Our 6th campaign of the year, in Colonia Santa Fe, drew a huge crowd of pet owners eager to sterilize their dogs and cats. This was our first campaign ever in that neighborhood, located on a hill overlooking the Plaza de Toros and the State Auditorium.
So many people brought their pets to the campaign that after registering 77 cases we had to turn others away. Altogether, we sterilized 44 female dogs, 13 male dogs, 11 female cats, and 9 male cats that day. The campaign was challenging because of the preponderance of female dogs, especially large ones. In response to the strong demand, our team decided to schedule another campaign in the same location on April 9 (Easter Sunday).
After all the cases were registered, Kathya Amaya and Tony López, our children’s education team, talked with children who were present about caring for their pets during their recovery and also basic pet etiquette—that is, how to behave with their dogs and cats so that both pets and children enjoy one another’s company and avoid being hurt.
Dr. Ricardo Montes de Oca, Dr. Arturo Rocha, and advanced veterinary student Laura Uvalle performed the surgeries. Other members of our team were Julia Salido, our campaign coordinator, and Karla Ahumada, Kathya Amaya, Rosemarie Conde, Carlos Donato, Mariana García, Miles Henkel, Victoria Larrazolo, Antonia López, Vero Mares, Adhan Alberto Mata, Manuel Pichardo, Dulce Sandoval, José Velázquez, and Marisol Velázquez. We are grateful to all of them for their hard work that day.
Although the pets’ owners contribute 150 pesos (about US $7.50) per case, our average cost per case is $480 pesos. We must therefore depend upon donations from the public to help fund the campaigns.