Make sure you read the whole post! I promise you at the end, the very end… it will be totally worth it! Get ready for a massive AWWWWWWW moment!!!!
There is a LOT involved in organizing and working a campaign. A lot. There are so many materials to make sure you have, meds you need both for regular surgery as well as for emergencies.
It gets pretty crazy, but in the end… preventing hundreds of thousands of lives from being born to only suffer or die makes it all worth it! In just 3 days, that is exactly what was accomplished during this campaign.
Ill take you through what a days work is at a campaign.
First, we had to set the school up. At this school, they had 4 abandoned rooms. They were a mess. The floors were black with dirt they hadn’t been used in so long! Thankfully a cleaning company, CONFEQ, donated a great cleaning crew who got those three rooms swept out from all the garbage and those floors were once again white. The walls were still covered with artwork from the past, one room looked like it was one used for the teachers like a lounge. (Hopefully something they can have once again). Then, there is the unpacking of ALL the supplies and setting up the rooms.
The photos will speak for themselves.
All of this….
Turned into this…
And more…
All thanks to this amazing group of people!!!! ( I really wish I got a photo of what the rooms looked like before. I will check and see if anyone got any!)
The entire walk way for the 4 rooms was covered with huge bags, weighing about 1500lbs in total of supplies to be unpacked and sorted and put into its places so the following morning, we could all just show up and start the work. Intubation tubes, suture, recovery supplies, syringes… you name it. And we only had a few hours to do it in! Everyone worked like champs and we were set and ready to go before dark! (At least I think…) Yes! It was before dark because I remember all of us sitting in the grass eating pizza waiting for Pepe the dog catcher to come to take some of the volunteers out to try ad trap some street dogs.
The following morning, and pretty much every morning when we arrived at 7am… it looked like this.
On the final day, it was that AND… all the way down and around the corner. There were so many people the volunteers asked me if we could add another day onto the campaign, but we couldn’t. The vets who we worked with had their own clinics and patients they needed to attend to.
The lucky people lined up at all hours, got their animals in for surgery!
The first process is the paperwork and weighing the animals. We have to get as much info on the animals and owners as possible. For example, when was the last time the animal ate food. This will determine at what time their animal will have surgery. If they ate that morning, they will need to wait until the afternoon to make it safer for the animal.
In registration, many people are filling out the information on the form, then writing the important info onto a paper collar and then putting it around the animals. Collars and leashes were fitted and given to owners who didn’t have any and chairs were set up in the shade for them to have a seat and wait until their number was called….
Speaking about calling numbers!!!! Back to Volunteer introductions!!!!!
Michael. The man with the Mic! You should recognize Michael, because his photo has been here before! Michael and his partner Jim are the loving parents to Ms. Ears, now known as Bella!!
Michael wanted to come down and I was so happy, he was my secret surprise for Save Our Scruff.. they had no idea he was coming down until he arrived! Haha! It was a hard secret to keep! Michael even flew on the same flight as many of the other volunteers, but no one knew until it was… SURPRISE! haha
Michael was a fantastic support for ALL the volunteers and the locals as Michael can speak both spanish and english. He was such a great asset. Michael was responsible for calling the numbers for both pre op and recovery. You see, once the animal was finished in surgery, and the animal was examined in recovery, the owners were called in to sit with a their animals to work with the volunteers and await as they woke up. Michael helped all the volunteers greatly to be able to communicate with all the locals. 🙂 He was a very busy man, but he’s just like me and has the gift of gab! Haha! 🙂 BUT, do not upset the man with the Mic! lol!
Michael, please come back again! And bring our sweet ears for a visit! hehehe!
Krista!!
Krista is a doll. I love this woman. Krista stayed behind longer than most of the other volunteers because she was escorting dogs back for us and we really got to know each other well! Krista was the cat lady recovery pretty much on her own for the campaign. Unlike the dogs, you don’t get to really sit down as often, so its a long day on your feet. But look at that smile! Krista did help out lots with the dogs too, so there was a few times you could catch her sitting down, but most of the time she was on her feet. Cats are a little harder than dogs because A) They take a LOT longer to recovery than the dogs do. B) They sleep with their eyes open, so you have to watch their eyes and apply lubricant as needed C) If they start to wake up, they can escape… so they need to be secured as soon as they start to look like they could be coming around. They are also finicky, as we all know, so keeping a close eye on their breathing and is important when they are under. She is also a favorite because one day, I was sending out 17 on 3 different flights and when I said I would need help, she JUMPED at the chance to hang out with me at the airport and go back and forth all day. That wins major bonus points with me. Its not a fun day. But having her there with me was a great support and her smile is like Al’s, super infectious! I will be seeing Krista again soon as she has volunteered to come down again to escort more dogs for me! She is only coming for an over night trip too. THAT my friends, is dedication!
PUP DATE!!!!!!
Mary Kate A.K.A Momma Angel’s pup
Mary Kate was adopted into a family of a volunteer from Save Our Scruff. Laura Hanna, the SOS volunteer in Toronto, fostered Mary Kate for a short time and decided Mary Kate was not allowed to leave her family. Haha!!! Her sister was looking to adopt a second dog, and wouldn’t you know it, little 5lbs Kate was adopted and has a 115lbs brother who ADORES her to bits! Laura Hanna is down here in Mexico with me this week (of course to escort more pooches) and was telling me yesterday all about Mary Kate and her new brother. Mary Kate was quite the instigator here, and apparently that hasn’t changed at all. Haha! She was always the more outspoken and stood up taller than her brothers and sisters and always got her way (she even pushed around her momma haha) Well, During a family BBQ, Mary Kate was instigating things with the other dog family members and any time the dogs started barking at Mary Kate, her brother stepped in between them to protect his new little sister. He loves her so much, even though shes in the puppy stage, has no manners and LOVES to play non stop, he is super patient, loving, and doesn’t make a noise even though shes swinging from his jowls. Haha!
Mary Kate, your sister Katie B is still here with us and we all miss you very much. We are excited to see photos and more photos as you grow into the beautiful dog you are mean’t to be and we are so happy you have a family of your own to do it with!!!!
Keep following!!!! I will explain more about the clinic and how a typical day goes, introduce you to more volunteers and of course! UP DATE you on my babies and how they all are in their new lives with their very own families!