Spay & Neuter street dogs of Huanchaco, Peru

This email finds us amazed at the passage of time. While going through some old photos, we came across this gem from our very first Perros Project visit in 2010. It’s incredible to think about us going to South America for a fun-filled vacation and leaving the continent fully committed to helping the street dogs of a tiny beach town in Peru. This commitment eventually became the Perros Project with the help of friends, family, strangers, and a whole host of folks across the world who care about animals. The photo below is from our wrap-up dinner party hosted at Otras Cosas, where Lola and her story provided the roots of our work in Huanchaco.

And now, fast forward to 2018, just two years shy of our 10 year anniversary; that same level of determination, dedication, and joy still fills our hearts. Each time we compose an update to all of you, we look at one another and have nothing but gratitude for your faith in us and your generous support.

From where we stand now, we can see the roots are still strong and yet there are new sprouts all the time. For example, Kim, who has been running our spay and neuter recovery room since the start just recently drafted a “how-to” manual, not only for future Perros Project volunteers, but also for anyone wanting to run a MASH unit recovery operation during a spay & neuter clinic.

Also, Bertha at Amigo Fiel, who we have partnered since 2010, emailed us last month with news that they have used part of our fund distribution for two dogs to be treated for TVT, a canine venereal tumor that often goes untreated because of the cost and commitment to care needed for curing it. Photo below.

In terms of new relationships, last month we connected veterinary students at the University of Edenborough (Scotland) and both our partner organizations on the ground in hopes that the students might be able to volunteer their services. In addition, Medical Teams International recently contacted the Perros Project to establish an ongoing donation relationship where we would benefit from thousands of unneeded syringes, which our vets tell us can be used not only in surgeries but also for vaccinations.

So the road has been quite a good one. Once again, thank you for traveling it with us.

Matt & Courtney

Hola amazing supporters, 

It’s been a beautiful fall in the Northwest, the colors of the trees and the chill in the air makes us feel very far from Peru. While our biennial clinic for 2017 has been nicely wrapped up and 2019 feels quite far in the future, we write to tell you about how the Perros Project has planted seeds we could never have dreamed of and which are coming to fruition even as we write this. In this report we feature a story about two of our volunteer veterinarians and another about two street dogs: Ramon & Pedro.

 In 2015 and again in 2017, Mary was a volunteer veterinarian with the Perros Project.  She writes that she has “always been committed to helping the ‘underserved’, and the project let me combine this passion with my experience in veterinary medicine.” During both clinics, Mary worked alongside Holly, who, with husband Jim (another volunteer), directs her own non-profit organization. Holly and her team frequently travel to a small town in Haiti, one of the poorest countries on the planet to conduct spay/neuter surgeries.  In June, Mary expressed interest in accompanying Holly and she is now putting together the drug protocols and surgical supplies to make the trip in December! Haiti is certainly a long way from Peru, but the relationship these two veterinarians established while volunteering with the Perros Project will benefit dogs in both places for a long time. 

Ramon and Pedro are both dogs who lived on the street in Huanchaco. Ramon was given that name because he was rescued from Ramon Castilla Carretera de Huanchaco where he was run over and left on the road with his broken hind leg. Eventually, his leg was amputated by local veterinarians who did much of the work for a reduced cost. He spent one month in the home of Ursula, founder of Huanchaco al Rescate, who describes Ramon as “a very lively, energetic dog, full of love. . .  a real warrior”. He was then moved to the shelter. Pedro, an eight-year-old black and white mix, was sterilized at our 2017 clinic . He has stayed for some time at the shelter in Huanchaco and Ursula says that Pedro and Ramon are “partners in mischief”. This month both dogs will be traveling to the United States to be adopted with the help of Sue and Marnie, two other Perros volunteers. They are looking forward to their forever home.

We hope that these stories demonstrate how even a small project like ours can ripple out and make changes that no one could ever have imagined. Thanks for taking this journey with us. We couldn’t do it without your support.

Links:

• Perros Project Website