Another successful activity with the younger members of our community and their parents – Pet Festival – took place on Saturday, September 29 at the Escuela Central in Jaco. The event was open to the public. 49 dogs were entered in 5 different competitions, and they were brought by both the kids and their parents, and we calculated that there were approximately 200 people participating. Winners received great prizes, all donated generously by our sponsors: CALYPSO CRUISES, CANOPY VISTA LOS SUENOS, DISCOVERY HORSEBACK TOURS, TACO BAR JACO, CITI CINEMAS JACO, RESTAURANTE LAS OLAS, RESTAURANTE BIG BAMBOO, CAFÉ DEL MAR, ESCUELA DE ARTE MIREVEA, VETERINARIA PLAZA BOULEVARD, LABORATORIO CLINICO JACO, DAYSTAR JACO, HOTEL MARRIOTT HERRADURA, IMPORTADORA MONGE JACO, JUDY WITT, MARY STOMPE, ANNA PILZ, LIBRERÍA MAREA BAJA, EL COMITÉ CANTONAL DE DEPORTES. Thank you to all of you! Thank you also to LICORERA JACO for donating refreshments for all our helpers.
This event was one of the most entertaining festivals we’ve ever organized. There were dogs which could do tricks I’ve never seen before – a one-eyed mutt was riding a skateboard, climbing a ladder, carrying trash bags and putting them in the trash cans. This dog had sunglasses on and loved the show, and anyone could see that she had at least as much fun as we did. There was a singing Chihuahua – the funniest Chihuahua I’ve ever seen – who is a very smart dog with so many tricks that it was hilarious. And there was dog (the same one that won the “Most Mutty Mutt” contest) who could play soccer with the kids. All entrants were very well taken care of, and their owners were very proud of them and one could see that they really loved them. The decorations were great as well. with different animals cut out of cardboard (pets and wildlife) and their respective rights – each animal had a sign with one of their rights: right to be taken care of, right to live and die in dignity, right to be healthy, right to be free, as well as the right to live unmolested in the natural environment for wildlife. There was an exhibition of the artwork which illustrates animal rights, and there was also an exhibition of the best animal stories – all created by the students in our education program. Both parents and the public alike were very interested in this, and I saw lines in front of these exhibitions.
The message of this activity was repeated in all our presentations and decorations: all animals have rights, and it is the responsibility of the entire community to make sure that these rights are respected. Once this happens, Jaco will become a better place to live for all: humans, pets and wildlife animals.
A huge THANK YOU goes to everyone who helped us to make this activity such a big success: the director of Escuela Central Vera Alpizar and all teachers participating in the event, especially professor Asdrubal Moya Orozco, who manned the microphone during the entire event, and toGuillermo Rios from the Red Cross, housewifeFlor Morales Jimenez, and Lineth Aguilar Carmona, a college student – all 3 of them worked as a jury for the entire event. Thanks also to Angela Maria Lozano, who is in charge of the education program in our organization, her husband Johnny, who helped with the decoration and organization, all the donors mentioned above, and to everybody who was there to share this great adventure with us.
53 ANIMALS BELONGING TO LOW INCOME FAMILIES OR STRAYS SPAYED/NEUTERED THIS SEPTEMBER
September was also a busy month for our spay/neuter program. We had our spay days with DR. JOSE MANUEL JIMÉNEZ in Jaco and in Esterillos. Thanks to Leo Hogan and Doris Schluckebier who assisted Dr. Jimenez with the surgeries, and also to Silvina Rogers for being there and taking care of the patients, both pre and post-op. And a special thanks also to Laleña Bennett for offering us her home to hold our clinics – having this great place, located so close to everyone involved and set up so perfectly for our needs, makes it so much easier to make these spay days happen! 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. During the month of September we were able to spay/neuter 53 animals!
UPDATE ON OUR OLDEST MCKEE PETS: DUKE AND BUDDY
8 months after we rescued Duke (see pictures below), the abandoned dog with a terminal kidney disease, he’s still alive and kicking! Originally he was supposed to go to the farm and live out the last few weeks of his life, yet this guy is still with us and doing better than ever. His blood work is, considering his condition, good enough to live a comfortable life at Doris and Dieter’s place. His kidney disease didn’t disappear of course, but it is 100% controllable. Thanks to Doris, who gave this animal so much love and care, Duke is today one happy dog with a good quality of life. Thank you to all his sponsors: Sue Bartholomew, Ronald Meltzer, Mary Stompe, Mimi Arandjelovic andAnnie Forget for helping with his treatments and special k/d food. To Dr. Marco Rodriguez fromLaboratorio Clinico Jaco for helping us with Duke’s blood work, and to Dr. Wendy Villalobosfor being there for Duke when he needed permanent care, and for always believing that he would survive.
2 months after we rescued Buddy (known also as Pinto, from the Turtle Refugio in Hermosa) – see the collage below – who miraculously survived despite the horribly neglected condition we found him in, has recuperated so well that considering his advanced age, neither we nor the vet can believe the incredibly fast recuperation this animal has shown. He spends his mornings mostly on the beach, watching the waves, (and Liana surfing them!) then he goes to the library where he rests and plays with the children, all of whom love and spoil him a lot. His condition is very stable but he still needs special k/d diet. We hope that after some more time he will be able to eat regular “senior” chow. Buddy had so many sponsors, that we were able to not only pay his bills at the University clinic, but we also had enough for his emergency care and hospitalization at the clinic in Herradura, all his tests, meds and even his special food. Thank you to all his sponsors: Galeria Murillo, PikoTravel.com, Cheryl Kern, Dennis Ward – Capitan of “Never say never”, Anonymous, Julie Textor, Douglas Giampapa, Marcia Briceño Valverde, Sue Bartholomew, Stuart Welch, Leo Plumley, Enid Alejandra Retana, Mary Stompe, Melisa from M’s Fashion Store, Family of Bubba Hallstrom – (in memory of Bubba), Lighthouse Rescue Faro Rescate Animal, Nancy Lebo, Ghogha Amon, Tina Wallace, Bruce Carl Ertmann, Lois and Robert Newman, Deborah Gauthier, Henry & Eugenia Balke, Frances Jones and Roberto Mariaca, who from time to time visits this old guy at the library and who just offered us a regular contribution to Buddy’s medical care in the future. Thank you for being Buddy’s heroes!
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS OF LAST MONTH
And like always, our huge Thank You goes out again to the sponsors of all three programs in this month of September – 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:Crystal McLaughlin, Shannon Clarke, Damion Silvey, Rossy Quesada – Café del Mar, Annie Forget, Dennis Ward – Capitan of “Never say never”, Sarah Jones, Julia Johnson, Ayurveda Centroamericana, Economedica Internacional, Bridget Hatch, Marco Rodriguez – Laboratorio Clinico Jaco, Mary Stompe, Vivian Calvo, Roberto Mariaca.
Thank you for your time.
Katja Bader
Asociación Pro Bienestar Animal (McKee Jaco)