Llanos de Santana
The first campaign took place on October 6 at the home of Sra. María de la Luz Jasso Quintana in Llanos de Santana. There we sterilized 62 animals: 26 female dogs, 9 male dogs, 24 female cats, and 3 male cats. We had fewer volunteers than usual, perhaps because of the campaign took place outside the city, but everything went smoothly.
Attending the campaign was one of our regular clients, Lourdes Amador, a rescuer and friend to her neighbors, who usually brings five or six dogs belonging to them to our campaigns. She donates $150 pesos per animal, our requested contribution for those who can afford to pay. Some of the dogs she brings are males, a sign that sterilizing male dogs is increasingly accepted in the community.
El Encino, the big one
The campaign on October 20 took place in the Centro de Convivencia of El Encino Park in the Pueblito de Rocha neighborhood of the city. This is a heavily populated area where many families have pets. Ninety-nine of them came to the campaign—28 female dogs, 18 male dogs, 25 female cats, and 28 male cats. The large numbers of male dogs and of cats, both male and female, are noteworthy. The campaign ran very efficiently, wrapping up at 3 p.m.
Besides the 161 animals sterilized at the campaigns, Dr. Ricardo Montes de Oca sterilized three stray and pregnant female dogs at his clinic. Thus, the total number of sterilizations this month was 164, and 1,204 so far this year.
Our surgeons add a small green tattoo to the bellies of female dogs and cats to indicate they have been sterilized. The tattoo is invisible after the fur regrows in the surgical area. Its purpose is to alert a future owner and veterinarian that the surgery has already been done.
Our thanks to our campaign coordinator, Julia Salido; our surgeons, Sandra Hernández, Abril Herrera, Ricardo Montes de Oca, and Arturo Rocha; our anesthetist, Verónica Almaguer; and volunteers Karla Ahumada, Julie Boyles, Mary Beth Canavan, Rosemarie Conde, Fran Espinoza, Joel Gaytan, Tony López, Adhán Mata, Vero Mares, Ma. Guadalupe Mendoza, Juanita Mondragón, Gabo Ramírez, Luz María Rodríguez, Nancy Rodríguez Álvarez, Vicky Sandoval, and Suzy Thompson—plus several pet owners at the second campaign who pitched in to help us.