Author Archives: Mckee Jaco

BUDDY (KNOWN ALSO AS PINTO), THE FAMOUS OLDER DOG FROM THE TURTLE REFUGE IN HERMOSA, NEEDS HELP. PLEASE READ HIS STORY…

Buddy-Pinto  is not just a regular dog, Buddy is an employee at the Turtle refuge in Hermosa. He was trained to find turtle eggs, and he does it better than anybody else.

Even though he does such a fantastic job, there is no budget for him. We’ve been helping with his food, LOIS NEWMAN helps out with the expensive Rimadyl which Buddy needs every day, and we also help with his health care. When he was run over by a car and nobody was there to help him, we picked him up and after his checkup and x-rays (sponsored by CAROL ANGUS) we sent him to the University clinic, where he stayed for a long time after a very complicated orthopedic surgical procedure. We had to pay $70 for his transportation to Heredia, as well as the fact that we still have an outstanding bill at UNA for $440 for Buddy’s surgery.

IF SOMEBODY WOULD LIKE TO HELP US PAY FOR THIS GREAT DOG, PLEASE LET US KNOW.

Thank you for your time and support.

Katja Bader
Asociación Pro Bienestar Animal (McKee Jaco)

EHRLICHIOSIS (transmitted by ticks) is the biggest killer of dogs in our area, and it’s mortality rate is over 50%! – THIS IS BECAUSE THE ANIMALS DON’T RECEIVE THE ADEQUATE TREATMENT IN TIME. Diagnosed and treated on time, i.e  when the first symptoms occur and before it affects other organs, ehrlichiosis can be cured.

HOW TO CORRECTLY DIAGNOSE EHRLICHIA

Ehrlichia infection can cause a number of clinical signs. It can be extremely hard to diagnose due to the wide range of detectable symptoms that can occur. Most dogs infected with this microorganism will be lethargic, lose weight, show less interest in food and become anemic. Other possible clinical signs include hemorrhages under the skin and/or around the gums, swollen lymph nodes, muscular or joint soreness, nasal discharges or nosebleeds, severe neck or back pain, blood in the urine and eye problems ranging from a simple discharge to severe inflammation of the internal eye structures. Neurologic signs such as seizures and difficulty walking can also occur. If the acute infection is not treated, and the animal does not succumb during this stage, ehrlichiosis will change to its chronic form. In this case, the dog may appear to be normal or may show vague signs of illness occasionally, but the chronic illness can suddenly become very severe again if the dog is stressed in some manner or his immune system goes down for any reason.

The diagnosis is based on the typical clinical signs and results of special blood tests.WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND TO ALWAYS CONSULT A VET AND LEAVE THE DIAGNOSIS TO HIM/HER. We know of many cases when the owner “diagnosed” the disease by himself, often based on some information read on the Internet and/or the fact that the dog had tics. These usually end tragically, as in some cases the dogs actually had kidney problems, which if not treated in time, (plus the effect of the strong antibiotics given to the animal over an extended period of time) usually results in the animal’s death.

HOW TO PROPERLY TREAT EHRLICHIOSIS

The antibiotic recommended to treat this illness is Doxicicline. Most recent studies made in Costa Rica at the National University show that to successfully treat Ehrlichia, this antibiotic has to be administered in a dosage of 10 mg per kilo, every 12 hours for 28 days.Lower dosages, different schedules (for example every 24 hours) and/or a shorter duration of treatment will NOT completely cure the animal, and could cause the transition to the chronic version.

HOW TO PREVENT EHRLICHIOSIS

There is no vaccine for ehrlichiosis. Tick control is the established way to prevent this tick-transmitted disease. Products which repel and kill ticks (FRONTLINE, ADVANTIX) used together with tick collars containing the active ingredient Amitraz (PREVENTIC), work in most cases. It’s much more difficult if the dogs are maintained and/or spend considerable time on farms or in the woods, due to the higher concentration in these areas. In these cases the dogs have to, in addition to the regular prevention, be checked for ticks every day. One needs to also be aware that in our country (Costa Rica) the tick responsible for the transmission of ehrlichia usually lives in environments created by humans, so it’s highly recommended to control and fumigate the areas where both people and animals live.

In closing, areas such as right here in Garabito county, where probably 70% of our dog population is infected with ehrlichia canis, we strongly recommend to NEVER ignore any signs of an illness, and ALWAYS consult a professional regarding any diagnosis and subsequent treatment. PLEASE DO NOT PUT YOUR DOG’S LIFE AT RISK – AT THE FIRST SIGN OF ANY SYMPTOMS, BRING HIM TO THE CLINIC!

Katja Bader
Asociación Pro Bienestar Animal (McKee Jaco)

Osa was a loyal family dog. Very smart, protective and loving. We helped her family to have her spayed, and once again when she got in a car accident, when we paid for her surgery. It looked like her family cared about her, but this changed when the first symptoms of a disease appeared. Osa was replaced by a little black puppy, which took her place while she was now spending her last days just a few meters away from her house on the same street. When we found out about Osa, it was already too late. She spent 5 more days in a clinic in intensive care until her kidneys and liver, now both affected by advanced ehrlichia, simply stopped working. If the owner would have had her tested when the first symptoms appeared, Osa would be healthy today, after receiving a simple antibiotics treatment.

We returned Osa’s body to the family, hoping that seeing this dog which had spent years with them dead (as well as having to deal with her body) might make them feel bad. And that maybe they might reflect on what they had done. Wrong – their only concern was where to cast her off, and they showed visible discontent when we made sure that they understand that she cannot be just thrown away, that she needs to actually be buried.

This was a very sad moment, one of those when one starts doubting about the sense of our work…

PRESENTING “THE GOLDEN PAW AWARD”

THE “GOLDEN PAW AWARD”  is presented twice a year by both OUR ORGANIZATION and by the magazine “PETS Y MAS”, and its purpose is to honor the people in our communities for their compassion and service toward animals. On June 9th, 2012 this award was presented to Cynthia Orozco Rodriguez from Jaco.

Cynthia helps all animals who happen to cross her path. Until about a year ago, Cynthia and her family were still living in their own house, set on a big piece of property where all animals were welcome at her place – she was one of our best foster homes for both dogs and cats. She and her kids were taking good care of all those which were sick and needed treatment, as they were staying with this extraordinary family until they got healthy, spayed/neutered and ready for their new homes. This had to change when Cynthia and her family had to leave their place and move to a small house where they are not allowed to keep any more dogs. So now Cynthia is taking care of kittens, especially those which need special care, like being fed with a bottle.

Because her space and the tolerance of her neighbors is very limited (and there’s no more than 4-5 kittens at a time to take care of) Cynthia decided that she can also take care of animals in need which stay in other places, where the people are willing to let them stay on their property, but not willing (or able to) give them the necessary care. Kind of like ambulatory care, very common in human care. Cynthia visits the patients every day, some occasionally twice a day, feeding and treating them and making sure that they are receiving all that they need. She is mostly accompanied by at least two of her kids, which love helping her out. All 5 of her kids, and of course also her husband are involved in this charity work she performs every single day. Thank you Cynthia and family, for all the time and love you give to those furry little friends who so need your help.

THE EDUCATION PROGRAM CONTINUES

Our education program “Sharing the world with the animals” continues. With 10 weekly presentations at Escuela Central de Jaco with its 750 students, and one weekly activity with the children from the little Escuela Las Monas with its 32 students. All of this month, Angela Maria concentrated her efforts on one very important subject: Animal Rights. In one of the older editions (2009) of the animal magazine “Pets y mas” we found a great article under the title of “The animals have rights”. We decided to use this article “adapting it” to be used in grades 1 through 6, making sure that all students, independent of their age, understand this very important message. At the end of each presentation, the students have to write a short story from their life that best illustrates one of the rights discussed during the class, painting a more solid picture of this right. There is a huge difference between the stories the kids wrote back in February (when we started our program this year) and now. Back then some stories were pretty scary – talking about animals dying in accidents with no help from anyone, chickens being trampled to death, etc.  Now the kids are telling us about how they have rescued animals from the streets, how they have saved nests with baby-birds falling out of the trees, and how they brought their sick dog to the clinic.

The rights of ALL animals are  discussed — those who are wild and have the right to be free, as well as those who cannot survive without our care and have a right to be loved, fed and taken care of. We are planning on publishing the art and the stories – some of them are really quite exceptional.

…and like always, a special thanks to Angela Maria Lozano Lorza, for her continued effort in designing the presentation in this very interesting and accessible way, and to the school principalVera Virginia Alpizar and to all the other teachers for their support and cooperation. And of course, to Mrs. Linda Look from the USA for sponsoring this so very important and innovative program.

ANOTHER 68 ANIMALS BELONGING TO LOW INCOME FAMILIES OR STRAYS SPAYED/NEUTERED THIS MONTH

Like so often in the past, we got lucky again – Dr. Ellen Gray and Dr. Kyle Farrell, the two extraordinary young vets who right after their graduation (instead of taking a week of well-deserved vacation) decided to come down here and don their scrubs, helping out wherever they were needed. We organized two spay days by combining the Plaza Boulevard Clinic together with this vet team, and even though the conditions were very different to what they are used to in their country, both veterinarians adjusted quickly to the “field conditions” here and did a wonderful job during the clinics.

Kyle and Ellen also brought us a lot of very needed meds, all donated by Shari Lindburg fromLloyd Inc. and Mandy Vinay from a vet clinic in Florida. The vets stayed in a beautiful beachfront condo in Jaco, who’s owner Mr. Stuart Welch provided for free to help this noble cause. Together with our little spay days with Dr. Jose Manuel Jimenez, and the surgeries performed in the Jaco and in the Herradura clinic by Dr. Wendy Villalobos and Dr. Yessenia Alpizar, we were able to spay/neuter 68 animals, all coming from the poor areas in Tarcoles, Jaco and Herradura.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS OF LAST MONTH

A huge Thank You goes out again to the sponsors of all three programs in this month of June –Linda Look, Stuart Welch, Liz from Taco Bar, Leo Plumley, Hotel Mar de Luz, Cathi Brennan, Wishbone Restaurant, Paola Alvarado, Hotel Los Ranchos, and Gabriela Contreras Cordero for their regular monthly support, as well as to  The Bartholomew Family, Crystal Curry, Rachael Rudd, Heidi Copley, Barbara & Ardon Schambers, Dennis Ward – Capitan of “Never say never”, Susie Wardle,

Jan Tilson & Greg Bertrand – Hotel Vista Pacifico, Engelberth Triana Villalobos, Dr. Ellen Gray, Dr. Kyle Farrell, Mandy Vinay, Shari Lindburg – LLOYD INC., Rita & Steve DeVore – Casa Bella Rita, Lilly & Till – Hotel Tortuga del Mar, Rubi & Tim Olson, Judy Witt, Sylvia van Baekel, Krystel Byers Silverstein, Lisa & Hugo Camilieri – Hotel El Jardin, Calypso Tours, Importadora Monge Jaco, Canopy Vista Los Suenos, Discovery Horse Tours, Café del Mar, DayStar, Anna Pilz,

Hotel Marriott – Herradura, Judy Witt, for their support this month.

Thank you for your time.

Katja Bader,
McKee Jaco

Do you remember one of our longest and most difficult rescues?  The dog’s name was Night, short for nightmare, which is what this dog was for the people living in the Opera Salvaje area and for Doris and Dieter for almost 2 months. You can read Night’s story at http://mckee-jaco.com/case-histories/

After Night was rescued and cured from ehrlichiosis, the terminal disease if not treated on time, which he was diagnosed with, he was adopted by Doris and Dieter and their furry family, who gave him what he never had in his sad life – a home and a big family, consisting of both humans and doggie and kitty brothers and sisters.

After all the trouble so many people went through rescuing and saving this huge purebred Great Dane, Night is now helping to save other dogs. Due to both his big size and good health condition, Night is the first choice as a blood donor in our area. His blood has already saved more than 12 dogs, all of them treated in the Jaco and Herradura clinics with a transfusion containing his blood. Sometimes the calls come late at night, as the condition of a sick animal often doesn’t allow for waiting until the next day, and Night is always there to help his doggie friends. Sometimes there is blood needed just after Night has already donated, and in these cases Riley – another big rescue adopted by Doris and Dieter – becomes the donor, himself helping to save another life in peril. Even our famous rescue dog Page, one of our very first success stories, helped out once. Thank you to all of them, and especially to their “parents” Doris and Dieter who, no matter what time of a day or night, always bring them to the clinic so they can donate their so very needed blood.

EDUCATION NEWS

During the last two months, our education program “Sharing the world with the animals” has also been a huge success, as we concentrated our efforts on Escuela Central de Jaco with its 750 students with a daily presentation. Once a week we also work at two other smaller schools –Escuela Hacienda with 62 and Escuela Las Monas with 32 students.

Special Thanks to Angela Maria Lozano Lorza, who does an excellent job teaching our young people everything they need to know about animals – their needs and feelings, as well as how to be a responsible animal owner. Also a huge THANK YOU goes to the school principal Vera Virginia Alpizar and to all the other teachers for their support and cooperation.

MORE EDUCATION NEWS

Did you know that 80% of the dogs in our area don’t have their own food bowl? They get fed on a piece of newspaper, or on old plastic plates or simply just poured on the ground.

This is now changing, thanks to a donation from one of our electric companies — COMPAÑÍA NACIONAL DE FUERZA Y LUZ (CNFL), which gave to FUNDACIÓN MCKEE all the covers from the old electrical service meters, which just happen to be the perfect size and shape for a nifty food bowl. In our education program at the Jaco schools, after a discussion about how to be a responsible pet owner, the kids painted their own bowls for their dogs, and committed to maintain said bowls always full of water and food. Look at the pictures, and see how nice they are!

ANOTHER 69 ANIMALS BELONGING TO LOW INCOME FAMILIES OR STRAYS SPAYED/NEUTERED FROM APRIL 1st TO MAY 15th

Besides the regular weekly spay days with DR. JOSE MANUEL JIMÉNEZ, we also had a mini clinic in Esterillos Este, organized and sponsored byKaren Huss. During the last six weeks we were able to spay/neuter 69 animals! Like always our Thank You goes also to Elisabeth Lubbers, Leo Hogan and Doris Schluckebier, who assisted Dr. Jimenez with the surgeries, and also to Kristen Luke and Sarah Olmstead for being there and taking care of the patients before and after the surgery. And also thanks to Laleña Bennett for offering us her home to hold our clinics. Also in the Jaco clinic, DRA. WENDY VILLALOBOS provides to us low-cost castrations for our rescues, as well as for pets belonging to low income families who cannot afford the regular price.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS FROM APRIL 1^ST TO MAY 15^TH

A huge Thank You goes out again to the sponsors of all three programs in this month of April – Linda Look, Stuart Welch, Liz from Taco Bar, Leo Plumley, Hotel Mar de Luz, Cathi Brennan, Wishbone Restaurant, Paola Alvarado, Hotel Los Ranchos, and Gabriela Contreras Cordero for their regular monthly support, as well as to  Henry & Eugenia Balke – USA, Karen Huss – Esterillos, Costa Rica, Sylvia van Baekel – Herradura, Costa Rica, Douglas Giampapa – Herradura, Costa Rica, Dennis Ward – Capitan of “Never say never”, Emma Cusack – USA, Annie Forget – Canada, Paul Grandy – Jaco, Costa Rica, Lisa & Hugo Camilieri – Jaco, Costa Rica, Julie Dean – Canada, Hella Ruetter – Austria, Karen Huss – Esterillos, Costa Rica, Dr. Yvette Maclean – Canada, The Bartholomew Family – USA and Crystal Curry – USA. And a very special thank you to Emma Cusack from the USA and to Dr. Yvette Maclean from Canada for donating to us so many different and so very needed meds.

Thank you for your time and support.

Katja Bader
McKee Jaco

As soon as the schools opened their doors, we started having meetings at three of them with teachers as well as parents – Escuela Central – with its 750 students, it’s the biggest school in Jaco, Escuela Hacienda with 62 students and Escuela Las Monas with 32 students. And just like in the past, both teachers and parents were very happy to have us back on board, offering us all kinds of help in order to continue the education program “Sharing the world with the animals” Angela Maria Lozano Lorza, the same individual who was working with us at the library during the “creative afternoons” we offered during the vacation time, has many years of experience working with and for the community, as well as being a teacher at the school Mirevea. The kids know her well, and love working with her. What we are teaching them is the concept of responsibility and respect for all manner of life, both animals and persons alike.

The clinic held in Tarcoles on February 5th was the best example of how our community is changing and getting more and more actively involved in our project. I consider this clinic better than most of the big spay days we’ve organized so far. The majority of all helpers there were local people, and the food was donated by a Costa Rican member of the Tarcoles community. The pet owners who brought their pets by themselves were very interested in learning more about better animal care, asking how to prevent the most common diseases and how to treat their pets if they get sick. It was not just a spay day, it was an educational event too, and I loved how it turned out.

We were able to organize this spay day by combining the Plaza Boulevard Clinic together with a fabulous vet team from the States: Dr. Robin Stronk and her husband John, and Dr. Richard Righter and his wife Shirley – the same team of professionals who last year donated their services to us for the entire day.

32 animals, 80% of them rescued strays, the rest of the animals belonging to extremely poor families, were spayed/neutered during this clinic. This team worked non-stop for 7 hours, first “adapting” the communal salon into a provisional clinic, and then proceeding with the surgeries in these most difficult conditions. Thank you to Robin, John, Richard and Shirley for dedicating their time and skills to the poor community of Tarcoles, and to Dr. Wendy Villalobos for also being a part of this project this year. Our guests also brought many needed materials and meds, such as sutures, antibiotics and pain meds, all of which they donated to us at the end of this day.

Special thanks also goes to everybody who came to help us that day: Patri Holmer, Brenda Morales Gonzales, Marvin Olivas Gonzales, Lorie Ewel, Lizbeth Munoz Monge, Kristen Luke, Santos Montenegro Lopez, Nigel Sandi, the scout leaders Alexander Rodriguez Vargas, Marilyn Rodriguez Vargas and Marlene Gonzales Gonzales, and the scouts: Keneth Gonzales, Marco Alvarado Soto, Karen Gonzales Gonzales, Kaylin Perez Gonzales, Irene Murillo Guzman, Andres Diaz Adaniz, Alan Adaniz Umana, Mariadelmar Adaniz Dinarte, Junior Adaniz Dinarte, Ericka Melendez Campos, Keilin Vargas Chacon, who did a great job taking care of the animals after the surgery, applying both eye drops and Frontline where necessary. And thanks also to Maria and Gino Sandi from Tarcoles for the delicious lunch donated for the veterinarians and their assistants.

During the next 3 days – February 6th ,7th and 8th – our spay days took place at the Plaza Boulevard Clinic in Jaco. 29 animals were spayed/neutered during these days. Our special THANK YOU goes to Dr. Lee Wilson, who again this year came to us all the way from Alaska, offering her help with surgeries. She not only donated her time for free, but she also brought her own sutures as well as other supplies. And of course to Dr. Wendy Villalobos and the staff at the clinic, for providing us a place to work and being a part of this great project. Thanks also to Doris Schluckebier for assisting in all surgeries performed during these days, and Leo Hogan, Kristen Luke and Celina Grefenkamp for taking care of the animals after the surgery.

This time Dr. Wilson was invited by Carol Brown to stay at her beautiful house in Jaco. Dr. Wilson loved being there, and really enjoyed spending her free time in the lush tropical garden, as well as the invigorating swimming pool and the company of Carol and her two cute puppies. A huge THANK YOU to Carol for donating such a nice place for our volunteer from the USA.

Together with our little spay days in the Jaco clinic and with Dr. Jose Manuel Jimenez, this February we were able to spay/neuter 85 animals – and of course thank you to all vets and sponsors for their cooperation.

GAME AFTERNOONS AT THE LIBRARY AND NEWS FROM EDUCATION PROGRAM

In the month of January we organized, together with the Jaco Library, “creative afternoons” for children ages 7 to 14 years old. The subject was of course animals – both pets as well as wildlife.  Angela Maria, well known by all the kids in Jaco, worked with them in our library, spending time with them reading, discussing and painting. The project was a big success – each time we had over 10 kids attending. Some of them were brought by their parents, who stayed at the library for the entire two hours and enjoyed reading books. The kids were welcomed by the two “library dogs” Ninja and Boston, and all the kids loved them and were spoiling them with treats and cookies. Turns out our kids are all really talented – the paintings they made were wonderful, some of them looked like little pieces of art.

A huge thank you to Liana Robinson from the Library is in order, for providing a place for this activity and for being a part of this project. And another big thank you goes to Libreria Jaco for donating some materials and to Licorera Jaco, Café del Mar, Caliche’s Wishbone and Soda La Farra de Fuego for donating delicious drinks and snacks for the kids.

Angela Maria has already had meetings with the school principals and teachers here, and we are planning to start our program very soon. We will be working with the 2 main schools in our area, and in addition to them we decided to also approach the smaller schools for regular presentations – the chronograms are ready and just need to be accepted by the principals.

This great project is sponsored by LINDA LOOK from the USA – thank you Linda for giving us the opportunity to continue it this year.

THE GOLDEN PAW AWARD FOR ALFONSO GUZMÁN CHAVES FROM SAN JOSE

THE “GOLDEN PAW AWARD”  is presented twice a year by both OUR ORGANIZATION and the magazine “PETS Y MAS”. Its purpose is to honor local people in our communities for their compassion and service toward animals. InJanuary this year, the award was presented to Alfonso Guzmán Chaves from San Jose, who lives with his wife, 3 kids, 3 dogs, one cat and one rabbit in a humble little house where they all live in harmony, love and respect for each other. Alfonso never leaves an animal in need on its own – he brings it home and takes care of it until it is healthy, spayed/neutered and ready for its new life. His little house is always full of animals who are recuperating from their tough lives on the streets of San Jose.

THANK YOU ALFONSO FOR ALL THE TIME AND LOVE YOU GIVE TO THOSE FURRY LITTLE FRIENDS WHO NEED OUR HELP.

 THANK YOU TO ALL OUR SPONSORS THIS MONTH

Big Thank you to all our sponsors in the month of February – Linda Look, Stuart Welch, Liz from Taco Bar, Leo Plumley, Hotel Mar de Luz, Cathi Brennan, Wishbone Restaurant, Paola Alvarado, Hotel Los Ranchos, and Gabriela Contreras Cordero for their regular monthly support, as well as to  Licorera Jaco, Café del Mar,  Caliche’s Wishbone, Carol Brown, Mimi Arandjelovic, Taffy Tucker, Silvina Rodgers Goren, Nuria Valverde Barqueo, Shannon Clarke, Bruce Ertmann, Bubba’s Memorial, Victor Quesada, Economedica Internacional, Soda La Farra de Fuego, Dr. Robin & John Stronk, Dr. Richard & Shirley Righter,  Dr. Lee Wilson, Noel Harverson, Ronald Meltzer, Rachael Rudd, Crysral Curry, Cathy and Greg Siroishka, Mark & Kathy Scobie, Holly Call, Catherine McRae, Ana Pana, Silvina Rodgers Goren, Sybille Dockhorn, Kevin Cummings from Kevin’s Transfers, David F. Sagel, Lorena Araujo, Linda Weiner, Teresa Tennant and Patricia Vega for all other donations to our project this month. And a very special thank you to Cathy and Greg Siroishka from Canada for donating to us medical instruments and many different so very needed meds.

WORLD PET TRAVEL AND HOW THEY BRING OWNERS TOGETHER WITH THEIR PETS

Many times tourists who have passed through our area have fallen in love with one of our homeless dogs or cats. Sometimes they are able to organize everything and take their new family member with them, but mostly there is not enough time for shots and paperwork, and this is when World Pet Travel steps in. This company has been bringing loved ones together for over 10 years.  Transporting pets into and out of Costa Rica to their new homes safely and stress-free for both the owners and their pets is their specialty. Contact Angela at 1-859-402-2240 or 8832-2450, or email them at meow@worldpettravel.com for more information.

Thank you for your time and support
Katja Bader

January 2012

In the month of January we organized, together with the Jaco Library, creative afternoons for children ages 7 to 14 years old. The subject is of course animals — both pets and wildlife. Angela Maria, well known by all the kids in Jaco, is working with them in our library, reading, discussing and painting, and all kids are invited to participate. Depending on how popular these afternoons will become, we are considering the possibility of continuing this project also during the school year.

In February, after the local schools organize their programs, we want to start working at two main schools in our area on a daily basis.

This great (and expensive) project will be possible thanks to the generous support of LINDA LOOK from the USA — the same person who years ago sponsored the start of our education program, and has been helping to keep it alive ever since. THANK YOU LINDA FOR MAKING IT POSSIBLE TO CONTINUE THIS GREAT AND SO VERY IMPORTANT PART OF OUR PROJECT.

NEWS FROM THE CASTRATION PROGRAM

In the second half of 2011, we were able to welcome DR. JOSE MANUEL JIMÉNEZ from Jaco to our spay/neuter program. Dr. Jiménez was originally trained by McKee, and since then he’s been helping us on our “little spay days” we’ve organized a few times a week in different locations in Jaco and Tarcoles. At these clinics we typically spay/neuter around 10-12 animals. We are using private residences, and are trying to work no more than 3 hours each day, and Leo Hogan and Doris Schluckebier have been assisting Dr. Manuel. Also in the Jaco clinic, DRA. WENDY VILLALOBOS provides low cost castrations for our rescues, as well as for pets belonging to low income families who cannot afford the regular price.

Our goal for the year 2012 is to average 70 spayed/neutered animals per month. The castrations in the month of December and the first 2 weeks of January are sponsored by: MYRA WEIGER – USA, HOTEL MAR DE LUZ – Jaco, SYLVIA VAN BAEKEL – Herradura, WISHBONE RESTAURANT – Jaco, HOTEL TORTUGA DEL MAR – Hermosa, JUDY WITT – USA, SIMONE REITANO – USA, KAREN HUSS – Herradura, LEO PLUMLEY – Jaco, LIZ from TACO BAR – Jaco. A Huge thank you to all of you!

WE NEED MORE MANPOWER AND MORE FOSTER HOMES FOR OUR RESCUE/ADOPTION PROGRAM!

This part of our project needs not only a huge amount of funds, but also needs much more manpower than we can count on right now. We were already pointing this out in the past: we are a very small group of volunteers. This means that we are not employed by an organization called “McKee”, nor do we have employees who work for us. We need your cooperation — it’s simply not enough to report an accident or an abandoned animal, we need you to help us to actually muck in and take care of the situation. Together, we always will be able to resolve problems and find solutions, but because we are just 4 people actively working on this project, we are not able to take care of all situations by ourselves right away. Please don’t limit your actions to just reporting a problem, because when you actually help us, it’s much more likely to get resolved.

Also: we are not, nor do we have access to, anything like a shelter. This means that we cannot collect animals off the streets, as we simply have nowhere to put them. If they are sick, they need to be taken to a clinic, and after that we almost always need a foster home for them. Our foster homes are always packed with animals, and we always need more people willing to open their hearts and their homes for animals to recover in during their treatments, and after that, while waiting to be adopted. So if you want to bring an animal in, please help us to also find a foster home for it. As always, we will provide meds and (if necessary) food.

Another huge THANK YOU goes out to all sponsors of this project from December until today: STUART WELCH – USA, DR. CARLOS MORALES – San Jose, CATHI BRENNAN – USA, GHOGHA AMON – USA, PAOLA ALVARADO – Parque Nacional Carara, HOTEL LOS RANCHOS – Jaco, GUISELLE HERNANDEZ SOLANO – Heredia, TROPICAL GARDEN HOTEL – Jaco, FUNDACION MCKEE – San José, PETS Y MAS magazine – San Jose, KATIE MCMILLAN – Puntarenas, ANPA COSTA RICA – San José, KETTY RODRIGUEZ – San Jose, NOLA MACEK – USA and JEANNIE LITZ – USA.

ANOTHER STORY WITH A HAPPY ENDING

Do you remember Rocky? — he’s a cute, light beige-colored miniature Greyhound-type doggie with a ready smile, who was abandoned by his owner, probably when he got sick. With terrible mange all over his body and ehrlichiosis at a stage that most animals don’t survive, our vet said that Rocky’s blood work was that of a dead dog and that his chances of survival were almost nil. Well, Rocky is a fighter, and he did in fact survive. Because of his poor condition, he changed foster homes, moving from Shirlene and Carlos in Quebrada Amarilla to Jaco with Katja and Chris, as he needed very special care. After recuperating for nearly 6 months, Rocky went to yet another foster home, where he lived with Angela Maria, Johnny and 3 doggie friends, waiting for his new (and hopefully permanent) home.

Although Rocky is a cute, loving and loyal dog, nobody was very interested in adopting him. Finally, one of our friends — MARY STOMPE from California — decided to change Rocky’s life. Since way back in March 2011, when Mary first met Rocky on the beach in Jaco, she’d been trying to find this little guy a home in the States, and by the end of October, Mary finally found a new family for Rocky. While checking out the logistics of sending Rocky to California, we found out that the cost to send him would be around $700 – way too much for us. This is when Mary decides that she would come down to Costa Rica and pick Rocky up herself, considerably reducing his travelling costs. Our friend, supporter and big time animal lover STUART WELCH offered his beautiful beachfront condo to Mary free of charge, so that her trip might also include a little vacation. Mary stayed with us for a short 4 days, but she thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful apartment, as well as the fact that she could have Rocky there with her.

Rocky loved Mary from the first moment, and after a mere 5 hour flight our Tico puppy became a Gringo!

He lives now with Mary’s mother MAGGIE NEESE in San Francisco, close enough to Mary’s place that she can visit him and take him for long walks together with her own dogs almost every day. In California Rocky went to an obedience school called FITNFURRY, where he was spending 8 hours a day learning basic obedience and playing with other doggie-friends. He finished the training with a Diploma, and now he is not only well educated, but he also “speaks English”!

Thank you Mary for going through all the trouble and changing Rocky’s life — after what he went through as a puppy and a young dog, he deserves the best and you and your family gave it to him!

PLACE TO STAY NEEDED FOR A VOLUNTEER VETERINARIAN FROM THE USA

WE NEED A PLACE TO STAY for Dr. Lee Wilson, who every year comes to Jaco all the way from Alaska offering her help with our spay/neuter program.

Dr. Wilson arrives in Jaco on Sunday, February 5th in the afternoon, and leaves on Thursday morning, February 9th — if somebody would like to help us with this project, please let us know. Thank you!

Thank you for your time and support.

Katja Bader
McKee Jacó