A few weeks ago a stray dog showed up in our yard and our dog Abby took to him right away. She had been spayed at Amigos de Animales over 4 years ago and she has been a loving companion for Susie and I ever since our chocolate lab Godiva passed away. We watched them play and every now and then the new dog would hop back over the fence and go traveling throughout Boquete.
As time went on, we continued to feed and care for the new pup where it became part of our family. So Bo Bo has joined the hood as a permanent member of the team here. Of course male dominance was kicking in so we decided it was best to neuter Bo Bo. Once a month Amigo de Animales holds a Sunday clinic where for a small amount of money they weigh in the dog or cat and anesthetize them in preparation for spay or neuter procedures. In addition Bo Bo got a dose of vitamins and antibiotics.
So after Bo Bo went to dream land it was time for prep and surgery.
There were 5 vets on staff that day and our doc was very good performing a swift but delicate procedure that was repeated many time that day. Most days they process between 150 to 200 animals.
The first spay/neuter clinic sterilized 26 dogs and cats with three vets attending back in 2005. It was after the first clinic was held that Association Amigos de Animales Boquete (AADAB) was formed by Ruby McKenzie with the assistance of Judy Sacco and Irene Haines.
Amigos de Animales is now a vital and growing part of the Boquete community, and their mission has remained the same: to provide low cost spaying and neutering of dogs and cats. Since their inception, volunteers and regional vets have been working toward that goal, and they have now sterilized over 8500 animals.
The impact on the health of animals and humans is measurable. Rarely does one see packs of starving, fighting dogs roaming through the streets of Boquete, as one might see in other small towns throughout Central America. This has greatly enhanced the relative livability and safety of our community at large.
The images of these volunteers doing what they do best including caring for the ones waking up is really heartwarming.
I bless every day that I live in our community of Boquete where kindness, donation of time and money caring for others is a normal part of everyday life.
So… Bo Bo is back in his bed and Abby was so happy to see him return home. She was barking and whining when we left for the clinic in the morning.
Donate to Amigos de Animales Today!
Your Donation Makes a Huge Difference!
At the clinics, we charge $15 per dog and $8 per cat, but no one is turned away from the clinics for inability to pay. While other similar clinics charge more, we have never raised our prices despite rising costs, as in our area, typical wages range from $15 to $20 per day.
The money brought in goes directly to pay the vets, even when the animal owner cannot pay us. This means that we must make up the cost of anesthesia, syringes, sutures, and other medicines used, as well as all other basic supplies such as paper towels, lamps, tables, gloves, masks, etc.
Besides sterilization, many animals receive a rabies vaccine, de-parasitizing, vitamin shots, pain medications and antibiotics. On occasion, our vets are called upon to remove cancer-causing venereal tumors and perform other procedures. Many times we are called upon to help pay for these as well.
An average clinic of 150 animals costs us around $2500, and if everyone pays for their animals (which rarely, if ever, happens), we still lose about $1200-$1500 per clinic as it costs us roughly $20 per dog and $15 per cat.
Your contribution is vital to our cause of decreasing the population of street dogs and cats in our area and reducing the number of unwanted and abandoned animals. Donating will help us continue our services and good work in Boquete and the surrounding area.
Thank you to all the wonderful people – Panamanians, Expats, Costa Ricans – who have supported Amigos de Animales since our beginning in 2005. You have donated your time and talents and money to help us towards achieving our goal of sterilizing at least 75% of the dogs and cats in Boquete and the surrounding areas. We have come so far and with your continued support we will meet this seemingly endless goal. Indeed, together, we are making a difference!
– Ruby Mckenzie, Founder Amigos de Animales, Boquete
Thank you and God Bless you Ruby McKenzie and all the Amigos de Animales Team!!