By Davide Ulivieri
Cycle 4 Strays
Her coat had once been shiny and white, but now was matted and streaked with grease. Her ribs showed and she was panting in the sticky tropical heat. Still, she smiled. She ambled inside the indoor Futból 5 stadium where we were hosting a local spay and neuter clinic without hesitation, eyes bright and tongue hanging sideways.
She drank at length from the water bowl we promptly offered and let us gently nudge her inside a pet carrier. Less than half an hour later she started to stir, waking up from the anesthesia, spayed, vaccinated, nails trimmed, dewormed and Frontlined. Her surgery had lasted not quite three minutes, one of Dr. Rivas best times ever.
We gently loaded her onto the back seat of a small sedan and drove her to Carla’s home to give her a chance to rest and recover.
The next morning she wolfed down a nice helping of food and introduced herself to the other resident dogs with such playful enthusiasm that they cheerfully accepted her as the new member of the gang.
We named her Katrina and promptly set out to find her a good, permanent home.
Young and energetic she played, ate, rested then played some more. When she slept, she did so soundly snoring softly and twitching her legs, lost in doggie dreams. Overnight, she went from dodging cars, scavenging for food in the gutters, curling up to fend off the chill of the night to the life that every sentient being should have…
When we invest our resources in preventing suffering, we turn off the flow of puppies and kittens slowing it to a trickle, one that is easier to handle.
Low cost mass spay and neuter does exactly that…
When you support our programs, you extend a helping hand to dogs like Katrina, making sure that she won’t contribute to creating another generation of homeless beings.
…Without animal welfare, there is no community welfare and, vice versa, our own welfare begins with theirs.
Less than $20 does it. It covers the cost of Katrina’s surgery, her vaccines and deworming treatment. It prevents misery and suffering. It gives hope to the hardworking volunteers that tirelessly continue their advocacy work, delivering without asking anything, simply because they care, because it is the right thing to do.
Thank you on behalf of Katrina and her never-to-be-born puppies. Deep down in her heart she is forever grateful. And so are we, grateful that is. Help us continue to do the right thing: one community, one surgery, one Katrina at a time.
To read this story in its entirety, as well as other success stories on the SNIP website, click here.
Photo: Courtesy of SNIP
Art, animals, and the earth 