Spay & Neuter street dogs of Huanchaco, Peru

A happy hello from the Perros Project! This time of year finds us with a lot to report as we gear up for our biennial spay and neuter clinic this summer. Below we share with you news about the upcoming clinic, our successful holiday fundraiser through Global Giving, and the work of our partners on the ground.

We're thrilled to announce that last week we finalized the dates for our 2019 clinic. We will be in Huanchaco July 19^th – July 27^th. We are also grateful that almost all of the core members of our team from 2017 have expressed a strong interest in returning: Natalie, Brenda, Mary, Kim, Katy, Rosa, Sue and Marnie! In addition, we have at least one more vet who is likely to join us, as well as one or two new veterinary technicians. Finally, if any of you would like to come and help out, we’d be happy to hear from you!

One the most important aspects of planning our trip is making sure that Sr.Paul, who owns the Hostal Huankarute, is willing to host not only our team as guests at his hotel, but also our clinic which he has so graciously allowed to take place in the conference rooms of his hotel for the last several years. Sr. Paul (pictured below) is truly a patron saint for the Perros Project and the street dogs of Hunchaco. We are all looking forward to seeing him again.

While we have our eyes set on the summer and our usual clinic activities, we also want to recognize the importance of longer-term planning to ensure that Huanchaco continues to be a model community in terms of the human/animal bond. With that in mind, we did our first ever holiday fundraiser to mark our 10 year anniversary. At the centerpiece of our outreach efforts was the desire to fund a part-time Peruvian veterinarian who could be available to help the dogs when we were not in country. It was so heartwarming to see how many people stepped forward in generosity, both our reoccurring donors and some brand-new supporters. We pledge to honor your gifts with our hard work and our intentional decision-making over the next few years.

Finally, our partners on the ground continue to do all the good work they can with the limited resources they have. Below you will see several photos from Ursula at Huanchaco al Rescate. The captions give you a sense of the innovation and dedication required to run a shelter in the area.

Once again, thank you for all that you do to make the Perros Project strong and effective. We look forward to sharing more news as we get closer to July.