A few weeks ago I was in Cancun, Mexico volunteering again with CANDi International.   My job as their official volunteer photographer is to document the spay/neuter clinic and the street dogs of Mexico. 

The very first morning of the 6 day clinic, I set out to document the literally hundreds, if not thousands of street dogs.  It is here, in a working class neighborhood that a very special dog was found, that I later named Luna.  Luna was in a someone’s backyard,  emaciated, neglected. and clearly in desperate need of help.  She tugged at my heart and I knew, we CANDi International, had to rescue her.  I was with two local male volunteers who asked the owner to relinquish the dog, she said no to both of them.  I then pleaded with her to let me take Luna and get her the help before she died of her conditions.  For whatever reason, the owneragreed to give me the dog.  Back at the clinic, a volunteer vet diagnosed Luna with starvation and a treatable cancer.  Luna is undergoing treatment and chemotherapy in Mexico with local humane partners, Arutro Leon DVM, Isla Animals, and Hector Navarro.  Luna is responding well to treatment and is expected to make a full recovery.

Follow Luna’s story of Facebook

Please donate, do it for Luna and the thousands of dogs like her that need our help: Luna’s Story

I knew I wanted Luna to have a great home in Saratoga Springs, NY.  I put up a post on Facebook and within 15 minutes, Jenny, from Mamatoga, wanted to give Luna the loving home she deserved!

 Luna arrives in Saratoga Springs, NY, March 12-18th.  Her homecoming is Monday, March 18, 2013.  What a happy day it will be for Luna and Jenny’s family!

Luna truly touched my heart and taught me about: compassion, cruelty, love, hard work, and taking action for a cause.

About CANDi International:

CANDi International is a non for profit organization.  CANDi believes the answer to reduce animal overpopulation is sterilization and education and promotes these solutions through the support of tourism industry corporations and pet loving travelers. “100% of all donations to CANDi go to the animals to end their suffering in this vacation paradise,” says Darci Galati, founder of CANDi. 

Our Mission: “To save the lives of stray cats and dogs in Mexico and the Caribbean through spay, neuter, adoption and educational programs, supported and funded by the tourism industry, travelers and pet lovers.”

Statistics:

One unsterilized female dog and her offspring can produce 67,000 puppies in just six years and one unsterilized female cat and her offspring can produce as many as 425,000 kittens in seven years.

As the average wage of workers in Cancun is approximately $300 a month, allocating funding to the needs of stray animals is out of the question. Free sterilization clinics organized by CANDi and its partners are the only resources available to locals to control the stray animal population in their community. And unlike the U.S. and Canada, there are no animal protection laws or national animal protection organizations like the SPCA to promote animal welfare so the estimated millions of stray cats and dogs in Mexico are left to die starving in the streets or killed by inhumane methods such as electrocution, poisoning, and drowning.

To donate to this great cause, please visit CANDi International’swebsite, any size donation makes a difference: CANDi International

Thank you for caring!

much love,

t.