The Ayuda family of humans and animals has much to be thankful for this year. We surpassed our 2012 goals for sterilizations and vaccinations at the beginning of November! With 3 more mini clinics scheduled for December in the villages of San Marcos, Panajachel and San Pedro, we can safely project that the Ayuda team will have sterilized nearly 500 animals during 2012.
Combo and rabies vaccination numbers are through the roof for both dogs and cats, as are the numbers for parasite treatments and emergency services.
In addition to the remarkable medical achievements, it’s also been a record-breaking year for adoptions. We continue to practice CTRM for many of our roaming adult animals. Animals which are too young, too infirm, or too old (and sometimes too silly) to have a quality of life on the streets are also cared for through our foster homes until permanent homes are found. We love receiving feedback from our adopters like this note from M.W.:
All it took was a brief visit to Kelly’s for a haircut. Besides being a hairdresser Kelly is also an Ayuda foster mom. I’m already a mom to a very large Akita mix named Toto who is getting on in age. But I must have been missing the affection of a smaller dog that day because, lo and behold, there was Salsa (her name was Elsa then). It didn’t take much for her to win my heart and Salsa moved in with us a couple days later.
Toto, on the other hand, was not enamored quite so quickly. She was even intimidated by little Salsa’s insistence on using her bed as well as eating her food. Shocking! Who would have thought such a grand dog would yield to a little one!
Now, 3 weeks later that is all solved and they are rarely apart and with the cold winds having set in, Toto has been driven indoors at night to sleep on her own wool blanket again. Meanwhile, I hate to admit it, Salsa has abandoned her own blanket and has taken up evening and night residence on my living room couch – yes, even with me there lovin’ on her!
Every year, every month, every week, every day Ayuda’s unpaid volunteers are improving the lives of Lake Atitlan dogs and cats. BUT we cannot do it without your help. Every donation we receive goes only towards the animals we care for. Our costs include professional fees for veterinarian services, and the purchases of supplies such as vaccines, food, and parasite treatments. Please help us by making a donation through our Paypal link . Thank you! 
AYUDA - for the Health of Dogs and Cats in Guatemala 