**Our Other Interests**

CUBAN STREET ANIMALS

The Canadian Barksman for
Cuban Street Animals
This is "Duke". He presents a Doggie Life Preserver to Cuban Street Animals for the Silent Auction to raise money for this organization.

Updated October 2005.

Trips to Cuba are made twice a year (Winter & Sumer) to take more donated supplies, and to see how things are progressing. Three to four times a year, the Cuban Embassy in Ottawa, gives a Canadian waiver for Air Cubana, so that supplies can to sent down to Aniplant with no freight charges. This has been a huge help, as shipping is very costly. Because of the Embassy help, a donated computer system was received by Aniplant. Just in time too, as their old system was in very bad shape and wouldn't have lasted much longer.

Each year, fundraising is done at the Cat's Anonymous Annual Dinner and Silent Auction, and at their Christmas Open House. www.catsanonymous.ca. Plus I accept every offer of a venue to have a raffle etc. to raise more funds.

Presently, Aniplant is working very hard at setting up a functioning Animal Control Program. At Aniplant's request, I looking into micro chip systems, and other various data base system's to assist with the control program. Unfortunately, the costs of such systems were prohibitive. Aniplant is working as best as they can with two tattoo artists who donated 1 day a week to tattoo as many dogs as possible. Records for these tattoos are being kept by hand. Donation of Tattoo Machines and supplies, and Tattoo Pencils are very much needed. If you can help with this please email or telephone.

Aniplant works to heal, spay/neuter, return animals to their owners, or find adoption homes for the animals.

It has been 6 years that I have been the Canadian Representative for Aniplant. Volunteer from Canada are required to improve the flow of help to the homeless animals. Somehow, each time I visit, I meet more Cuban people who want to get involved in Animal Rescue work. Often, I am able to personally put Cuban people together with Aniplant to get things off the ground. It is a very humbling experience to see people with little means working to improve the plight of animals. If you can help out in any way, or if you have questions about the work being done in Cuba, I would love to hear from you.

Aniplant Wish List

• Veterinarian Supplies & Equipment - Aniplant is licensed to receive these items. Even stale dated products are very helpful.
• Tattoo Equipment and Supplies
• Computer Equipment - data base softwear (for animal control offices)

Here are two typical stories of what I have recently experienced in Jan. 2005.

While staying at Breezes Jibacoa, (situated halfway between Havana and Varadero), yet another half wild dog waited for me to wake up each morning to give her a cuddle and some food. Her coat and skin was well on it's way to be ravaged with mange, and of course, she had fleas. She was very timid, but in need of affection. While in Havana, I picked up 2 injections that had to be given a week apart. As she appeared never to have been handled, I wondered if I could give her the first injection, then regain her trust to get close enough to give her the second. I found a vet tech. who offered to do the injecting, if I could safely hold her still. I scruffled her and helded her, while she wildly swang her head around pretending that she would bit. (After years of working with dogs, it becomes easy to read which dogs will actually bite and which ones only threaten to bite in the hope to get their own way.) After she was injected, I released her, only to have her run for a good 10 minutes all over the resort screaming her head off. Next thing I knew, there were Canadian tourists coming for all over demanding to know if I was trying to hurt or kill the little dog. After an explanation of what I was doing, the tourists said they would contact me when they got back to Canada so that they could help - sadly, none did.

A week later, the little dog had regained her trust, and was given her second injection, even though her skin was already almost healed.

This is a photo of the little dog which was nicknamed after me by Aniplant with a promise to find her a home.

Down at the beach, there are always dogs at play in and out of the ocean, and of course, hoping to get food from some kind human. This week, there were 2 larger males, and 1 smaller female who was definitely in heat. She was very young, and it sadden me that she would soon have her too skinner body over burdened with puppies growing inside her frame. Even so, she was a happy puppy. Each time I played with her, she skidded through the sand in circles around me. All the time, the 2 male dog sat patiently waiting for her to go back to play with them. During the week, I over heard a couple of tourists heated complaining at the hotel desk about disgusting dogs fornicating. I have to agree that watching dogs fornicating while you are trying to enjoy the beach is unfortunate. However, I wish the complaining people would give thought to helping organization (Aniplant) who work to spay/neuter dogs, so that the population of homeless animals can be greatly reduced.

Please do not think that Hotel Resorts are over run with homeless animals. This is not the case. The Hotels do all they can to humanly round up the animals, and get them to animal control. Aniplant has volunteers who live around resorts who work to take care of these stray animals. However, this work is very difficult when veterinary supplies and food supplies are limited.

Other Valuable Organizations
GuelphDogs.com
Adopt-a-Rott	Cats Anonymous	Barlee's Angels Rescue Network
British Columbia Sites
	Stuff for a dog's life!
Western Professional Dog Groomers Association	Click Here	Paws and Claws Pet Pantry

Please contact donations@vipgrooming.ca to find out more about making a donation.