Animal Welfare Peru Project #6038

Spay & Neuter street dogs of Huanchaco, Peru

by The Perros Project

Project Report | Aug 8, 2018
Greetings from far away!

By Courtney Dillard | Do-Director

As most of you know, on odd years, last month would have found us in Peru, overseeing our biennial clinic. At the writing of this dispatch however, we are quite far from there, visiting parts of Southeast Asia for the first time. While we have enjoyed so much of our visit, the situation for street dogs in this part of the world is in many ways even harder than in Latin America. While the dogs seem to be able to find sufficient food, many of them are injured in some way and all of them appear to suffer from fleas and other skin irritations. They also seem a lot more wary of people than the dogs we have encountered in Peru. Although we have no plans to start up another branch of the Perros Project in this part of the world :), we will definitely be making a donation to an Asian focused street dog group upon our return. On a brighter note, seeing the situation here has encouraged Matt and I to really recognize how much Huanchaco has improved in terms of the care of their street dogs since we first visited in 2009. It is very heartening to know we and you, our amazing donors, have had a hand in that, but we give the greatest credit to our partners on the ground who are doing the hard work every day. In that vein, we had a recent update from Ursula at Huanchaco al Rescate, who is as busy as ever, tabling to promote effective pet care, holding adoption events for the dogs at her shelter and encouraging the regional government to take a more active role in caring for the street dog population. As the pictures demonstrate below, there is still much to be done and Ursula is doing a lot of it with s smile on her face. The dogs who find their way to her, likely know they have been brought under the wing of an angel.

In other news, you might remember that we are exploring a relationship with an American veterinary tech school which is eager to have their students participate in more hands-on activity before seeking professional opportunities. Just a few days ago the director of Joliet Junior College visited Hostal Huankarute to conduct a site visit as she compares possible future partnerships. She is due back to the States any day now, and we eagerly await her report. A partnership of this type is something we've been interested in for quite some time, as we are always in the need for good veterinary technicians and strongly believe that the Perros Project fulfills its broader mission by helping to train future practitioners, both American and Peruvian.

While it's always good to pursue ventures like this, it is also very important that we maintain and nurture our core team, many of whom have been a part of our project from the beginning. It's about this time of year that we start asking people how likely it is that they'll be able to return. It will be our 10 year anniversary, and we do hope to have all key members on the ground in Peru next year. Thought we've heard a bit of rumbling from some that they're getting too old for all of this, we do hope to twist their arms. The Perros Project has created deep relationships for us all beyond the week-long clinic.

For example, recently when one of the veterinarians had to have a serious, unexpected surgery, another member of the team jumped into action, contacting the rest of the group and coordinating with us to have flowers delivered. She also made sure to keep us in the loop about their health and be in touch to see if there were other things that they might need. It is this kind of thing that we did not necessarily expect to be one of the bright lights of our project, but it certainly is and we are quite grateful for this bond, as we’re also grateful for our bond with you.

Always in appreciation,

Courtney & Matt
The Perros Project

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May 2, 2018
We continue to be humbled and amazed.

By Matt Webber & Courtney Dillard | Co-Directors

Lolita in Portland, Oregon

For a quarter when we are not on the ground in Huanchaco, there certainly is a lot to report! First and foremost, our wonderful partners Amigo Fiel and Huanchaco al Rescate, have been hard at work overseeing annual vaccinations for many of the dogs whose owners cannot afford to have them done by veterinarians. It takes a lot of coordination to make these house calls, but it is crucial that the dogs are kept healthy. The Perros Project supports the local organizations by helping to pay for vaccines, as well as other medical supplies/treatments these dogs need. In addition, Ursula at Hunchaco al Rescate is busy looking for a new piece of property for her shelter, as well as working with the municipality to promote better pet care in the area.

Here in the United States, we have been in conversations with a director of a veterinary technician program at Joliet Junior College. We are exploring a possible partnership for next year. The idea would be to bring the students and their instructors to Huanchaco so that they could participate and learn how a temporary vet clinic is run overseas and the critical role that vet techs play in the success of these clinics. As some of you know, it can be quite difficult to enlist volunteer techs, because they have less time off and less discretionary income to use. We believe this relationship could be a generative one that could positively impact Perros for years to come. We’ll keep you posted.

Finally and definitely most endearingly, we helped orchestrate the transport of Lolita, a sweet and gentle street dog, from Huanchaco to our very own hometown of Portland, Oregon. Lolita was adopted by Dena, who runs the Swim Tayka project. Dena was in the area teaching children to swim while caring for the ocean when she met Lolita. After a few calls and lots of arrangements, Lolita arrived safely at the Portland airport. We were thrilled to meet her a little while later.

The Perros Project is proud of our successes which range from vaccinating large numbers of dogs to helping one find their forever home. We couldn’t do it without your support and remain immensely grateful to our donors.

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Feb 1, 2018
Amazed and Grateful....Again. :)

By Matt Webber | Director

This email finds us amazed at the passage of time. While going through some old photos, we came across this gem from our very first Perros Project visit in 2010. It’s incredible to think about us going to South America for a fun-filled vacation and leaving the continent fully committed to helping the street dogs of a tiny beach town in Peru. This commitment eventually became the Perros Project with the help of friends, family, strangers, and a whole host of folks across the world who care about animals. The photo below is from our wrap-up dinner party hosted at Otras Cosas, where Lola and her story provided the roots of our work in Huanchaco.

And now, fast forward to 2018, just two years shy of our 10 year anniversary; that same level of determination, dedication, and joy still fills our hearts. Each time we compose an update to all of you, we look at one another and have nothing but gratitude for your faith in us and your generous support.

From where we stand now, we can see the roots are still strong and yet there are new sprouts all the time. For example, Kim, who has been running our spay and neuter recovery room since the start just recently drafted a “how-to” manual, not only for future Perros Project volunteers, but also for anyone wanting to run a MASH unit recovery operation during a spay & neuter clinic.

Also, Bertha at Amigo Fiel, who we have partnered since 2010, emailed us last month with news that they have used part of our fund distribution for two dogs to be treated for TVT, a canine venereal tumor that often goes untreated because of the cost and commitment to care needed for curing it. Photo below.

In terms of new relationships, last month we connected veterinary students at the University of Edenborough (Scotland) and both our partner organizations on the ground in hopes that the students might be able to volunteer their services. In addition, Medical Teams International recently contacted the Perros Project to establish an ongoing donation relationship where we would benefit from thousands of unneeded syringes, which our vets tell us can be used not only in surgeries but also for vaccinations.

So the road has been quite a good one. Once again, thank you for traveling it with us.

Matt & Courtney

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