On top of the great accomplishments of the Operacion Compasion pet sterilization clinic held April 17-19 in San Juan Cosala, the sponsor organization truly lived up to its name in the heart-warming story of Diana, an injured street dog that came out of the program in fine fettle and a new home to boot.
The sweet-natured Labrador Retriever mix was brought into headquarters for the free spay and neuter procedures on Sunday, April 19 by Jocotepec resident Maria del Refugio “Cuquis” Olmedo who had nursed the injured pup after rescuing it from the street two weeks earlier. She found the dog unable to walk due to a large wound on its hind quarters apparently caused by being hit by a car. While waiting for Diana to go through surgery, Olmeda shared her experience with Maria Rojas Reading, another of the clinic’s clients.
Moved by the sad story and concerned that the disabled dog would be hard to place in a permanent home, Rojas Reading opened her heart to become the dog’s adoptive human companion. After gently comforting the dog as she recovered from the spay procedure and follow-up treatment for her injury, she took Diana off to her new digs in San Pedro Tesistan to enjoy plenty of TLC and a happy life in the company of two other canine playmates.
Modeled after Chapala’s highly successful Operacion Amor pet sterilization program, the Operacion Compasion project was launched just over one year ago to serve Mexican families of limited means in the municipality of Jocotepec. While 121 animals were handled during last year’s campaign, vets brought aboard for the 2015 clinic whipped through 170 procedures in three days, ending the reproductive life of 42 cats and 128 dogs.
Program coordinators Dee Mistrik and Linda Hines and Jocotepec vet Dr. Leilani Ortiz, the clinic’s medical director, expressed deep gratitude to doctors Jose Luis Cruz, Adolfo Reveles and Leonardo Rodriguez who flew in from Mexico City under the auspices of the Haghenbeck Foundation to lead the highly efficient surgical team. Special thanks were also extended to Genoveva Villaseñor Parra of the Pro-Mexico Women’s Association who provided the group’s San Juan facility as a venue for the clinic; Amalia Garcia, Cameron Peters, Bob Strand and other advisors from Operacion Amor; Anita’s Animals for lending animal crates; more than 30 volunteers who helped register, prep, groom and watch over the four-legged patients; the responsible pets owners who signed up for the program; and everyone who has supported the project’s fund-raising activities.