April Newsletter

[Sheila Strunk]

CLINIC REPORT On Sunday March 31, 2019, Amigos de Animales spayed or neutered 259 animals, 135 dogs and 124 cats with five vets working: Drs. Aaron, Virgilio, Amanda, Ingrid, and Ricardo, along with Dras. Sandy and Chely. We were planning for “only” about 200 animals so the larger number was not what we expected, but everyone rose to the occasion. It was a longer day than our usual of late but the vets kept going and the volunteers stayed to see us through, which we greatly appreciate. There was a kitty crush at the beginning and we did not quite have enough volunteers, so the kitty workers doubled up and worked through it. It is hard to know what the right number of volunteers will be at any given clinic; sometimes we are slow, sometimes so fast we can’t all keep up, sometimes more big dogs, sometimes more cats – flexibility and good attitudes keep us going no matter what! My personal favorite moment of the day was with a cat named “Mono Amarillo”, yellow monkey. His owner was very proud of him, a big older yellow cat that had obviously been around a long time and had many fights under his belt. His owner called him a boxer, a fighter, and his love for this cat was obvious to all of us at the table. It is encounters like this that make our clinics so special to everyone involved. There is always a moment in the day that a certain dog or cat touches your heart and makes you happy to be there and meet the lovely local Panamanians who go through so much to make life better for their beloved pets. We met a sweet young girl who was so happy about her obviously well cared for cats…and she said she had 10 more at home! Lynn Bourbeau bonded with a sad skinny dog that had been brought in by Carmencita. Through all her pain and obvious misery, she wagged her tail and let us know she appreciated the care he was getting from Lynn. Hanny and Gijs took her and they report that she is thriving after being given lots of love and good food. ANIMALES KITCHEN They say an army runs on its stomach and that is exactly how it is with Animales. Thanks to our generous volunteers, we always have great food for breakfast, lunch, and snacks and thanks to Jane Hampton and her crew, it is always prepared and presented wonderfully. Many thanks to all who contribute to our kitchen! We welcome all donations – and anything chocolate would be really appreciated for those late afternoon lulls. A special thanks to Cynthia Dunne whose photos of the clinics and the volunteers generate great interest on Facebook. Be sure to check us out and like us and share. We have wonderful volunteers! CASINO NIGHT Our Casino Night party was a great success! Lots of fun was had by all those who came and everyone was happy with the prizes they bid on and won. Kathleen Frederick and Debe Emerson and their team made sure that everyone had great food which was beautifully presented. We made $5688.07 which will be split evenly between Buenos Vecinos and Animales. Thank you to all who donated and participated and attended. NEW FUNDRAISER The drawing for our first Annual Fundraiser was held Monday April 15 at Big Daddy’s. The three winners were: Diana Lowman, First prize Leslie Peever, Second prize Terry Becker, third prize. This was a very successful event in which we sold 133 tickets and raised over $16,000 thanks to our ticket buyers and sponsors and some very special “angel” donors. All the participants understand the impact our service has had on the community and were willing to part with $100 for a chance to win one of our fabulous prizes. We salute and deeply thank these wonderful donors and their commitment to our mission. Find the video of the drawing here . NEXT CLINIC The next clinic will be Sunday April 28. For a reservation, contact Magaly at 6563-8686 by phone or whatsapp, or email at boqueteanimales@gmail.com. To volunteer, contact Alicia at akcleavenger@hotmail.com. NOTE: we need towels of all sizes but especially smaller ones like face towels and washcloths. We always lose towels at our clinics as many animals go home wrapped up in the towels they were recovered in. Thank you!