Making Happy Tails for Street Dogs in Rwanda

Hello friend of WAG!

As the wet season starts up in Rwanda, it is raining cats and dogs in Kigali. We love highlighting rescue and adoption stories in these quarterly updates,  but this time we’re going to switch things up and  focus on community outreach efforts. It’s been an extra busy season of community support and we wanted to share a bit on this important aspect of our work.

Community outreach can take many forms but WAG regularly conducts community visits when we are notified about  dogs who are in need of our help.  In particular, over the past few months, Paci, WAG’s shelter manager, has been supporting dog owners who need advice on how to care for their dogs properly.  Here are three examples from  just the past 3 months:

• Paci investigated two dogs living in a rural area in Nyamirambo on the outskirts of Kigali which we were alerted to. The two dogs live on a farm and have an owner, but the owner wasn’t able to afford vaccinations, deworming or sterilisations and the dogs were in poor condition. WAG is sterilising, vaccinating and deworming both dogs (male and female) and providing education to the dog owner about basic dog care, including information on what to feed the dogs and to always provide fresh drinking water.
• Paci also investigated a dog who was reported to have been put on the street by their owner who no longer wanted her in Kimironko, Kigali. Paci did a community investigation, and through that investigation found another family in the community who were willing to adopt the dog, who they named Maxi. WAG sponsored the spay, vaccinations and deworming of Maxi, and Paci is in touch with the family to provide ongoing advice and support. 
• In another case, a stray female dog was taken in from the street in Remera, Kigali, by a kind community member, who initially contacted WAG in the hope that WAG would take the dog, however when Paci went to do a behaviour assessment, he decided to keep the dog. He sought advice from Paci about how to care for her, and as with other cases, WAG has sponsored the spay, vaccinations and deworming of the dog, as well as providing advice.  

A few quick other updates...

-In our last report we mentioned the two research studies WAG team members are conducting. These studies  (the first of their kind in Rwanda), are looking into whether dog owners follow basic practices of responsible dog ownership, and will inform future guidelines and policy on dog ownership in Rwanda. Data is currently being analyzed and results will be shared in the next report. Stay tuned!

- Paci our shelter manager got married! 

- Lots of adoptions and a very happy pack of rescues at the shelter! We've also added some much needed foster homes to our network. I am including some photos so you can see the faces your support is current helping.

With love and gratitude,

WAG