Spay & Neuter street dogs of Huanchaco, Peru

Hey there Perros Project supporters,

We hope this update finds you well in the world. Courtney, and I are still away from our home base of Portland, OR pursuing another project (breakfastwithstrangers.com) to add good to the world. Even while we've been away though, we've been active with the Perros Project.

As many of you know, our biennial spay & neuter clinic was not scheduled to take place this summer. That said, the summer was not a quiet one.  Our previous work at the shelter in Huanchacito laid the groundwork for local volunteer activities in August.  As a result of our construction of fences, gates and doors at the shelter in 2010 - they have been able to welcome many more visitors. Wanting to spruce up the shelter to make it even more attractive for people looking to adopt sterilized street dogs, the local volunteer group Arca Trujillo, painted the walls and did a general face lift to the interior of the shelter (Photo attached).

Here in the United States we have also been busy.  We have started to secure commitments from veterinarians, vet-techs, and general volunteers for the 2013 clinic. Our head vet, Brenda Kennedy with Remote Access Medical's (RAM) vet team and other key volunteers from previous clinics have already agreed to return.

Coming out of a series of conference calls we have decided to focus on the following things during the 2013 clinic:

• An increase in the general health of animals who will undergo surgery prior to the procedure (this is extremely important).
• An exchange of surgical techniques between American and Peruvian vets so that Peruvian vets will learn best practices under particular scenarios and American vets will learn best practices under restricted conditions (for example - disaster relief).
• An increase in direct education about pet ownership and pet health in poor neighborhoods in & around Huanchaco.
• An extended commitment to direct services (home visits, treatment, preventative medicine, etc) for low-income households in the Huanchaco area.

We look forward to writing you again closer to our departure. As always, you can reach us with any questions or an interest in volunteering for our next clinic by emailing perrosproject@gmail.com or calling 503-341-2390.

Thank you,

Matt Webber
The Perros Project
http://perrosproject.org