PAWS for Change: Help Roaming Dogs in Peru

Welcome to our first Project Report! We are glad you have decided to be a part of our journey in caring for the dogs of Cusco, and we are looking forward to keeping you updated along the way through these periodic reports.

We are still getting started with the new phases of the project as funding comes in, but the continued support of our partner shelter is going strong and steady. Since the beginning of this year, we have had 8 incredible individual volunteers come to work with the dogs at the shelter, each bringing with them a lot of love and affection for the pups. More volunteers are scheduled for the coming months, which is great news for the dogs – each volunteer means more happy wagging tails and vital funding for food and medicines.

Volunteer Group at the Shelter

In March, the dogs at our partner shelter enjoyed a week of daily visits from a group of students from China who are currently studying in Canada. The students, aged between 11 and 17, visited Peru as part of a cultural exchange and service learning programme. The group worked daily cleaning pens and bowls, putting in new bedding, and grooming, feeding, and playing with the dogs. They even made cute bandannas for the dogs to wear after their grooming sessions! Some group members who were slightly afraid of dogs before their arrival learned quickly that the dogs were friendly, and canine friends were made all around! So not only was their visit beneficial for the dogs’ care, but the students also learned quite a bit from the dogs themselves.

Ongoing Problems with Street Dogs

Every day in Cusco, our staff members witness the growing dog overpopulation problem and the consequences it has for the dogs. Just recently, Jim (our founder and general manager), came across a dog that had been recently hit by a car. The driver of the vehicle had left him unattended and in severe pain. Jim rushed him to the veterinary hospital, where the veterinarian examined him and determined that he also had a severe case of canine distemper. Sadly, the dog had to be euthanized due to the extent of his injuries and the progressiveness of his distemper.

This is just a singular case that represents two challenges that Cusco’s dogs face every day. Distemper is a highly contagious disease, so this particular dog may have already spread it to several others before his untimely death. They may also now be suffering. And dogs left abandoned after being hit by cars is a daily occurrence; their only saviour may be a kind passer-by. These problems will not resolve themselves – action is needed. Stay tuned for more updates!

Thank you for reading and as always, thank you for your continued, invaluable support. If you would like to donate, and we hope you do, please visit our page! You can also subscribe to our newsletter for regular Globalteer updates regarding this and all of our other projects!

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