Making Happy Tails for Street Dogs in Rwanda

Happy holidays WAG family!

Just a quick update to fill you in on what's been going on in Kigali the last few months at WAG...

First some pupdates -

Remember Margot?  Rescued in dire shape almost one year ago ( with a maggot infected leg wound we initially thought would need to be amputated). She finally found a wonderful home with Tina in Gisenyi!  We've attached an at rescue and post adoption photo- truly a WAG dog we will never forget. Congrats Margot! Special thank you to Margot’s foster mom Darshana who hosted and loved her so well until adoption.

In other happy news, Yfke was adopted by her foster family.  Heart melting pic attached !

Unfortunately, as of late, WAG has been taking in more dogs that have previously had owners ( as opposed to stray or free roaming dogs). Abandoned dogs are more vulnerable on the streets of Kigali and often come in depressed and in rough shape.  Unlike street dogs who have some survival skills, abandoned dogs require urgent rescue.  We wanted to highlight a few of their stories...

WAG rescued Santa, an adult female dog who was left behind in Rwanda by her owner. Santa was chained outside with no shelter - in one of the heaviest rainy seasons Kigali has seen. Paci, WAG’s shelter manager, investigated the situation and brought Santa to our shelter. She was then diagnosed with severe pyometra -a uterine infection - which would have been fatal. Her uterus was removed and she spent several days at the clinic recovering. Now, Santa is fully recovered and is ready for her forever home! 

Maxy and Makasi

We were contacted about Maxy and Makasi by a couple who'd moved into a new house in Muhanga, a town an hour outside of Kigali. The previous tenants of the house had left behind their dogs - Maxy and Makasi - and Makasi had given birth to three puppies. We took Makasi and her three puppies into WAG first, but sadly two of the puppies passed away, likely because of a tick-borne disease causing anemia. The third puppy survived after a blood transfusion. Maxy then joined the WAG pack. He was emaciated and very nervous, and didn't eat for 2 days after his journey to the shelter. However he is now eating and putting on weight and both Makasi and Maxy are enjoying their new chapter of life as WAG dogs! 

Dexy

Dexy was found wandering the streets of a residential neighborhood. He was underweight but very friendly. He was neutered and leash trained so we initially assumed he had a home and was lost, and had been for some time given how thin he was. After doing a community investigation and posting on social media, no one came forward for Dexy. We don't know his past - whether he was left behind or abandoned by his owners, or whether he had escaped - but he is now part of the WAG pack and looking for his forever 

And lastly, on November 14, a mass vaccination campaign supported by Rwanda Biomedical Centre, Rwanda Agricultural and Animal Resources Board, and the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation, took place in four provinces in Rwanda. Over 650 dogs and cats were vaccinated during the one day event. WAG provided technical support at all four sites, and registered all dogs receiving vaccinations with the Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC) dog registration app; the first time the GARC app was used in Rwanda. 

In January 2023, the national rabies elimination plan will be validated. WAG will advocate for the introduction of the GARC app across Rwanda for local animal resources officers to record dog ownership and vaccination and sterilization status, helping WAG and other partners get a better understanding of the dog population and challenges. WAG’s involvement in the national rabies elimination plan will ensure dog welfare will be advocated for on a national platform. 

Before signing out for the new year, we wanted to give a huge thank you to all of our supporters. Since joining the GlobalGiving platform, WAG has been able to operate in a sustainable way that’s previously not been possible. Thanks to our monthly givers we can count on reliable income to continue to feed, rescue, rehabilitate and rehome with confidence and it’s been GAME CHANGING. 

Happy holidays, merry everything!

We love you.

Fran & the WAG team