I have been very behind in this blog, and I have also discovered bugs in the www.amazoncares.com website that need to be repaired.  Life continues to move at a rapid pace despite the departure of our foreign Veterinary volunteers.  Local artists joined together and we are currently in the midst of an art exhibition with sales benefitting our work!  The inauguration of the event was a success and I even gave a short speech in Spanish!  We have also been promoting our adoptions quite aggressively, resulting in the adoptions of Pedro, Dottie, Susann, Fido, Shannon, Tiffany, and Butchie!  There is more to write and add, and I REALLY need to dedicate some space to thanking some generous donors of late.  But I lack the time at this moment. 

Instead, allow me to share a HAPPY STORY  with you.   I hope it makes you feel good, and that you will print it out and pass it on.

Recently I was feeling a bit downtrodden about the daily challenges I face as the Founder and Director of the only domestic animal welfare group in the Peruvian Amazon region.  Patty Webster is the Director of Amazon Promise which provides medical services to the most remote corners of the Amazon, and I admire her opinion very much.  She encouraged me with her comment that the “streets of Iquitos seemed happier” since my arrival.  She was referring not to my magnetic personality brightening the tropical sunlight, but to the work carried out by Amazon Community Animal Rescue, Education and Safety (Amazon c.a.r.e.s.)

 

Each Sunday we have volunteers that take our shelter dogs to a local park for exercise.  Afterwards I walked the streets and I realized Patty was right.  As I stopped to pet two homeless dogs I noted that one of them wore the red plastic collar we use to identify the stray dogs we capture, sterilize and then release.  The other one had lost his collar, but his ear had the tell-tale notch and tattoo that we use for more permanent identification.

 

The dogs had thick coats of hair, as we also treat strays for mange, which is rampant in Iquitos.  These dogs looked and acted healthy.  The newspaper vendors nearby were allowing the dogs to relax on the sidewalk.  In the past these dogs would have been pelted with rocks and chased away.   I used to see children wake up homeless dogs by beating them with sticks.  We have taught humane education classes to thousands of children here.  I don’t see animals being blatantly mistreated anymore.  Our Sunday volunteers range in age from 8 to 22, and they have formed their own club called “Mundo Feliz,” which is aimed at protecting animals.

 

What a difference from the Iquitos I first encountered as a tourist in 1996, and from the Iquitos I relocated to in 2004!  I started Amazon c.a.r.e.s. because it used to be impossible to walk three feet in Iquitos without encountering a very ill homeless dog.  My heart was always breaking.  Now it seems the very sick dogs are few and far between.  I have to look hard to find them.  Of course, there are still many out there, and many parts of town where we need to take our services.  I am sure there are neighborhoods where my heart would crumble into a thousand pieces.

 

Some of my American friends wonder how I deal with it.  They say the photos on my website make them too sad.  Even my former Veterinarian in the US was shocked when he saw some photos and said he didn’t know if he could handle the things I see on a daily basis.  He is accustomed to clients that really take care of their pets.  I used to feel that way as well, until I started doing something about it.  If you are reading this and you have felt that pang of sadness in your heart when you see or hear of an animal being mistreated, I promise you will feel better if YOU do something proactive.  Obviously, I’d love for it to be a donation to Amazon c.a.r.e.s. (shameless promotion), but I am sure there are many worthwhile animal welfare groups that could use a donation of money, time, pet food or supplies, or even old dog toys you have sitting in a drawer at home.

 

Now when I think about the dogs here in Iquitos I feel great joy!  In June 2004 I came for an annual volunteer jungle trip.  I’ll never forget the first night in town.   There was suffocating humidity, a million bright stars with the constellations in reverse, and sadly, countless -malnourished and mangy strays looking for food.  My dear friend Missy Moore took pictures of me feeding various street dogs.  She empathized with me even as I held in my tears.  I have a picture of myself feeding leftover chicken to a dog that eventually came to be known as “Jack”.   The next day I got on a boat headed into the jungle, not expecting to see that sad little dog again.

But I DID see him again, and I decided to rescue him.  I was still a tourist, but I planned to find a Veterinarian and pay for his treatment.  Using food as a lure I got him to follow me to a friend’s house.  She was willing to let him stay in her front yard.  His condition was much worse than when I had first encountered him.

 

 

He escaped under the fence during the night and I cried, knowing he would not last long.  I even offered a reward to neighborhood kids to help me find him, and, believe me, they looked hard!  The image of Jack’s tiny body covered in sores he had scratched raw haunted me.  Motorized rickshaws are the transport of choice in Iquitos, and in my daily travels I was always keeping a watchful eye out for him.  One month later I was shocked to see Jack again. 

I honestly couldn’t believe a dog could be sicker than he was the night I had attempted to rescue him in mid-August of 2004.  I’ve since learned that animals can survive and THRIVE against incredible odds.  During that one month I had shocked friends, family and even myself by making the life-altering decision to leave my family business and open an animal rescue charity.  I had rented space for a shelter, and Jack became one of my first guests!  This time he didn’t try to escape.  He was bald, and it took a long time for his hair to grow in, but when it did . . .well,  “Wolfman Jack” would have been an appropriate name!

He was really smart and had such a great personality, but animal adoptions were a new concept for this community.  Street dogs, and mixed-breed dogs were also held in low esteem.  Still, Jack´s comical overbite clearly indicated he had at least some Pekinese blood in him, a favored breed in Iquitos.  I’ll never understand why it took almost a year to find him a home.   Eventually a wonderful family did adopt him, and now they bring him to our Veterinary clinic for check-ups.  He remembers me and always wags his tail and flashes that trademark grin!

 

We have a strict no-kill policy, and I am happy to say we have been forced to sacrifice very few animals.  We work hard to give our shelter dogs the best quality of life possible.  We have evolved into a stray animal capture and release program, so we don’t “keep” as many dogs as we used to, but there are always some dogs that end up at the Fanning Street Resort and Spa (otherwise known as my house and/or backyard)!  Most of my work is done from my home office.  That is where the shelter is located, and I am lucky to have a very capable staff running the vet clinic.  I’d love to say I play with dogs all day, but most of my time is spent writing, seeking funds, training others, developing educational materials and programs.  Today I was at the vet clinic and happened to see this photo of Jack in his new home, and feelings of sadness and joy came rushing over me.  Not only is Jack alive and flourishing today because of me (yes, I said it, BECAUSE OF ME), but he has also spread an enormous helping of love and affection around his new home.

 

Thank you for letting me share Jack´s story with you, and I hope it inspires you to make a difference in a person or animal’s life, or in your own life.  As they say in the hit musical Rent, “NO DAY BUT TODAY!”  I may be the person that saved Jack, but many more animals have been saved because of generous people who have helped Amazon c.a.r.e.s. in so many ways. 

 

The concept of animal shelters is VERY new in the remote region where I reside, although more and more animal welfare groups are forming in Lima, the nation’s capital.  But my friend Patty was right.  The streets of Iquitos are happier today than they were before Amazon c.a.r.e.s. came into being.  I bet the streets of YOUR community are happier and healthier due to your local shelter as well!

 

www.amazontravelguide.com Ring Owner: Molly Mednikow  Site: Iquitos WebRing