Gorgona Spay Day-2011

How do you measure success? Is it by the numbers? If so, then Spay the Strays in conjunction with Spay Panama succeeded in spaying or neutering 215 animals within about 12 hours this past weekend in Gorgona. That means we prevented literally millions of unwanted births, if each animal had lived for six years and produced offspring who also produced offspring. And Spay Panama measured success by sterilizing its 32,000th animal on Saturday evening! The Spay the Strays Group is proud of having been a small part of this accomplishment!

Do you measure success by the development of a deeper sense of community? Well then, over the course of three exhausting shifts in hot, miserable, dirty conditions, 30 volunteers came together with one common goal. Sheila said it best when she said that it takes a special kind of person to do this. Although it could not be called fun, I think each person had a sense of accomplishment in doing a job that, as Greg said, "HAS to be done". To all of you, we are eternally grateful!

If success is measured in customer satisfaction, then take a moment to look at the photos that are included. Owners stood patiently for hours in the hot sun while their "best friends" waited their turn. Afterwards, huge smiles and hugs were all the reward we needed!

As a side note, Spay Panama does not have a mission to TREAT animals - their mission is only to sterilize them. But, three pets came to us with large tumors. One female had tumors throughout her nipples. In each case the animal would have died without intervention, so Spay Panama went way above and beyond! The female was given a total mastectomy on her right side (see photos). The owners were given explicit instructions for post-surgery care and their "family members" have a good chance for survival. Spay Panama’s work day in and day out in the poorest of communities is nothing short of heroic! They don’t just help the animals, they help the people who love them!

Mary, Sheila, Barb (Spay the Strays)