Dogs in Haiti

In about 10 days, I will be in India. So whatever I write here is also to console myself when my mirror neurons goes haywire looking at the plight of stray dogs there. Even amongst so much suffering, I see dogs bringing comfort to so many people in Haiti. When someone lost their whole family, they find comfort in the eyes on the dog sleeping next to them in the street. I have seen this pretty much everyday in India expect I was oblivious to that special bond then. Report on the plight of dogs and other animals in Haiti:

"Owners want to help their pets and livestock, but they have little to give. With 1.5 million people still living in tents and the nation in the middle of hurricane season, animals are the lowest priority, animal rescue groups say

But animal welfare groups are hopeful that in time they can actually give the nation and its people something it didn't have before the earthquake -- equipment, training and an awareness that animal welfare is critical to their own survival.

Days after the earthquake, the two non-profits created The Animal Relief Coalition for Haiti (ARCH), with a dozen other animal rescue groups to provide more than $1.1 million in aid to the Haitian government over the next year, including:

• A team of Haitian vets to reach the hardest hit areas with antibiotics, vaccinations and other treatments for animals that in many cases had never been seen by a doctor. Since January, the ARCH mobile clinic has treated 30,000 pigs, goats, dogs, cats and other animals.

• Solar-powered freezers and refrigerators to store temperature-sensitive vaccines in rural areas without electricity, along with coolers that will fit on the back of motorcycles, horses or bicycles for mobile veterinarians.

• Haiti's first census of dogs and cats to determine the level of care they are receiving, people's attitudes toward companion animals and the risk of rabies and other diseases to humans.

• A public awareness campaign to educate families about disaster planning. Last month, public-service announcements began airing a speaking dog telling families to take them along if they have to evacuate.

"Any emergency plan is better than no plan," Huertas said. "We're just asking them to include their pets."

Separately, The Christian Veterinary Mission has promised laptops and projectors for mobile veterinarians to give presentations on animal care.
In addition, Humane Society International has spent $400,000 in Haiti and pledged more than $1 million over the next five years. It has begun planning an animal care and veterinary training center in Croix-des-Bouquets and is also working to establish spay-neuter and vaccine clinics.
 
Best lines I have read so far this week:

"The children have to start to understand ... if you treat the animals well, that's a way to protect yourself."