On Sunday, April 23, we sterilized 68 animals in the village of El Rodeo: 44 female dogs, 13 male dogs, 7 female cats, and 4 male cats, bringing our total number of cases this year to 486. This was our fourth campaign in El Rodeo but our first one there since August of 2021.
The campaign took place in the community center, where we set up a MASH-style unit in the center’s single room. With assistance from community members, our volunteers set up the unit, then registered the animals, prepared them for surgery, assisted the veterinarians, cleaned the surgical instruments between cases, washed surgical drapes, prepared the take-home medications and instructions, and in general kept the work flowing smoothly throughout the day.
After all the animals were registered and while the surgeries were taking place, our children’s education team, Tony López and Kathya Amaya, spread a mat on the ground under a mesquite tree to create an informal classroom. Kathya engaged at least 25 children in a conversation about pets’ needs. Numerous adults observed the lesson with interest.
As always, we are grateful to our three veterinarians, Verónica Almaguer (anesthesiologist) and Ricardo Montes de Oca and Arturo Rocha (surgeons); to our campaign coordinator, Julia Salido; and to our team of volunteers—Karla Ahumada, Irene Campos, Mary Beth Canavan, Abril Herrera (who performed some of the surgeries), Silvestro Luna, Adán Mata López, and Juana Montregón. Special thanks to Beatrice Cox for taking photographs of the campaign.
We are also very grateful to the community members who helped set up and clean up the unit and provided lunch for the team. Finally, we thank the villagers of El Rodeo for supporting our team’s efforts to prevent the birth of unwanted puppies and kittens by bringing their pets to the campaign and supporting it with their donations.
Postscript: While we held our campaign in El Rodeo, Vero Mares, one of our regular volunteers, participated in the federal government’s annual anti-rabies campaign, giving 260 rabies vaccinations to dogs in her Valenciana neighborhood.