round three...

I have been very fortunate to have made this incredible journey now for the third year.   When asked by new people what to expect I tell them - long days, hard work, you're filthy for a week and the 2 day travel time is almost painful.  However the reward of being one out of 21 strangers that all come together to form an extraordinary veterinary team that helps the people and pets of Todos Santos, Guatemala outweighs it all.

Our first day in Todos Santos is the Community Day.  The team comes together to help educate the villagers on being a good pet owner and the responsibilities that come along with that. The day is set up with educational games for the children to play and arts and crafts.  What I struggled with last year, was the young boys that were stained with ink up to their elbows and were shining grown men’s shoes.  These boys were not able to play as they were stuck making an income, which they could not afford to lose for a half hour of play.  It broke my heart.  This year I saw the same young boy shining shoes and with great surprise he quickly joined in on the fun.  I think about the difference one year to the next makes with our invasion on this small quiet village and it makes me smile.

Our goal this year was three times higher than last year and I was pumped with excitement to achieve those goals.  Whether you were restraining dogs, drawing up vaccines, on your knees in recovery, being run off your feet as an assistant or technician or  being a veterinarian standing in the same spot doing surgeries from 8am to 6pm, five days a week,  it was hard work.   I am very pleased to say we accomplished our goal without turning anyone away.  I truly admire the dedication of all.

As the week passed and the salon filled it was nice to see familiar faces.  The children and pets are returning and growing each year.  They are recognizing us and excited to see us.  The hugs they give makes it all worth it.  As I look back on the last three years I see how far we’ve come and I realize it’s working.  We see less dogs roaming, more coming for rabies vaccines, dog population seems less and we are building relationships to last a lifetime.

For a community of poverty, that has a hard time feeding themselves, it amazes me that they have dogs.  Dogs do not give them food, they cannot supply them milk.  They do not help with farming or any other manual labor like horses do.  So I have come to realize that the need for them is the same as ours; companionship and love.

Melissa