A Kettle Full of Dogs and Life Goes On
This was originally posted by Lee Zeltzer on his blog, The Boquete Panama Guide. I am posting it here with his permission. On May 31 several, including two females are going to the Amigos de Animales clinic to terminate their reproductive careers. I obtained consent the owner to have them clipped. He said, he has too many mouths to feed. I suspect seeing them at a healthy weight but not leaving my carport inspired him to see the light. As the current leader of the pack I have two inside doglets, one terrazza dog, the one in the cow photo and from four to six hounds living in the car port at any given moment. All but three are unplanned rescue dogs, but all have become dear and I doubt any…
May, 2015 Clinic Recap
On Sunday May 31, 2015, Amigos de Animales spayed or neutered 223 animals: 100 dogs and 123 cats. This was the first time we have ever had more cats than dogs – they just kept coming! All of which is good news since cats, starting around age 5 months, can give birth to three litters of kittens per year and with an average of four kittens per litter; this could result in up to 180 kittens in her lifetime! Then as those litters reproduce, thousands more kittens could be born. Every person who brings in their cats and/or dogs is doing a tremendous service to the community by preventing homelessness and starvation in our local animals. Thank you to all our volunteers who worked through the long hot day. And…
April, 2015 Clinic Recap
On Sunday, April 26, 2015, Amigos de Animales spayed or neutered 172 animals: 118 dogs and 54 cats with four vets working. It was a day of hot dogs, unlike in the rainy season when we have cool cats. We had lots of puppies and kittens, animals who will grow up more safely and humanely while not adding to the population of homeless animals in Boquete. As always, our volunteers are the best. Many of our regulars are travelling but we had plenty of others willing to step in and learn something new at a different station. We are fortunate to have such a fabulous group of people who will do whatever it takes to get the job done. We are always trying to tweak our process to make it…
February, 2015 Clinic Recap
On Sunday February 22, 2015, Amigos de Animales spayed or neutered 155 animals: 91 dogs and 64 cats. We had 4 vets from Costa Rica along with Dra Sandy from Poterillos and Dr Dan and his veterinary student, Sara. We have now spayed or neutered over 8000 animals in Boquete and the surrounding areas; those numbers mean a safer cleaner environment in our towns and healthier animals who are no longer increasing the animal population. The clinic was very smooth-running; we are certainly enjoying being in our new home. We have a flow going that works very well and we were able to finish up by 4pm. Many thanks to all our dedicated volunteers! Thank you to Nancy Halbert for her fabulous breakfast and lunch. Thanks to Heidi from Mike’s for…
Dedication Ceremony
On Sunday, February 15, the official dedication of our building took place. It was a wonderful day, dedicated to the original volunteers of Amigos de Animales. Many of those volunteers are still with us and we were happy to have them there. We had a wonderful turnout, somewhere around 75 people came to celebrate with us. The blessing of the building was performed by Deacon Steve Mainero from Iglesia San Juan Bautista, the Catholic Church in Boquete. The building is officially dedicated to Ruby McKenzie, our founder and most tireless volunteer. This was a day of counting our blessings. We honored those who had the vision to make this happen, we honored all our volunteers, both past and present, and we looked toward the future that is represented by this…
January, 2015 Clinic Recap
On Sunday January 25, 2015, Amigos de Animales spayed or neutered 222 animals: 135 dogs and 87 cats. We had 5 vets working, some with 2 tables. In the morning it was raining cats and small dogs and in the afternoon it was pouring big dogs. We never know whether the animals will be big or small so we always need volunteers to be ready for any and all! And we had lots of volunteers – some old hands and many new ones; all are welcome. This was our first clinic in our NEW HOME! It is wonderful to finally have a facility to call our own and spread out and get organized. Victor Fuentes did a fabulous job – he does great work and he delivered on time. Thank…
New 2015 Calendars
Amigos de Animales new 2015 calendars available at the Tuesday market, Mailboxes, Etc.; Mike's Global Grill.......etc. Only $10 each. Pick up a dozen. Every dollar received is spent on animal sterilization or animal welfare. The sale of one calendar sterilizes one dog or two cats! And the calendars are great gifts...etc... We look forward to your support for our cause!