World Vets - San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, 2010

Hello! I'm am writing to you from beautiful San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua! I am here with World Vets, a volunteer organization that performs no-cost spay and neuter clinics all around the world.

I arrived in Managua, Nicaragua around 2pm local time on Saturday, May 15. I was the first to arrive and met Dr. Amanda Thomas and Dr. Robert Bruner, the couple leading the trip, right away. Also on my flight was a couple from Fort Meyers, FL. We spent the day at the airport and the neighboring Best Western waiting for everyone else to arrive. Although it was a long day, it was great to meet them and swap stories. The airport was interesting. There is a pharmacy there that sells EVERYTHING over the counter - from Clavamox to Viagra, Vicodin to Penicillin. Totally different from the US. Also, there were two different customs stations. One like you'd expect where you have to get your passport stamped, and then another station where they scanned your bags again - this is new. The previous day when Amanda and Robert had arrived, the customs officials confiscated five large duffle bags of medical supplies. Fortunately, the site we are going to be hosting the clinic at has been established and has some supplies in storage, but Amanda and Robert are here for 4 weeks. A representative from World Vets is headed down today to help sort out the customs mess and get the medical supplies back! We'll be set for this week, but they need the supplies for the following three weeks!

The last members of the group landed around 8pm and we met our driver and headed to the San Juan del Sur. We took two vehicles to SJDS, about two hours away. The first vehicle was a small bus, and the second was a 4 wheel drive truck. We're staying at Finca las Nubes (Farm of the Clouds) which is an organic farm with livestock and HUNDREDS of fruit trees. The house is at the top of a mountain only accessible through one gate, up a mile long (maybe a little longer) dirt road. Dirt road = we really needed the 4 wheel drive to kick in to get to the top! The man who lives at the bottom of the hill and guards the house is extremely nice and has a dog and two pet monkeys!

We finally arrived at the house about 11:00pm and got our rooming assignments. The house is absolutely beautiful. The house is set up in a horseshoe with a large kitchen/dining/family room at the base of the U and several bedrooms set up around the main living area. I am rooming with a girl named Fallon from Alabama. The rooms are comfortable, each with two beds and connected to a shared bathroom. The water at the house is said to be drinkable (but I'm not chancing it!). In the middle of the horseshoe is a large outdoor patio area with lounge chairs, hammocks, and a pool. All of this is overlooking the beautiful Pacific Ocean. Because we're so high up, there is a continuous breeze that helps combat the humidity and 85+ degree temperature.

We had a brief meeting last night about the plans for the week during which a preying mantis made himself at home on one of the couch pillows. There are TONS of bugs here. To sleep, we left all of the doors and windows to the rooms open with the fans blowing and slept inside bug nets. Despite the amount of bugs, I slept very well - the bug net made a HUGE difference.

I fell asleep to the wind rustling in the trees and monkeys making noises in the night. It was very weird. Needless to say, I slept like a rock and awoke today to a wonderful breakfast of fruit and eggs. After breakfast, we all piled into the back of the pickup truck (in two trips) and headed to the local grocery store to buy breakfast stuff (most meals besides breakfast are included, so we had to get stuff for breakfast - i brought plenty of Cliff Bars with me, but got a pack of oreos, a few big bottles of water, and some pringles (total American!) ). On our way to the store, we stopped by the gate house and met the two monkeys - Panchito and Juanito. Panchito is a baby and is VERY friendly - he jumped from one of us to the next holding hands and stealing sun glasses! Juanito was slightly less friendly and decided to nibble on my finger! He liked to swing from the chain that tethered him to the gate. Both had received baths this morning!

The town is pretty similar to most typical Caribbean towns - there is a small stretch that has "American" bars (read: Pirate themed with coors light and bud light decals) and a beautiful beach, and the rest of the town is comprised of locals' houses. The houses are really pretty different. Some are well built with several rooms, and some are simple one-room shacks with dirt floors and tin roofs held in place by cinder blocks. There are dogs that roam the streets and skinny cattle, goats, and horses that roam wild on the side of the road.

At the grocery store, and pretty much everywhere now, everyone speaks Spanish with very limited English. So far, I've known enough to communicate effectively - it's definitely good practice! We met two dogs at the grocery store - the first one ate a bag of cheetos one of the girls gave her. Once we saw how hungry the dogs are, a few people went and bought 10 lb bags of dry food. We left a big pile on the sidewalk and will bring the rest to the clinic on Tuesday for the animals in post-op.

Now we're hanging out by the pool. In about an hour, we'll head out for a sailing trip so we can all get to know each other better. Tonight we'll have dinner at the house and hang out.

Tomorrow, there is some free time in the morning, and then I'm going to go with Amanda and Robert, and maybe another volunteer or two, to help set up the clinic for Tuesday. We'll run the clinic Tuesday through Thursday and have another free day on Friday. Saturday, we head back to the airport and head home.

While here, I have no cell service, but have great internet access - however, it's ALL IN SPANISH - didn't expect that! I am taking tons of pictures, but I didn't bring the cord to upload them with me, so I'll do that when I get home. For now, I hope you enjoy reading about what we're up to. I'll do my best to post every day and keep track of what we're doing.

Hasta Luego!

MSPCA - Help dogs like Bear

Below is an email I received from the MSPCA in Boston, MA. It's a horribly sad story, but it reminds us that we can help make a difference in animals' lives. If you're interested in donating, please follow the link to the MSPCA site. Thanks,
Abby

MSPCA Donation


Just a few days ago, our Law Enforcement department filed several counts of animal cruelty against a man accused of cruelly beating three small dogs. You might have seen this case in the news.

Let me be honest with you: “cruelly beating” is an understatement. These three little dogs – a two-year-old Pomeranian named Emmy, a three-month-old Dachshund named Romeo, and a five-month-old Beagle-mix named Bear – endured what no living being should have to endure.

They collectively suffered head trauma, pulmonary contusions, a collapsed lung, a fractured ulna, traumatic bleeding into the abdomen, eye trauma that resulted in the removal of the eye, a fractured jaw, a fractured skull, a fractured shoulder, a fractured rib cage, and severe sepsis (harmful bacteria in the bloodstream).

Bear, the Beagle-mix, died of his injuries, triggering the complaint that led our officers to bring charges against the alleged perpetrator. Our deputy director called the case “deeply troubling.” That is an understatement as well. Let me assure you that we will follow this case very carefully to see that justice is served on behalf of these innocent animals. That is our job.

But we cannot do our job well unless you help us. I’m asking you to make a gift to the MSPCA right now in memory of Bear, an innocent little dog whose cruel death can only have meaning if we’re able to continue our work every day of the year fighting to prevent cruelty to animals.

Please make your generous gift in memory of Bear.

We are not helpless if you help us. Thank you so much for opening your heart, once more, for the animals.

Sincerely,



Carter Luke
President
MSPCA-Angell

Union Island 2010

This post is going to be the beginning of many along a common thread - Spay and Neuter and why the stray dog population is out of control in the Caribbean. Last week, I was on a sailing trip to the Grenadine Islands (yes, the trip was wonderful!) and was astounded at the living conditions of the dogs on the various islands. I guess, living in Boston, I'm used to seeing dogs riding in cars, walked on leashes, and neatly groomed. Occasionally, I'll see a human-less dog, but it's usually just lost - not a stray.

Tangent: in the Southern states, there are significantly more stray dogs, especially in the wake of Hurricane Katrina - all to be discussed later. However, for the purpose of this entry, I'm not used to seeing stray dogs in Boston.

Back to the islands. During the entire week I was in Grenada and the surrounding islands, I only saw one dog with an owner being walked on a leash - and it was right by the International Airport in Grenada - one of the more developed areas, if you can call it that. Otherwise, the goats were more tame than the dogs. Tied up to the sides of people's houses were goats, sometimes several of them. I haven't done the research to find out why, but it seemed like the people had more attachment to the goats than they did the hundreds of dogs running around lose.


This is Macy. She was a very sweet girl who loved being pet.

Most of the dogs I saw were either un-neutered males or females that had clearly given birth to at least one litter (defined by their scared and enlarged nipples), and almost all were malnourished. They often travelled in packs, small groups of 2 or 3 and wandered the streets bravely, barely taking notice of the passing cars. The people there were clearly accustomed to sharing the road with the dogs because the cars slowed down (sort of, more often just swerved) and the dogs casually moved to the side of the road when they encountered one another.

One dog I saw lying on the side of the road didn't even budge as our 12 passenger van barreled by it. The dog didn't even lift it's head. Another dog I saw was covered in ticks. All of the dogs seemed to have a "territory" if you will, but no human to look after them. Almost of the dogs were initially afraid of people, however, after some coaxing, I found that most were really just scared and love starved. They really liked being pet once they realized the situation was safe.

Thus, the initial skittish behavior, the malnourishment (to the point of bone protrusion) and the flea/tick infestation of a majority of the dogs encountered made me realize that there is a true problem in the islands. Most of it can be traced back to the lack of reproduction control (i.e. animals are not being spayed/neutered and are thus reproducing at exponential rates).

This poor guy was so malnourished and shy. He wouldn't let me come any closer to him.


While I plan on discussing the spay/neuter issue more at length in future posts, I wanted to provide a link to help animals in similar situations. World Vets (www.worldvets.org) is a non profit organization that sends volunteers all over the world to set up and execute free spay/neuter clinics for the local population. I will be going on one of these trips to Nicaragua in May.

The Animal Rescue Site

Do you wish you could contribute to animals more every day but don't have the extra cash to send checks to every organization out there in need? Then you're like most of us. However, there is a quick and easy way to help out - all it takes is a click or two a day. The Animal Rescue Site is a site that posts rescue stories, sells animal gifts, and hosts advertisement for animal related products. 100% of advertising fees go to support charitable partners.

How can you help: every day, log on and click the big purple button that says "Click here to Give - it's FREE!" Every click donated 0.6 cups of food to animals in need across the country.

How I do it: I have my homepage on my Internet browser stet to so that every time I open a new web page I see the big purple button and CLICK! To change your homepage settings, find the preferences tab under your browser name (ex: Safari, FireFox) at the top of the screen and type www.theanimalrescuesite into the home page box. Save your settings and you should be all set!

So far, the Animal Rescue Site has helped to raise over $234,613 to help the animals hurt in Haiti.

Merle's Door

Of all the animals that we come across though out our lives, each touches us in its own way, but few really leave a lasting impression. Merle's Door "Lessons From a Freethinking Dog" is Ted Kerasote's story of his life with Merle in the Utah desert. This beautiful story is filled both with the history of dogs and the adventurous journey of life through Merle and Ted's eyes.

This book taught me the meaning of true companionship and unwavering loyalty and love. Of the many lessons this book teaches, one of the most important is reciprocal leadership; we really can learn as much, if not more, from our animals than they learn from us. This book will make you laugh, and make you cry. And, in the end, you'll feel as if Merle is your best friend, too.

This wonderful story is a must read for anyone who knows what it's like to look into the eyes of an animal and be completely at peace with yourself and the world. It reminds us that the simple things in life are really what matter most, and that all of the peripheral material things in this fast paced universe inhibit our ability to appreciate the intangible things that we are blessed to have.

Background

Hey! So a few things have caused me to start this blog... First, I saw some show that Martha Stewart was hosting about a month ago and the whole show was about people who write blogs that have to do with Martha Stewart. While I thought this was a bit egotistical of Martha (to have people on her show to talk more about her, yuck!), I realized that writing a Blog might be a quick way for me to document and communicate several ideas to entirely random people, who may or not be interested in what I have to say.

So here I am, starting my blog. I should start out by saying that I'm a pre-vet student - I'll be applying to vet schools in the fall. You'll soon see that this statement will lay the foundation for the rest of my blog.

The mission of my blog is to communicate information about animal issues and raise awareness of things that we can do to help. Sometimes I'll pick an organization and talk about what they do and how one can get involved, other times, maybe I'll pick an article from the NYT or Chicago Tribune and talk about that. Who knows... that's the beauty of blogs, right? They're spontaneous.

So, the first thing I thought I should write about is what I know best, me. My roommate and I have 3 dogs and 3 cats. We have accumulated them together over the years (she had the first three before, and we've gotten 3 more since) and, like most pet owners, I am in love. My animals are everything to me, and they each come with their own story and background.

Maddy was the first of the bunch. She's a 7 year old tabby cat from NYC. She was originally obtained from a local shelter in Brooklyn to scare off the mice. Over the years, she's proven to be a great hunter.

Next was Little One. Little One, despite her horrible name, is anything but little. She's a black cat about 4 years old. Little One was rescued from a road-side shed in Plant City, FL. She was covered in fleas, but too cute to pass up.

Then came Ace, a dapple daschund from Panama (the country, not the city in FL). Ace spent the first 6 months of his life in a crate in a pet grooming store. He was for sale, but no one bough him. Eventually my roommate's mom bought him, on sale. Ace is quite the character and loves anyone - honestly if I gave him to YOU now, he'd be happy - as long as you'd let him under the covers.

Then came Tully. Tully owns my heart. He's my boy. Tully is a German Shepherd mix and is originally from Tennessee. His mom was found shortly after she had given birth to several puppies and all were rescued and placed in a foster home by Good Dog Rescue (www.gooddogrescue.com). Tully spent the first 8 months of his life roaming a farm and was the last in his family to get adopted. We met Tully in Glastonbury, CT where he arrived with several other dogs on a large transport from TN. He was so scared and skittish and was very shy around new people and loud noises. Tully is almost 3 now (his birthday, that I've given him, is next week!) and is the most loving dog I've ever met. He greats me with a hug (literally - on his hind legs) every time I walk in the door and LOVES to give kisses (or besos, as he knows them). Right now he is sitting beside me with his head on my lap.

Next came Bree - she was an accident. Once we got Tully from Good Dog Rescue, we decided that we would be a foster home for other dogs that needed to be temporarily housed during re-homing situations up north. One day, we got a call from Mike, the director of Good Dog, and he told us about Bree, a 7 year old Wheaton Terrier Mix. Bree, too, was originally from the south. However, she grew up in a loving home with two elderly people. Eventually, they decided that they couldn't care for her, so they turned her over to a shelter, a kill shelter. Good Dog rescued Bree from the shelter and soon found her a foster home in Westfield, MA. However, after 6 months, that home wasn't working out and we were called to her rescue. When Bree arrived on our doorstep, she had the worst haircut ever and we were warned that she might bite. Well, she didn't bite us, but she nipped at everyone else that came to look at her in hopes of adopting her. Thus, realizing that Bree was essentially un-adoptable and would most likely end up euthanized if we surrendered her, she's lying under my feet as we speak, two years later. While Bree still has a hard time adjusting to new people, she has improved her manners and is one of the most loving dogs I've ever encountered. She looks and acts like a big teddy bear.

Finally, Omar. I'm not sure why I felt the need for a 6th animal, but I had never had a kitten. My roommate had come with Maddy and Little One fully grown, and I guess I just felt the need to chase something the size of a remote control around the house for a few months (until he got bigger than the other two!). Omar is from Holyoke, MA and is the result of a craigslist posting - he was free - fully fed with a turkey dinner two days after Christmas. Omar's best friend is Tully and he follows him around the house and acts like a 4th dog. He sleeps with the dogs during the day and eats out of Tully's bowl in the morning. He cries the entire time the dogs are out in the back yard playing.

So, I guess that is an introduction to me and the zoo in which I live. As you can most likely tell by now, I love animals. Through my experiences with my own animals and Good Dog Rescue in general, I have come to realize the importance of volunteers, animal activists, and cuddle sessions with animals. Regardless of my mood, petting one of my dogs or cats, or spending a few minutes in the yard with them always brightens my day.

I hope my blog is somewhere readers can turn to learn about new ways to help animals, events going on around the country, good books about animals, and the little part that I'm trying to do to help.

Feel free to post your own stories or let me know about organizations you think I should familiarize myself with. Oh, and the reason for the title of my blog: Tully's Buddies. It is my long term goal to eventually start my own animal rescue - rightfully named, Tully's Buddies.

The photo above is of me with a cat I found at Mac's Pizza in Bequai in the Grenadine Islands last week. She was very sweet.