PAWS for Change: Help Roaming Dogs in Peru

Our Mobile Clinic Navigating the Rainy Season
As the heavy rains rolled across the Andes from January to March, the steep, muddy roads of rural Cusco became harder to navigate. Yet, while weather patterns change, the harsh reality for roaming animals remains the same. In the high-altitude villages and distant provinces, thousands of vulnerable dogs and cats continue to brave the elements without shelter, food, or medical care.

Thanks to your unwavering support, PAWS (Peru Animal Welfare Society) did not slow down. This quarter, our mobile clinic pushed through the challenging terrain to deliver life-saving veterinary care directly to isolated communities that have been completely forgotten by traditional veterinary services. From basic consultations to critical surgeries, your generosity served as a shield against illness and neglect for 528 animals across the region.

Clinical Care on the Road: Health Treatments
During this three-month period, our veterinary team provided essential medical care to a total of 450 unique animals. Through our demographic tracking, we ensure that our resources are being distributed effectively to the species and areas that need them most:

Species Distribution: 60.3% of the animals attended were dogs (271 animals), and 39.7% were cats (179 animals).

Gender Breakdown: 25.4% of our patients were female, and 64.6% were male.

Our month-by-month medical treatment pipeline highlights the consistent demand for mobile veterinary care on the ground:

• January: 74 treatments
• February: 170 treatments
• March: 206 treatments
• Total Health Treatments: 405

From treating severe infections and distributing critical vitamin supplements to managing parasitic diseases, our mobile clinic serves as the primary and often only medical resource for these animals and the families who care for them.

Neutering Campaigns: Breaking the Cycle
To create lasting change and address animal suffering at its root, we must confront the crisis of overpopulation. Every single stray animal on the street represents a cycle of uncontrolled breeding that leads to further abandonment. This quarter, our team scaled up our sterilization efforts significantly month by month:

• January: 13 surgeries
• February: 20 surgeries
• March: 45 surgeries
• Total Neuter Surgeries: 78

By successfully performing 78 strategic sterilizations this quarter, we have prevented the births of thousands of unwanted puppies and kittens into a life of hunger, disease, and harsh mountain winters. This is the most humane and effective method to build stable, healthy animal populations in the long term.

Osito’s Journey: From the Streets to a Forever Home
Many of you will remember Osito, the senior dog over 10 years old whom we rescued last quarter. When our team first encountered him on the streets, he was in a heartbreaking state: severely malnourished, terrified, and bleeding profusely due to a critical combination of paraphimosis and Canine Transmissible Venereal Tumor (TVT).

Despite his advanced age and the intensity of the oncology and corrective protocols, Osito proved to be a true fighter. He responded beautifully to the aggressive medical treatments, stabilized completely, and was moved into a protective shelter.

Today, we are thrilled to share the ultimate victory: Osito has been officially adopted!

The transformation has been nothing short of miraculous. When he first arrived, he was paralyzed by fear, barely able to walk, and deeply anxious around humans and other animals. Today, he is a joyful, playful dog who absolutely loves going for walks and spends his days running around and playing with his new canine siblings. Osito’s complete rehabilitation stands as a beautiful reminder that no animal is ever a "lost cause" when given a real chance at survival and dignity.

Volunteers suporting Globalteer

Between February and March, our PAWS campaigns received incredible support from our intern, Yuxiaoxiao. Volunteers and interns represent a vital pillar of our initiative, fostering meaningful cultural exchange, raising international visibility for our animal welfare work, and helping secure new funding streams to expand our community projects. Lea joined us through Beta, an exceptional study program that connects our organization with American students of Chinese descent. This partnership promotes global citizenship, encouraging students to develop a deeper awareness of pressing world challenges while gaining hands-on experience in fields they are passionate about. Yuxiaoxiao's dedication left a lasting impact on our mobile clinics and the families we serve.

Community Coordination in Cusco & Calca

True impact requires systemic collaboration. Throughout this quarter, our team traveled across 8 distinct rural communities spanning both the Cusco and Calca provinces.

Instead of just conducting quick interventions, we focused on long-term sustainability. We held formal coordination meetings with local authorities, indigenous community leaders, and neighborhood councils. By building these institutional alliances, we are establishing the logistical groundwork, community trust, and local permissions required to execute even larger, highly organized health and spay/neuter campaigns in the upcoming months.

A Vision of Compassion
Your support is the fuel that keeps our mobile clinic moving over the mountain passes. Whether we are celebrating a miracle adoption like Osito's or providing structural veterinary care in a remote community in Calca, none of this is possible without your trust. Together, we are:

Delivering emergency and clinical care to areas with zero veterinary infrastructure.

Mitigating structural overpopulation through safe, targeted sterilization campaigns.

Fostering local alliances with community leaders to build a permanent culture of animal welfare.

During our years working in Cusco, Peru, we’ve seen better laws and more talk from local authorities about animal welfare. But on the streets of Cusco and in the surrounding mountain villages, the reality hasn't changed much yet. Thousands of dogs and cats are still struggling to survive on their own. In rural communities, this is even tougher because a vet clinic isn't just expensive, it’s usually non-existent.

Because of your support, PAWS (Peru Animal Welfare Society) is able to step into that gap. We aren't just treating "stray" animals; we are helping families who love their pets, but cannot afford or access basic care. Whether it’s an injury, a preventable disease, or the cycle of uncontrolled breeding, we are on the road every day working to turn things around.

From October to December, our mobile clinic reached 369 animals in the most isolated corners of Cusco, animals that otherwise would have suffered in silence.

Total animals treated: 369

• 269 Dogs

• 100 Cats

Our team provided everything from basic check-ups and vitamins to emergency care. For many of these families, we are the only vet they will see all year. The mobile clinic isn't just a vehicle; it’s a lifeline for many roaming dogs and cats.

Neutering Campaigns: Stopping the Cycle

If we want to solve animal suffering in Peru, we have to talk about overpopulation. It is one of the biggest challenges we face. This quarter, we took our campaigns to 8 different communities, focusing on reducing future abandonment at the source.

Between October and December, we successfully neutered 125 animals:

• 65 Cats | 60 Dogs

Of the total 125 animal neutered, 77 are female and 48 are males. Each surgery follows strict safety and hygiene protocols. By focusing on these 125 procedures, we aren't just helping 125 animals; we are preventing thousands of future births into a life of hunger, illness, and neglect. It’s the most effective way to build a stable, healthy animal population in the Andes.

Osito’s Journey: 

Every now and then, we meet a dog that reminds us why every mile on the road is worth it. This quarter, that was Osito.

Osito is a senior dog, probably between 9 and 11 years old, who spent his life on the streets. When we found him, he was in a lot of pain, suffering from paraphimosis (a condition where he couldn't retract his penis), which causes severe swelling and tissue damage. As if that wasn't enough, he also had TVT (Canine Transmissible Venereal Tumor), a contagious cancer.

It took a team effort PAWS, local volunteers, and partner organizations, but we got him stable and under treatment. Osito went through his full medical treatment. Today, he isn’t on the street anymore. He is in a safe shelter where he can live out his senior years with the dignity and comfort he deserved all along. His recovery shows that no animal is "too far gone" if we just give them a chance. 

Expanding Our Impact: San Salvador

Our mission also involves supporting those who are already doing great work. During this period, our team traveled to the community of San Salvador to visit Colitas de Mamá, a local shelter. We spent the day providing health check-ups and vitamin supplements to all their rescues, ensuring every dog there is on the right track to finding a forever home.

A More Compassionate Future

Your generosity is what keeps our engine running. Whether we are treating a senior dog like Osito or providing free vitamins in a remote village, none of this happens without you. Together, we are:

• Providing care where there is absolutely none.

• Stopping overpopulation through responsible neutering.

• Responding to emergencies that would otherwise end in tragedy.

Thank you for believing in PAWS and for standing with the animals of rural Cusco. You are bringing hope and humanity to the families and animals that need it most.