Chad and Allison Wildman
Chad and Allison Wildman
Your Name: Husband and wife – Chad and Allison Wildman
How did you meet and how long have you been married/together? We met online in 1999
and were married 9 months and 10 days later on the Millennium day (1/1/00)! So we have been happily married for 24 ½ years.!
Your position/title with AdA:
Chad – Recovery Supervisor for the dogs
Allison – Recovery Supervisor for the cats. (I also submit monthly contributions to the AdA
newsletter and consider myself the “Unofficial Photographer for AdA).
How long have you been working with AdA?
Both - About 2.5 years
Can you tell us a little bit more about what you do with AdA?
Chad – I supervise and assist the various volunteers to help the larger dogs recover from having
been anesthetized for their sterilization. I have some medical training which helps me identify
medical issues with the dogs, such as issues with breathing or bleeding. I also cut the dogs’
toenails as needed and carry the dogs out to their owners.
Allison: I help to oversee the recovery volunteers; I make sure they know what to do and how to
do it properly, have the supplies they need, and then return the sterilized cats (and small dogs) to
their owners when they are awake and ready. I also put together a “get to know the team”
submittal so that the AdA newsletter is not just filled with statistics, but rather with some
information about the many interesting and talented people who volunteer. Finally, I take lots of
photos at the clinics and post them to the Boquete Community Facebook page to underscore the
great work that Amigos de Animales does and try to solicit volunteers and donations.
Why would you encourage others to volunteer here with AdA?
Chad – AdA is a great organization whose purpose is to reduce the stray pet population so
animals don’t suffer. Additionally, the organization helps to educate members of the community
on how to improve the health, safety and wellbeing of animals in our community.
Allison – Volunteering for AdA is a great way to give back to the community and meet like-
minded anima-loving people and new friends. Amigos de Animales works to PREVENT an
enormous number of cats and dogs from suffering and/or starving to death. I wish this
organization could be duplicated in every community across the country and around the world,
particularly in developing and third world countries.
So that we can get to know you better can you tell us anything about your background?
Chad – I worked in aviation for 34 years. I worked as a flight airplane mechanic flying around
the world. I also worked in maintenance control and ended my career as a Level II Project
Manager for Embraer. I love the mountains and nature and am an avid hiker. I also SCUBA
dive.
Allison – I lived in Lima, Peru from ages 2 -8 years old. I spent 30 years growing up in Fort
Lauderdale, Florida. I graduated from U of Florida with my BSBA and from Florida
International University where I earned my graduate degree. I sold new houses for two of the top
5 builders in the USA. Despite working every weekend of my life, I enjoyed sales and won
many awards for my customer service excellence and sales achievements.
Do you have any pets? We have four big indoor cats…Colby, Porter, Dixie and Zoey. We have
two Great Pyrenees dogs, Sammy and Ollie. Unfortunately, we recently lost our beloved Layla,
another Great Pyrenees. We brought all seven pets with us from the Greater Nashville, TN area.
They are family and we are committed to them for life.
Favorite food: Chad – All food minus olives
Allison – I love artichokes, mushrooms, and sushi
Favorite restaurant: Chad – BASAR and Bluefin in Boquete
Allison – Bluefin Japanese Restaurant in Boquete
Favorite TV show: Chad – Survivor, Big Brother, Boxing and MMA fighting
Allison – I am a TV junkie and am not proud of it but have many guilty pleasures such as
watching 90 Day Fiancé franchise shows, the Bachelor, Survivor, Amazing Race and lots of
reality shows.
Favorite movie: Chad – Band of Brothers (I realize it’s a series not a movie).
Allison – I have three favorites: The Shawshank Redemption, Gone With the Wind and My
Octopus Teacher (if you haven’t seen the latter on Netflix, you must - you can thank me later!)
Favorite musician or musical group: Chad – Korn
Allison – Stevie Wonder is my all time favorite musician and Earth Wind and Fire is my favorite
group. I am an old school R &B girl at heart and very much love music from the 70s and 80s.
What is one of your favorite places you have visited and why?
Chad – Patagonia because of its spectacular natural beauty and because you can experience, like
we did, all four seasons in one day…. sun, wind, rain and snow!
Allison – I’ve been blessed to have been to about 64 countries and my favorite trip ever was
going to Victoria Falls in Zambia and Zimbabwe, Africa. In addition to staying at a spectacular
lodge on the Zambezi River, we went bungee jumping, ziplining, white water rafting, micro
flighting and walked with lions and cheetahs. We also did the “Devil’s Pool” where you go to
the very edge of Victoria Falls, while the water runs over for 350 feet/100 meters below!
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be?
Chad – Mongolia
Allison – Norway because the fjords and the natural beauty there look so spectacular. We have a
trip planned to Norway in 2025!
Are there any other fun facts about you that you would like to share and/or hidden talents?
Chad – I was a two-time Golden Glove boxing champion (almost turned pro). I love hiking and
travelling and am a good cook. In 2013, Allison and I climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro (19,341 feet) in
8 days and 7 nights.
Allison – I have always had a deep love and compassion for animals…not just the cute furry
ones, but I love bats, jellyfish, leafy sea dragons, spiders, birds, snakes. I love world travel,
particularly seeing and experiencing the natural beauty of places like the Canadian Rocky
Mountains and Patagonia. I played clarinet in the marching band in high school and was also on
the swim team during my senior year. I was also a disc jockey during my freshman year of
Rollins College. I love to sing and dance. I have a talent for unscrambling words!
Arturo Reyes
Your Name: Arturo Reyes Rovira
Your position/title with AdA: I am a volunteer at the entrance where the animals are admitted into the clinic for their sterilization procedure. I also train volunteers in Spanish; help with the recovery of the dogs and cats and am also involved in educational outreach to the community.
How long have you been working with AdA? About 2 years
Can you tell us a little bit more about what you do with AdA? I am involved in many interesting things, including the recovery of small animals. I instruct the new Spanish speaking volunteers in what to do to make sure the animals are safe and sound as they recover from their sterilization procedure and come out of their anesthetized state.
I also visit primary schools to educate children about the importance of sterilizing their pets and caring for them properly. Those efforts include reading, singing and playing fun games with the children. It’s a really great experience.
Why would you encourage others to volunteer here with AdA? For me, it is imperative to help improve the lives of our little furry friends, as they are members of the family and our community. It makes me so sad to see that there are thousands of homeless animals without any care. So volunteering in a variety of capacities is my way to give back to these animals who give us unconditional love.
So that we can get to know you better can you tell us anything about your background you would like to share and also answer questions below? I have a 16 year old daughter, Sunshine. I’m a volunteer in the kid camp. I like wrestling too much…the WWE and AEW Federations and extreme sports. I was a bartender, a radio host and I like modern design.
Do you have any pets? I have five pets. My two cats are Morningstar who is a Siamese and Takis who is a ginger. My three dogs are Kala who is black , Zeus, a pitbull, and Cloue my black and white puppy.
Favorite food: Pasta Alfredo with chicken
Favorite restaurant: T.G.I.Fridays
Favorite TV show: American Horror Story, Two and a Half Men, Dragon Ball
Favorite movie: Hellraiser, The Fifth Element and Godzilla
Favorite musician or musical group: Slayer, Lorna Shore and Metallica
What is one of your favorite places that you have visited and why? I like to visit parks because I like the sun in my face and the clean air.
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be? I would like to visit Egypt, China and Norway.
Ruby McKenzie
Amigos de Animales (AdA) newsletter
Your Name: Ruby McKenzie
Your position/title with AdA: Founder and during the clinic, I am the “person who sees a problem or is told of a problem and helps to rectify it” (in whatever area it occurs).
How long have you been working with AdA? Since the beginning…2005. 19 years
Can you tell us a little bit more about what you do with AdA? Having been here from the beginning, there is not much that I don’t know how to do, but mainly I watch for trouble spots and quickly go to see what needs to be doe to fix it.
Why would you encourage others to volunteer here with AdA? I think it is very fulfilling to be able to assist and change the lives of animals. We allow animals to have happy and healthy lives because the females are not constantly in heat, having puppies and kittens, looking for food for their offspring. Additionally, spaying diminishes the chances of mammary tumors later in life for the females. For males, neutering dramatically lessens the chances of prostate cancer and greatly lessens the desire to fight with other male dogs and exhibit overly aggressive behavior.
So that we can get to know you better can you tell us anything about your background you would like to share and also answer questions below? My husband and I owned a small import business in the electronic industry. The skills needed to keep that business afloat certainly have helped with the organization and the running of Amigos de Animales over the years.
Do you have any pets? Right now, I have 2 dogs, a cat and a chicken. I have had many dogs while living here and a few cats as well. I do not eat my chickens; I just have them to take care of pests in my yard and to supply eggs.
Favorite food: Dungeness crab (not available here!) but it is definitely one of my favorites along with California garlic and sour dough bread.
Favorite restaurant: I really do not have one.
Favorite TV show: I tend to like shows like NCIS and similar and always love to watch various sports including American football, college basketball, women’s sports, the gymnastics part of the Olympics as well as ice skating.
Favorite movie: Don’t really have one. I prefer action movies with real people. I have always liked Clint Eastwood and his dramas; Tom Hanks in his prime; Robert DeNiro and for women, I have liked Jodie Foster and Meryl Streep.
Favorite musician or musical group: I have a lot of favorites mostly from the 60’s and 70’s.
What is one of your favorite places that you have visited and why? My favorite of all times is Panama. When my husband and I arrived almost 22 years ago, we both loved the kindness, the respect, the way Panamanians take care of their families, especially the old and the young, and how they interact with their families. Also, there is a willingness to help, whether it is lifting a car out of a ditch, changing a tire, carrying groceries or any other task required. It is very refreshing to see these attributes widely shared throughout the country.
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be? Every time I think I have been nearly everywhere, a new place comes to mind, or a new twist on an old place. I have traveled extensively and I still do. I suspect I will be traveling for at least another 5-6 years so there is a lot more to see. I have not been to Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam nor have I seen the Northern Lights, so those are still hanging out there waiting for my presence. I am hoping to get to Rome and Florence, Italy later this year.
Are there any other fun facts about you that you would like to share and/or hidden talents? I don’t really have any fun facts. I was a child growing up after WWII, so that tells you that I worked early, had children early, did most things that generation did. I don’t think I have any hidden talents, but if I do, they are still hidden! I am very passionate about Fundacion Amigos de los Animales and its continuance as a presence in Boquete. My one mantra with Amigos de Animales is “Don’t bring me a problem without bringing me a solution!” It will be on my gravestone!
