a small act of kindness

The worst thing I ever did for a dog was to do nothing. This was in the last trip to Nicaragua. The dog was totally starving and he came over. I petted him and cried, but did not feed it. I felt like it was useless as it would probably just prolong his death. To this day I regret not having given a meal.

We went to a river a few days ago. A thin and very frightened dog came by our area and watched at a distance, ready to run. I offered him bread from afar, letting him have time to smell my offering and speaking in a gentle voice. Then I threw it to the side of him and he went to get it. I threw him half the loaf and he ate hungrily. Then i followed with our last three boiled eggs and threw those too. He ate while he watched us.

I went back to sit and opened the cream cheese. I set it closer to us. He hesitated, but the smell was too tempting and came closer always ready to run. I opened our second tub and left it in the same spot. He ate again.

My little friend and I struck up a conversation about this frightened dog.

I said, “I used to think that feeding a dog for a day was cruel. Like getting him used to something, then taking it away. But now I believe that while we may be feeding his stomach for a day, he will remember some people were kind and he then may approach others who might offer him food. His entire life might change because of this small act. It might take time, but now he believes in the possibility of someone being kind and that´s the beginning.”

I sincerely believe this. Partly because I have seen it work many times. Our street dogs always arrive with problems. At the beginning nobody wants them. Then, once they have basked in our love and the love of all those who get to know them, they believe they are lovable and they become beautiful from the inside out and people see that beauty and are attracted to it and the chances of them getting adopted increase tremendously.

This is one of the reasons why I believe that foster care works much better than shelters, where the physical conditions might improve, but where the soul and psyche does not have the sufficient love and attention to heal.

LOVING TREATMENT OF ANIMALS

I am trying out an experiment. Long time ago, I used to do contract work for the Department of Children and Family Services in the States. I learned a lot about what NOT to do when trying to intervene in families to protect children from abuse and neglect... I am constantly learning now too. I realized that anger is a destructive emotion unless we channel that anger, unless we have re-direct it. Judgement is also not productive. It is not addressing a "moral" stance. I am just looking for what works best, what drains me less, what is more effective in the long-run, basically I am looking (just like all of us) for what works.

A couple of days ago I had a booth at an event to celebrate and encourage conservation in our area. Two young women approached the booth and began asking questions about what to do with a person that is mistreating his dog. Wow! I could feel my blood begin to pump harder... it is an emotional reaction. Of course it is a HUGE problem... violence, I mean. Not just violence against animals, but against people, against the environment and against our very selves.

I have been pondering, reading, talking to others... what to do? We can take animals away to safe places (if we had enough) and some times, it is necessary to do so. But thisi s only part of the solution. The other part is to influence others the way it was done long ago, through social pressure. It has worked here in some instances. Merely asking around if they know the person and their animal, it gets back to them that others are watchig, that others care.

But it has to be done without judgment. It has to be done with the goal of educating and under the blanket of compassionate understanding. Yes, I know. How can we have compassion when someone is being violent towards an innocent and defenseless creature? This is where the inner work begins, and I have not been writing much on this blog for the inner work (along with the spay/neuter clinics, placements, etc.) is taking much of my time, but I feel like this is where I need to be... learning about my own nature, and therefore, about the nature of all of us... after all, we are all coming from the same Source.

There are some things that I have been trying to test. Like some truths. One of them is that whatever we focus our attention on, grows. I have been testing it in personal relationships and in my life in general. It seems to hold. So I am thinking I need to apply it to this huge issue as well.

Another one of those truths is that in everyone there is "light" or a spark of the Divine (whether you call it God, Universal Intelligence, Buddha Nature, etc.). And if we can get past the "ego" or the little mind, we can finally get to know what we are, and once we know what we are, fear stops, the need to control stops, inner pain and anger stop. Hmmm, well, I am not there yet. But it is certainly very appealing to think that we are aiming for something so lofty.

So to get "past" the ego one must not threaten the ego. One must approach with an open heart and mind and witht the real willingness and trust that we can reach the Divine in that person. If we approach with judgment in our hearts, our neighbor's ego immediately will get engaged and all we will touch of each other is our individual egos... nothing will get accomplished.

Yes, we could just forgo all this non-sense of the Divine Nature, but what we would have is an aparent change in behavior based on fear/threat of some fine or of losing their animal, of embarrassment, or whatever. And I guess, some times this works (temporarily). But I think we are seeking longer-lasting solutions.

So, going back to those two young women. I recommended that they engage their neighbor in conversation. That THEY do good things for the dog and love him... often when WE love someone else's property, then all of the sudden it has value in the eyes of the owner who previously just took the animal for granted (I know this works, because I do it all the time). I still stop by and give bones to certain dogs, and pet them and ocassionally if time permits take them for a walk. I call the owners to see how they are and if they need anything. I engage in their lives. Often they begin to tell me about what is eating them up... there is most of the time a reason that we can understand of how those people came to be so callous. If we can understand that reason, we may even be able to extend our love to them... that is the REAL healing trick. Because love is energy and energy travels. It is what we are and what they are. Once we can ressonate at this same vibration of love, compassion, understanding... the rest is all good.

Not everything makes sense to me, but I am inclined to think that most people are not born evil. I just can't visualize a brand new born baby and think of him/her as a cruel person. I am thinking something happended along the way to hurt them so much that they are filled with pain (and pain quickly turns to anger). I just can't think that someone violent is a happy person, a joyful, loved and loving person. So they must be wretches. This is why we can have compassion for them, not condoning behavior, just not judging the actual person.

To be continued...

TAKING PETS BACK TO THE STATES

Taking your pet back to the U.S. (by Eileen Hanlon)

Step 1: Rabbies vaccination (required for entry into U.S.)
Must be within 1 year but not less than 30 days before travel
Also recommended to get distemper & other (1 shot)

Pet must be free of parasites, so apply flea/tick treatment (such as Frontline or Advantage) monthly and vet can provide chewable pill against intestinal parasites.

Step 2: Get vet to give you & fill out Certificado de exportacion de perros y gatos
Must be dated within 10 days of travel

You may need to provide the vet the following info:
Destination address in U.S.
Age of pet
ID chip # (if any)
Brands and dates of recent application of anti-parasite treatments

Step 3: Attach tax stamps to white copy of certificate (the one that travels with the animal)
Go to Correos (the regular post office in Santa Elena) and ask for timbres fiscales
Buy 1 timbre fiscal for 25 colones
And 1 timbre archivo for 5 colones

Step 4: Make deposit in Ministerio de Ag’s bank account
Deposit of 4,717 colones
In either:

Banco de Costa Rica (BCR—at Sapo Dorado)
Acct # 001262585-7
OR
Banco Popular (in Santa Elena across from Interbus)
Acct # 161-010-089-1-019474-1 (check with Eileen or me to verify this account- it must be a colones acct, NOT a dollar account)

Be sure to get receipt!

Step 4: Go to San Jose to MAg to get form signed (Sergio Araya can also do this for you. His email is costaricanatural@yahoo.com, he just emailed me saying his fee is $50, no exceptions).

Take the form and the deposit receipt to:

Quarentina Animal, Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganaderia
Colegio de Veterenarios
2 km oeste del cemetario
Jardin del Recuerdo
Carretera Barrial de Heredia

Go to the caja (cashier) and ask for codigo C12

Open M-F 8 am – 3:30
For more info Maria Varela 2226-8300 x2024

Dated: May 22, 2009 Look for updates soon!

Traveling with Pets into the United States (by Carrie Jo from the CFS)
The Center for Disease Control
From http://www.cdc.gov/print.do?url=http%3A//www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dq/animal/index.htm
CDC regulations govern the importation of dogs, cats, turtles, monkeys, other animals, and animal products capable of causing human disease. Requirements for the importation of the most common pets are described below. Pets taken out of the United States are subject upon return, to the same regulations as those entering for the first time.
The CDC does not require general certificates of health for pets for entry into the United States. However, health certificates may be required for entry into some states, or may be required by airlines for pets. You should check with officials in your state of destination and with your airline prior to your travel date.
Restrictions on the importation of nonhuman primates, certain other animals, and certain animal products capable of causing more serious human disease are described under Restricted Animals, Agents, Hosts, and Vectors.
Specific Topics:
Bringing an Animal into the United States Requirements for importing pets, zoo animals, other animals, tips for traveling with pets
Frequently Asked Questions about animal importation
Additional Information about animal importation
News and Other Highlights:
Foreign Quarantine Regulations, Advanced Notice of Proposed Revision of HHS/CDC Animal Importation Regulations 42 CFR Parts 71.51 Public Comment now closed
Avian Flu Travel Information on CDC Travelers* Health site
Compendium of U.S. State and Territory Animal Import Regulations On the USDA site
Discussions Regarding Exotic Animal Importation, Sale, and Distribution: Summary of Information Presented at Public Meeting on May 18, 2006 (Federal Register notice; updated August 8, 2006)
Content Source: National Center for Preparedness, Detection, and Control of Infectious Diseases (NCPDCID) Page last modified: January 23, 2009
The Importation of Cats
The Center for Disease Control
From http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dq/animal/dogs.htm#cats
A general certificate of health is not required by CDC for entry of pet cats into the United States, although some airlines or states may require them.
Pet cats are subject to inspection at ports of entry and may be denied entry into the United States if they have evidence of an infectious disease that can be transmitted to humans.
If a cat appears to be ill, further examination by a licensed veterinarian at the owner's expense might be required at the port of entry.
Cats are not required to have proof of rabies vaccination for importation into the United States. However, some states require vaccination of cats for rabies, so it is a good idea to check with state and local health authorities at your final destination.
All pet cats arriving in the state of Hawaii and the territory of Guam, even from the U.S. mainland, are subject to locally imposed quarantine requirements

Traveling with Pets
Continental Airlines
From: http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/Continental_Airlines/pets.php
What methods of transport does Continental Airlines provide for my pet?
Travel in the passenger cabin.
Shipped as cargo in pressurized and temperature controlled area (PetSafe program).
Does my pet qualify for travel in the passenger cabin?
Pets that meet the following qualifications can travel in the passenger cabin:
You are traveling within the U.S. (for information about travel to Hawaii and other international destinations, contact Continental).
Your pet can comfortably remain in its kennel, under the seat for the entire flight.
Only domesticated dogs, cats, rabbits and birds pets are allowed.
Animals must be at least 8 weeks old.
The kennel is specifically made for animal carriage and does not exceed 22in x 14in x 9in/56cm x 36cm x 23cm (length x width x height) if you are in the Economy cabin.
If traveling in BusinessFirst, you will need to ask Continental about kennel size requirements.
Your pet has all necessary health documents required by your destination (see below for more information).
What health documentation is required?
While Continental Airlines does not require a health certificate for your animal, some States and Countries do require health documents. As it is the passenger's responsibility to be aware of all regulations, you should consult your veterinarian and the Department of Agriculture to ensure that your animal will comply with all requirements.
What are the fees associated with pet transport?
Fee for animal in the passenger cabin for travel to/from United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean: $125 one way
Fee for PetSafe: Contact Continental Airlines Live Animal Desk
Are there any other restrictions?
Continental Airlines can refuse to transport an animal due to illness, aggressive behavior or poor kenneling. Please contact the airline directly for information about traveling with a service animal.

In-cabin Pets
Continental Airlines
Continental allows domesticated cats, dogs, pet rabbits and household birds to be carried in the aircraft cabin on most U.S. flights within the U.S. An in-cabin pet may be carried in lieu of a carry-on bag and is subject to a $125.00 service charge each way ($250.00 for round trip travel). Pets can be booked online or by calling Continental Reservations for assistance.
For travel outside the U.S. with an in-cabin pet, contact Continental Reservations (800.525.0280 in the U.S.) for assistance and information about international in-cabin pet acceptance and service charges.
Pets must be carried in an approved in-cabin kennel. The pet must be able to move comfortably in the kennel (stand up and turn around). The kennel must fit completely under the seat forward of the customer and remain there at all times aboard the aircraft.Maximum hard case kennel dimensions are: 17" L x 12.5" W x 8" H (43 cm L x 32 cm W x 20 cm H).
In-cabin pet kennels may be available at Continental ticket counters for $55.00. The dimensions are 17" L x 12.5" W x 8" H (43 cm L x 32 cm W x 20 cm H).
In-cabin pet restrictions:
Only one pet per passenger is allowed in cabin.
One pet per flight is allowed in the front cabin (select aircraft only).
Four pets per flight are allowed in the Economy cabin on all Continental Airlines, Continental Micronesia, Continental Express and Continental Connection (except flights operated by Cape Air) flights.
One pet per flight is allowed in the Economy cabin for Continental Connection flights operated by Cape Air to/from San Juan, PR and within the state of Florida.
Pets are not permitted on flights operated by Cape Air dba Continental Connection to/from Guam.
Pets are not permitted in the BusinessFirst cabin of Boeing 757, 767 or 777 aircraft due to inadequate storage space under the seat.
Customers traveling with an in-cabin pet on a Boeing 757-200 aircraft must be seated by the window.
Customers traveling with an in-cabin pet may not be seated in the bulkhead or an emergency exit row.
Pets are not permitted on flights to and from Hawaii.
Pet must remain in the kennel at all times on board the aircraft.
Customer is responsible to determine and comply with all state entry requirements which may apply.
Advance arrangements must be made.
Pets under eight weeks old are not permitted.
Pet must travel on the same flight as the owner.
No oxygen will be administered to a pet in the event of an emergency.
Traveling with Animals
Continental Airlines
Helpful Travel Tips In-cabin Pets Kennel Requirements Procedures for Animal Shippers Rates Recommendations for Puppies Required Labeling Restrictions Traveling to the United Kingdom On-Airport Kennel at Houston (IAH)
Terms and Conditions
These pages are for informative purposes only and do not form a contract. As such, any information contained within this site is subject to change with or without notice. Continental assumes no liability for these changes. Continental also reserves the right to interpret and apply these policies and procedures. In each case, Continental's interpretations and applications shall be final and conclusive.

Shipping Pets as Cargo
Continental Airlines
From: http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/Continental_Airlines/pets.php
Continental is committed to providing a safe and comfortable travel experience for all of our customers, including pets. Because we share our customers' concern that their pets' flights are stress-free, we have enhanced our animal acceptance policy to transport pets as cargo. Our program is called PetSafe®. Under this program, Continental does not accept pets as checked baggage.
The program offers the following options:
Customers can track their animals online at Continental's cargo Web site, cocargo.com, throughout their journey.
Continental will continue to accept small pets for travel in cabin in applicable markets.
Continental's policy for service animals, such as seeing-eye dogs, has not changed, and they will continue to be welcomed on board or as checked baggage.
Pets can travel as QUICKPAK®, Continental's cargo service offering same day, airport-to-airport delivery with features designed to ensure an animal's comfort and safety.
Earn miles for transporting your pet.
Safeguards for Pets Traveling as Cargo
Continental's PetSafe program will allow pets that previously traveled as checked baggage to experience these safeguards when they travel as cargo, keeping them safe and their owners reassured:
Dedicated 24-hour Live Animal Desk (800.575.3335 or 832.235.1541)
Confirmed booking prior to departure
Weather conditions constantly monitored at all points
The ability to track and trace the animal from its origin to its destination
Personal handling in climate-controlled vehicles for connections over Continental's hubs when the animal will be exposed to temperatures above 85°F (29.5°C) degrees for more than 45 minutes
Continental recommends (but does not require) that SENIOR DOGS AND CATS (over 7.5 years old) receive a more extensive health examination (i.e. liver and kidney screens).
Does my pet qualify to be shipped as cargo through PetSafe?
If your pet does not meet the requirements for travel in the cabin or you would like your pet to travel unaccompanied, contact Continental Live Animal Desk at 1-800-575-3335 or 281-553-5052 for more information.
What is the PetSafe?
Dedicated 24-hour Live Animal Desk (1-800-575-3335 or 281-553-5052).
Confirmed booking.
Weather conditions constantly monitored at all points.
Ability to track and trace the animal from its origin to its destination.
Personal handling in climate-controlled vehicles for connections when the animal will be exposed to temperatures above 85 degrees (F) for more than 45 minutes.
What are the kennel requirements for PetSafe?
In addition to size and weight maximums, the USDA and Continental Airlines require that kennels meet the following requirements:
Be leak-proof and escape-proof.
Be properly ventilated, but not allow any part of the animal from protruding outside of the container.
Provide enough room for the animal to stand and turn around.
Be made of metal, wood, or a hard plastic/composite.
Contain absorbent material or litter.
Have functional handles on the kennel's exterior to prevent tilting and any direct contact with the animals.
Be closed securely, but not locked.
Have labels with the words "Live Animal" in letters at least 1-inch tall on the crate's top and on at least one side.
Have upright arrow labels indicating kennel's correct position.
Series 700 kennels that do not exceed 35in x 32in x 48in (length x width x height)
Earn Miles with PetPassSM
Earn OnePass miles through our popular PetPass program. OnePass members can earn one (1) OnePass mile for every dollar spent (including tax, fuel and security surcharges) when transporting a pet using Continental's acclaimed PetSafe service (in-cabin pets and service animals do not qualify for this program). Simply present your OnePass number at the time of booking your pet, and the miles will be credited to your account within 6 to 8 weeks.

PAWScostarica TODAY

TODAY

In this blog I had intended to mostly bring you up to date on our local project, but my heart wants to write about Nicaragua. Before I do that, I do want to tell you that we are planning our next spay/neuter clinic at the end of this month or the beginning of June, so start spreading the word. It will be pretty much the same as the last one, on a Friday and Saturday, at Jesus's. The cost is 8000 colones for dogs and cats, males or females. The animal must fast the night before. People call for an appointment at the veterinary clinic. We will be providing SOME, but very limited subsidies this time to those who can't afford to pay the full amount. If you have identified a street female dog/cat, please call me directly at 2645-5008. If you want to help with transportation, animal care, posting signs, walking in Bajo del Cementario (educating about the benefits of spaying), etc., please call me.

I just came back from a trip to Nicaragua. It made more determined than ever to dedicate my life to this project. I don't need to go into a lot of detail as most of you have gone there and know of the rampant poverty and ignorance. I just NEVER saw the level of disconnection from themselves that causes such a lack of empathy. The lack of empathy that allows someone to continue to load a starving horse who has a bone-deep sore on its left leg, putting a empty milk jug in between his legs (tied to the tail by wire) so the sore does not continue to grow as the legs of the horse buckle under the weight and extreme starvation causing them to rub against each other. I also cried holding a starving dog that approached me...as I was supposed to be enjoying this beautiful sandy beach, but all I could see and feel was the every single bone on this dog. Its eyes looked at me and I made him a promise. I would never stop trying to help.

I see no distinction between human suffering and animal suffering, as I see all of as a manifestation of life, of God, of Universal Energy. All SENTIENT beings. All connected. I am writing this not to make your day a miserable one, but to invite you to sign WESPA's (World Society for the Protection of Animals) Universal Declaration of Animal Rights. Just go to WESPA's web site. It takes a minute. By 2009, WESPA is hoping to have enough signatures to present to the United Nations and hope that this helps the whole world present a united front. We are no longer willing to be passive observers of unnecessary cruelty.

It also brings up an answer to a question that was posed to WESPA's leader (CEO or president or whatever his title is) when he visited Costa Rica a few year past. The question was something to the effect of "with so many people starving in the world, why should we care about animals?" I have pondered this question ever since. And of course everyone's answer will be different. But MY answer (my personal opinion) is that because it is all part of the same problem, the same disease, the same underlying cause. Apathy. A feeling that it is all too big, too awful, so why bother. What can one little person do? But what if it is one million little people? Would that change the world?

When we teach empathy and personal responsibility to a child, we teach him to feel as others would and to do whatever he can to help. When we teach that we are all responsible for the state of affairs of the world, we get in touch with our personal power. When we teach a child to feel helpless and hopeless and to to turn a blind eye to animal suffering, it is a SKILL we are teaching, an attitude, a way of life. This skill gets applied to others, to human beings as well. We then wonder how there can be starving children in the world. Because we believe that there is no other way and that we can do little about it. One of the reasons I admire many people here in MV is that they do not turn a blind eye to problems. They do what they can within their power; we are not asked to give up our lives. That is all is asked of us. And that is all it would take to heal the world. If half of us did this, all 3.25 billion of us did just this... what a woderful world this would be indeed. So here we are, using animals to teach the skills of compassion, empathy, love and personal responsibility that the world so badly needs to heal its wounds, including those of the human kind.

Also, next time you travel, SPEAK UP! Don't just go back to your life with sadness or anger in your heart. We have so much power. If monkeys are chained up or parrots are caged. Tell the restaurant or hotel owner that you will not come back or recommend them until they stop chaining, caging or otherwise restraining wildlife. Speak up about the conditions and treatment of their work animals. Speak up about the overpopulation of dogs and cats. Many places depend on tourism for their livelihood. What you say DOES count... over time and after hundreds of tourists speaking up, their keepers will change their ways.

until next time...

PAWScostarica History- The Middle

The "middle" of the history of PAWScostarica is like the middle of a big fat messy sandwich. There were so many ideas, so many things we tried, some flops (like the absolutely beautiful Cristmas stars that Mercedes Dias, Stuart and I spent hours making, but that made the Society no money), some small successes (a fund-raiser lunch a the Monteverde Friends School), a second spay/neuter clinic (29 animals), some adoptions, stopped one cruelty case, some education on an informal and more formal basis (mini-course an animal welfare at the Monteverde Friends School), etc.

And in the midst of it all, the meeting of a very special person named Roxane (and her husband Scott), who having just met me brief minutes before, very willingly volunteered to (on the spot) transport, house and care for two of our street dogs during the spay/neuter campaign! They also partially financially sponsored other animals. How incredible was that! She has now become one of our strongest supporters even though she lives in the States. Things were going so well... I did not know it was the calm before the storm.

I had taken a trip to the States, and when I came back Andrea was gone! She was in San Jose, in the process of moving there permanently as there were no jobs here for her nor for her husband. It was a period of serious re-organization deep within myself and within the Society. We used to get together to hammer out details about logistics of the spay/neuter clinics, of the problems and issues that came up with idividual aninmals/people, etc. We used to lean on each other for EVERYTHING! Now when I spoke of US, I knew I meant ME, or at least I felt that way. When I said that trainers or vets could come volunteer and stay at one of our houses in Monteverde, I knew I meant at MY house. I began to feel very alone and was beginning to lose faith. I started to disconnect from Andrea, and started to plan the website on my own.

It was a crisis for me. One day I came into the Monteverde Institute's library, where I am now and where I seem to "live" when my son is at school. It must have been the habit of working on The Project that must have brought me here that day (looking up what other animal welfare organizations were doing, what other web sites looked like, what the laws said, etc.), for I felt like giving up. There were so many issues, so much to do, and I felt all alone (although I never really was). I don't even remember how I got into a conversation with this super nice young woman named Kamila Rakhimova. She said she would try to help. Just like that. Out of the blue! Maybe this was the beginning of my internal re-organization. Somehow it dawn on me that this was actually an opportunity for PAWScostarica to expand (and for Andrea and me to grow as people). There are so many animals in San Jose also suffering. We could do more. So we regrouped. Yes, there are communication barriers and I miss her, but The Project goes on. As a result, she and I both have met other people who have been so helpful and just wonderful to be around (like Angie who helped with the spay/neuter clinic even though she was sleep-deprived and Eileen who housed and cared for one of our animals). Andrea's leaving was definately BAD TASTING medicine, but here we are, stronger and more determined than ever!

Next time I will tell you more specifics of where we are now, for this is where you come in. There are so many things to accomplish... I am so sure we can make this project an effective tool for changing our world.

PAWScostarica - The History

THE BEGINNING

They say love can move mountains, and it must be true, for I never in my life intended to write a blog... but my love for animals is so great, that I am being moved to do what I must do in order to make this project fly. If you are reading this you must know me and/or you must be interested in The Project (the animal welfare project here in Costa Rica). My goal is to connect with you, to let you know our progress, to get ideas, to give ideas if you are starting your own organization.

It really all started way before I got to Costa Rica. It started with the co-founder of PAWScostarica (Promotion of Animal Wellbeing Society), Andrea Mendez who, for many years before I arrived in Monteverde, had taken on the task of what is a community problem into her own hands. If a dog got run over, if someone dumped puppies, if a dog was starving or suffering, Andrea would get the call. This community is actually full of people who are doing amazing things for others, for conservation, education, etc. And many of these people have helped animals as well. But when as a newcomer I asked whom I should contact regarding the street animals, all hands pointed in Andrea's direction. So here I am, curious about this woman. Did she have unlimited time and resources to do this work?

I found Andrea working at La Pension Santa Elena, a safe haven for many dogs and cats. She was busy dealing with several tourists at one time, she looked up and smiled: "You must be Veronica", she uttered and motioned me to wait. I watched her. She was young, pretty, energetic, smart. Across the street was our meeting place, Chunches, the bookstore and only place in town where you can buy paper supplies, have lunch, use internet, and do laundry all in one! I learned she had a small baby, had no family around, was working part-time and her husband was in the United States. Her love for animals was tremendous. She COULD move mountains! I knew then, we had a partnership.

I went back to the States determined to come back. She said she could no longer do this alone.

My 5 year old son and I came back in August of 2008. By September there was our the first spay and neuter clinic (although there had been others in years past). We tried forming a Society or Foundation but the first took ten members' signatures and no matter how hard we tried, we could not come up with ten people to sign at the same time, the Foundation required a member from the government to be part, and we did not really know anyone in that position. Another animal welfare organization in Costa Rica recommended we form a Society (only required two people!), perfect! Andrea and I signed in November. We named it Sociedad para el Fomento del Bienestar Animal (we would have liked another name but some were taken already). In any case, the translation is great because my friend Jen Hiebert came up with the very catchy PAWScostarica acronym!

Later I will write about THE MIDDLE (and on a third blog I will tell you where we are now (building a website- here is where we could use your opinion).