04 Dec Andy, the stray dog that inspired the birth of a Rescue Team.
By Patricia Salas
Andy calls home a small town in the interior of Panama. He has years wandering the beach and its surroundings looking for some food and shelter. He is a gentle big boy, sweet and playful.
According to the Locals, Andy just appeared one day in the area, and found shelter outside the little shack of a fisherman. Once in a while the fisherman threw some scraps of food to him, but it was not much. Andy did not have a bowl of water to satisfy his thirst. He just drank from a puddle of rain water.
For years I fed Andy when I saw him at the beach, for the time that I was visiting. I did not know where he wandered around or where he lived. Every time that I finished feeding the other dogs, Andy was already fed and gone.
For every day that I fed Andy, he would disappear for 2 or 3 days, some times for even longer periods.
One day, Andy showed up very, very sick! He was close to death and unrecognizable. Tom, a neighbor, saw him and wanted to help. It was then that Tom named him “Andy”.
That is how Panama Andy’s Rescue started. A dream that Tom had for a while being an Animal lover, and I must confess that was my dream as well. I always wanted to be able to help these poor abandoned, abused and forgotten dogs from their hunger for food, love and the much needed Veterinarian care.
Tom tried to capture Andy and take him to a Vet before he left for the States. Unfortunately, he was not successful.
The stray dogs have suffered so much cruelty, that they do not easily trust any human being.
Tom and I teamed up to help Andy, and Tom created Andy Panama’s Rescue.
After Tom’s departure, it took me a few days of walking the area to find where Andy hung around, when he was not wandering the beach and neighboring streets. The locals were a bit reserved to give me information about the whereabouts of the fisherman’s shack. But the search paid off, and Andy was found.
Thanks to Tom’s interest, good heart, and financial support, I was able to take Andy to the veterinarian. It is a challenge to coordinate a vets appointment, while requesting transportation service for stray dogs.
Andy was gentle and let me put him in an improvised harness and walk him to a spot where the vet’s van could pick us up. Unfortunately, the van was not available. A couple more tries and we were able to work out a time with the van and the veterinarian.
I was afraid that by this time that Andy would run away from me knowing, that I would put a harness on him. To my surprise, he didn’t. It is something about these poor dogs, that know when they are getting help.
Finally, the day arrived, Andy was nervous but he trusted me. I traveled with him in the back of the van, and he behaved like a champ on the way to and at the veteriarian’s office.
Andy prior to getting help.
Andy had a count of 3 for hemoglobin, very low platelets, high in white blood cells. He was way malnourished and dehydrated. Andy had a severe case of mange of the worst type. He had Erlichia (tick illness), but Andy was a fighter.
Andy in spite of his life, is a very happy dog. He knows that some day, somewhere, he will find the love that he searches for every day, that he will find his home where a bowl of water will always be available for him, as well as a bowl of food. He knows that he will find a home where he will not need to cuddle under the tropical rains. He will find a home where the thunders and lightning will no longer frighten him, because he had nowhere to hide from. A home where he could shelter from the scorching sun, a home where he will learn about love.
Surprisingly, Andy is very loving and grateful. He enjoys walks, company and caresses. At the beach he plays like a puppy.
Because of Andy, I no longer work alone.
Tom and I team up to provide more care for the dogs. I used to feed 16 dogs and now we feed 23. I can provide the medical care that the dogs need, before I was limited.
Tom helps from the States gathering funds, while I did the job in the field.
Andy taught us that more dogs can be treated for the cost of one, if we could have a house to board them. We set the target of finding a property in the area that will allow us to do that.
Today we have that home. We have rented a residence near the beach in which we can house a maximum of 10 dogs; a new challenge has started. We have rented it for 3 months, hoping that we can extend it.
We noticed that we can treat the dogs. However, they do not have a clean and a safe place for them to go after their treatment. Efforts would be diminished when they continue to get re-infected. We have a safe place for some of them, where they can heal and maintain until we find them their forever families.
The challenge that we have is to be able to house them for more than 3 months. We are looking for volunteers to spend at least 30 minutes per week to interact with the dogs, to show them love, walk them, bathe them, and to provide assistance with transportation. We are also looking for foster homes.
Please help us in anyway you can. The dogs will love it. Donating worn towels or sheets, old t-shirts, are re-purposed for bedding. We are also in need of shelves, bins to store food, an old refrigerator and an old washer. Dog food is also always welcomed.
You may ask why help us. There are abandoned dogs everywhere you turn. You will be helping the 23 that we care for in Gorgona, that with your help 10 at a time can be removed from the streets, re-educated and find their forever home. You will be helping to broaden our outreach. More dogs can be sterilized, fed daily. Can we double or triple the number of dogs we house on day?
Andy after treatment
