veterinary technician.

Mary: As a graduate of the Washington State University School of Veterinary Medicine, her career has included private practice, shelter medicine, teaching, and even a stint in the Peace Corps as a veterinarian. One of her main volunteer activities for the last fifteen years has been working with the Portland Animal Welfare Team, an organization who provides veterinary services and supplies to pet owners experiencing homelessness or extreme poverty. Volunteering with Perros Project in 2015, 2017 and our upcoming 2019 trip has been a highlight of her interest in helping the underserved through her profession. She looks forward to joining old friends and new in the work of improving the lives of street dogs, reducing the stray dog population, and educating dog and cat owners, in Huanchaco, Peru.

Kristen: As an Instructional Specialist at the University of Wisconsin, School of Veterinary Medicine, Kristen Cooley is able to use her varied experiences to better prepare veterinary students for the real world. Kristen is a university trained veterinary technician specialist in anesthesia and analgesia who has a special knack for making due with whatever resources are available. This skill has proven handy during projects in Ecuador and the Dominican Republic where she has led the team by creating, instituting and troubleshooting the anesthetic protocol used. As a published author, editor and award-winning instructor, Kristen can be overheard sharing her knowledge with anyone who is eager to learn. She is beyond excited to be a part of Perros Project and visit Peru for the first time.

We look forward to our upcoming trip and want to thank you for all of your support that makes it possible. We'll have updates from the ground upon arrival, so please do keep your eyes on social media.

And, if you can, please help to spread the word. Any additional fundraising we can do prior to July will be a HUGE help as we have such a large team this year.

With gratitude,

Matt and Courtney

Links:

https://www.perrosproject.org/donate

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Feb 6, 2019
2019 Clinic dates have been finalized!

By Courtney Dillard & Matt Webber | Co-Directors

Courtney, Paul and Matt

A happy hello from the Perros Project! This time of year finds us with a lot to report as we gear up for our biennial spay and neuter clinic this summer. Below we share with you news about the upcoming clinic, our successful holiday fundraiser through Global Giving, and the work of our partners on the ground.

We're thrilled to announce that last week we finalized the dates for our 2019 clinic. We will be in Huanchaco July 19^th – July 27^th. We are also grateful that almost all of the core members of our team from 2017 have expressed a strong interest in returning: Natalie, Brenda, Mary, Kim, Katy, Rosa, Sue and Marnie! In addition, we have at least one more vet who is likely to join us, as well as one or two new veterinary technicians. Finally, if any of you would like to come and help out, we’d be happy to hear from you!

One the most important aspects of planning our trip is making sure that Sr.Paul, who owns the Hostal Huankarute, is willing to host not only our team as guests at his hotel, but also our clinic which he has so graciously allowed to take place in the conference rooms of his hotel for the last several years. Sr. Paul (pictured below) is truly a patron saint for the Perros Project and the street dogs of Hunchaco. We are all looking forward to seeing him again.

While we have our eyes set on the summer and our usual clinic activities, we also want to recognize the importance of longer-term planning to ensure that Huanchaco continues to be a model community in terms of the human/animal bond. With that in mind, we did our first ever holiday fundraiser to mark our 10 year anniversary. At the centerpiece of our outreach efforts was the desire to fund a part-time Peruvian veterinarian who could be available to help the dogs when we were not in country. It was so heartwarming to see how many people stepped forward in generosity, both our reoccurring donors and some brand-new supporters. We pledge to honor your gifts with our hard work and our intentional decision-making over the next few years.

Finally, our partners on the ground continue to do all the good work they can with the limited resources they have. Below you will see several photos from Ursula at Huanchaco al Rescate. The captions give you a sense of the innovation and dedication required to run a shelter in the area.

Once again, thank you for all that you do to make the Perros Project strong and effective. We look forward to sharing more news as we get closer to July.

Recent Huanchaquito rescues by Ursula

Visiting vet from Canada working with Ursula.

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Nov 7, 2018
Looking towards 2019...

By Matt Webber & Courtney Dillard | Founders

There is news to share from every corner of the Perros Project this report! Below we will share our preliminary plans for our 2019 trip to Huanchaco and updates from our two partners on the ground, Amigo Fiel and Huanchaco al Rescate.

First, amidst the lovely leaves of fall in the Pacific Northwest we’ve begun to envision our 2019 project activities. It is nothing short of amazing to say that 10 years have passed since we first visited Huanchaco and decided that a portion of our life’s work would be in partnering with the wonderful animal folks on the ground in that small, but significant beach town. As we come upon the 10 year anniversary of our first visit, we want to make sure that our time on the ground reflects the occasion. As we have in the past, last month found us sending out our email of inquiry to see which team members would like to join us again. Thus far, all three of our main veterinarians have expressed a strong interest, as well as our recovery room specialist. In addition, we have had several conversations with veterinary technicians and veterinary students. While the vet tech school in Joilet, Illinois will be unable to partner until 2021, we have also inquired about individual students who might be interested. At this point, we are considering offering the weekly clinic that we have in previous years, as well as doing additional community work and potentially investing in a particular project that would expand our year round impact in the community. Stay tuned!

The good folks at Amigo Fiel recently wrote us with some of their updates. In good news, the organization’s most recent report shared successes that were the direct result of the donations you have so generously made and we have passed forward. Two dogs were highlighted - Fabio, whose left front leg had to be amputated due to cancer and Colita, who had pins placed in her left hind limb to help in her recovery after being hit by a car. According to Bertha, “both pups have already fully recovered and have been adopted.” In other news, which lays heavy on our heart, but also reminds us of our long history with this amazing organization, Lupita, who is pictured below has been diagnosed with cancer. Lupita was one of the first dogs we met at Amigo Fiel’s shelter. Because of her injury and her bonding with a few other dogs at the shelter, she has been in the care of the organization for more than 10 years. Bertha reports that while the cancer is inoperable, they are committed to giving Lupita the best last chapter of her life she can have, just as we have all been committed to her happiness throughout her life.

Ursula at Huanchaco al Rescate reports that she is as busy as ever. Every time we get an email from her, we thank the universe that the dogs of Huanchaco have this incredibly energetic woman in their corner. Last month she let us know that she recently moved her shelter closer to town and to an area that was larger for the dogs to run around. In addition, being as politically savvy as she is, she quickly introduced herself to the new mayor of Huanchaco and began her friendly, but persistent campaign to have the local government help with the care of the street dogs in general and the realization of a permanent shelter for the street dogs of Huanchaco.

That’s our news for now, the next time we write we will probably know who is on our team and what exactly we have in mind for 2019. If you would like to join us this summer in Peru, let us know. We’d love to have you. Until then, we and the street dogs of Huanchaco Peru, big and small, send you our gratitude.

Matt & Courtney
The Perros Project
www.PerrosProject.org

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