CAMPAIGN RECAP-MILESTONES IN PERU
Fresh off the plane from our recent mission in the Peruvian Amazon, I wanted to thank all of you for your contribution whether it was monetary or supply donations- you all played a major part in the success of our campaign. I wanted to give you a quick update and some details of how things went during our free 3-day sterilization campaign that I have been working on for the past 2 months. It took a lot of planning and coordinating with my local team to ensure the success of the pre-op, surgery and post –op operations and I am proud and happy to say that we have SAFELY STERILIZED 214 ANIMALS. Our original goal was to sterilize 150 animals and we went way beyond that thanks to the team of skilled veterinarians and about 20 volunteers. We worked hard for 9 days, with not much sleep. 3 days of pre-op, 3 days of surgery, 3 days of post-op activities and yesterday was the “stitch removal campaign” at which all 214 animals showed up with their owners.
Milestones:
In addition to the spay/neuter surgeries:
we performed 2 successful C-sections –we delivered 8 puppies
saved a poisoned dog, Valiente/Hercules and reunited him with his owner
treated dogs with grave wounds infested with maggots (Princessa, Mancho, Osa)
removed tumors from cats/dogs
treated several animals with distemper (Cebedo and friend)
we rescued animals from the streets Luna, Ruby, Gene, Suertito
visited our old rescues: Alby, Rosita, Peluchin, Dulce, Moses, Lolita, Emma
We handed out 150 leashes and collars to our patients as part of our mission to create a culture of responsible pet ownership
we held a well-received educational campaign
we met with the mayor of Belen, Johnny Davila, who insured us of his support in future campaigns
We were invited to TV Amazonia where we talked about our mission
We held a memorial for Charlie and Annie by the Itaya River
…and I got bit by Emma and have 3 stitches in my index finger
Overall, I would call all of the above major milestones, especially the number of animals sterilized, as that is the only humane and effective way to reduce the number of abandoned and suffering animals on the streets. I will continue posting videos of our journey/mission on our Instagram and Youtube channel (Youtube allows us to upload longer videos- some of the footage is already up there). Despite the death threats and defamatory messages everything went great and we look forward to bringing another campaign of this scale next year to the Peruvian Amazon (late February) and continue the work of creating a compassionate society where all animals are looked upon with reverence and kindness. I am forever grateful to all of you who made this dream come true and for supporting our mission to change the way people relate to animals. On a final note, our Project Street Dog merchandise (T-shirts, tank tops, tote bags) is now available in our online store, all proceeds of the sale go directly to help the animals. May all beings be free from suffering.
