Fundacion Amigos de Animales Boquete was named Shelter of the Week by SPCA International, an organization dedicated to supporting the safety and well-being of animals worldwide.  This grant was given in recognition of the outstanding work that our organization is accomplishing and to support our continued efforts in improving the lives of animals in our community.  The award included a financial grant of $2,000 to FADAB and recognition of our work on their website. 

A huge THANK YOU to the Boquete Community for making the 2012 AMIGOS DE ANIMALES CALENDAR a success! We are delighted to report that we sold out and the profit donated to FADAB is $3,536.50.   

We sincerely appreciate all the efforts made by those involved in this project without whom it would not be possible to offer a product of which we are proud; particularly Tricia Daugherty who worked tirelessly to organize and coordinate the many aspects of the project (from rounding up photographers to organizing the Launch Lunch), Fran Hogan our graphic artist and Photoshop whiz; the patient photographers:  Michael Moore, Betty Dabney, Howard Hill, and Fran Hogan; "Dog Whisperer" Jennie Allen; super saleswomen: Carol Cardinale and Jennie in a different hat, also Kat Vann and Carole Newsome who did sterling selling at the TMMs.

The support from our advertisers and "sales-at-the-outlets" exceeded our expectations - so please give a thought to patronizing or recommending the following establishments in appreciation for their belief in us:

Mail Boxes, Etc.
Book Mark Dolega
Boquete Condo Homes
Cafe Art a la Crepe
Casa Solutions
Stephanie Jewelry Store
Curvas Bonita
Boquete Visitors Centre
Viajes David
Chiriqui Storage
Boquete Quality Properties
Boquete Outdoor Adventures
Farmacia Any
Habla Ya
Howling Success
Finca Santa Marta
El Oasis
Boquete Gourmet
The Haven Spa
Piggy Press Books
BCP
Big Daddy's
Jungla
Baru Bar
Eucraft
Vista Encanto Coffee
Oceano Cabanas, Costa Rica
 
We continue to receive tremendous service from our printer Omar Hassenieh of Impresos Modernos in David.  Locations and contact numbers can be found in the calendar.  Please check them out!

We also thank our sponsors and their stunning calendar stars - even the prima donnas! The proceeds from sponsorship and advertising cover the cost of printing so that every dollar from our "profit from sales" is donated to FADAB and will be used to improve the quality of life of our community pets.

We already have sponsors for almost ALL PET PAGES for the 2013 calendar. If you wish to add your star to our LIST, you should contact Alicia McGuigan at akcleavenger@hotmail.com    The cost of one page remains the same at $100.00 to immortalize your pet. For those of you who have already reserved a space we will be contacting you in April to initiate a schedule for payment,  photography etc.

Again, our sincere thanks to everyone from Amigos de Animales Boquete (calendar project).

On Sunday, the 29th of January, we were able to sterilize another 136 animals in our Boquete clinic, most of which were female dogs (78). Thanks to our many volunteers "old" and "new" the day went exceedingly well.

We had five great vets (two Americans, two Costa Ricans and one Panamanian) doing surgeries and several helpers in the operating room. Two dogs underwent surgery for tumors and we had one Cesarian birth event which produced 4 more potential puppies to sterilize.

A special salute to our "animal collectors" who take care of Potrerillos, Caldera, Boquete, Palmira and El Flor as they brought in 69 of the 136 animals sterilized, and thanks to the transportation workers and volunteers, the animals were safely transported to and from their locations in a timely manner. (Doug Tyler has volunteered to coordinate transportation and can be contacted directly at 6799-7855 if you can supply a truck or driver for the animal pick ups for the February 26 clinic).

Call Jessica for appointments at 6563-8686 or email boqueteanimales@gmail.com.

Also a special thanks to Nairn Kennedy and Theresa Joyce for their food contributions... YUM!

Right now, we are all gearing up for the big Bid4Boquete Bash coming up on the 11th and 12th of February. You still have time to clean those closets and bodega of any "stuff" you no longer need or want. Alicia McGuigan is our pick up person...6780-3565.

Please do not forget the special boutique sale this Sunday at the Amigos de Boquete office just around from Mike's Grill(formerly Tammy's) and right beside the Amigos de los Animales office. Lots of nice stuff prior to the Venta de Patio sale on the 12th of February!

New co-Presidents, Alicia McGuigan and Dottie Thompson look forward to working with all of you in the upcoming clinics. Together we are making a HUGE difference in animal welfare in Boquete and our surrounding communities!  www.fadab.org

On August 24, we were able to sterilize another 88 animals; 46 cats and 42 dogs.  That brings our total since 2005 to over 3500 animals. Many thanks to our volunteers, our vets and our "animal collectors" for their endless service.  Our next clinic is September 25 at the Amigos de los Animales office.  Call or email Jessica for an appointment.  6563-8686.   Our animal collectors are given the time-slot from 8:00 am to 10:30 am for the animals they bring.   All other sterilizations will be done after 10:30 am.  We want to honor those who have given so much time and energy EVERY clinic by saving a spot for them early morning.

On Sunday, our annual Venta de Patio sale brought in just over $5,000 for the continual sterilization of animals and creating feeding stations in our communities.  Thanks to the community of Boquete and surrounding areas for your great donations, our volunteers who worked the event, Jane and Laszlo for the use of their garage and Yari, Bert for cooking great hamburgers and fries, the bake sale donors and to all who spent days collecting, pricing, buying goodies and selling stuff!  Our Panamanian neighbors always look forward to this event and they were not disappointed.  Again, thanks to all! NEXT:  Bid 4 Boquete, in February....another way to participate in this wonderful community we call home.  Look for upcoming announcements for ways in which you can participate and help with your time, energy and of course, money! Together we are making a tremendous difference!

We had 65 scheduled... and 84 showed up plus 5 tumor dogs!  It was a long day..all the way to 7 p.m.  But, the volunteers stood strong and the vets stood even stronger!.  Thank goodness for all the help.  We terminated several pregnancies and fixed several female dogs  and cats who were ready to get pregnant.  It was an amazing day.  Thanks to Habla Ya for the new volunteers, thanks to the 4 vet students from Canada,  thanks to Boquete for the "old" and "new" volunteers and thanks to the animal collectors for the animals! 

We paid out much more than we took in and that is why we fundraise.  We always pay the vets $10 per dog and $5 per cat even if we do not get paid anything which seems to be often.  But that is why we are here.  We want to reach the Panamanian community and we are...thanks to all of you!

Our next clinic is August 28, 2011.  Call Jessica at 6563-8686 or email us for an appointment.  Some of you left our clinic in July because the lines were long and seemingly the vets were slow.  It is true.  A way of life for us.  We schedule you but you do not come as we schedule you...some are early, some are late, some are very late, some are very early.......BUT, we accommodate all of you for $10 per dog and $5 per cat even though it costs us twice that amount.  We ask for your patience and your understanding. 

If you do not want to come to our LOW COST clinics, please schedule with your personal vet to get your animals sterilized.  Every day, hundreds, perhaps thousands of animals suffer from non-sterilization.  They get tumors, they get pregnant, they get run over by cars, they starve, they die from parasites, they get killed in fights.   Please, Please, sterilize your animals.

And now for the coming events:  Wellness clinics in Caldera and Potrerillos, Saturday, August 6, 2011  Free vaccinations to prevent distemper, parvo and other debilitating diseases.  Donations for vaccines can be made to our Global Bank account.  Contact Judy Sacco for details at jwsacco@yahoo.com or Ruby at valjala2@gmail.com  Vaccines cost $3 each and there has been a recent outbreak in Caldera of distemper a KILLING, HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS disease.  We hope to vaccinate 200-300 in Caldera and 200 in Potrerillos.  Hopefully the disease does not reach Boquete town...Renew your vaccine for dogs NOW!

 To continue our quest..the Venta de Patio Sale
(Garage Sale)
bake sale, food and beverage sale..Sunday, September 4, 2011.  Watch for the notices from Snoopy.  And, of course, Bid 4 Boquete February 11 and 12, 2012...we need donations of goods and services.

Again, thank you Boquete for your continued support of Amigos de Animales.   We can and have made a significant difference!

Seventy four animals (42 dogs and 32 cats) were sterilized last Sunday!  Amazingly they keep on coming! Many of our volunteers were from Habla Ya, and many were our wonderful "normal" crew.

Thank goodness for all who helped in the clinic and a special thanks to Nairn Kennedy for continually supplying such good food along with Joanne Ettenes.  

Our next clinic is July 31 at the Amigos office. Please contact Jessica at 6563-8686 for appointments or email her at boqueteanimales@gmail.com  We have sterilized over 3000 animals in the last 6 years and it looks like we still have a bunch to go!

We also need your help for our Venta de Patio Sale on August 14.  We need your stuff!   Drop it at TMM, Curvas Bonita or  the home of Jane Vasarhelyi  720-2233.  Volunteers, contact Alicia McGuigan  6780-3565 or email  akcleavenger@hotmail.com.   We will be selling plants, baked goodies, food, and of course, all your stuff at our Venta de Patio Sale.

Together we are making a tremendous difference in the lives of the citizens of Boquete, two-legged and four-legged!

This is an alert from the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association. We know some of our clients buy chicken jerky treats for their dogs. The questionable ones are made in China. Please be wary.  Here's the notice.   Recently, several veterinarians in Ontario have reported cases of dogs that have been showing signs similar to Fanconi syndrome. All dogs in the reported cases had been fed chicken jerky treats that were manufactured in China.Signs of Fanconi syndrome can include decreased appetite, decreased activity, vomiting, and increased water consumption and/or increased urination. Blood tests may show increased urea nitrogen and creatinine.  Urine tests may indicate Fanconi syndrome (increased glucose). The problem is that this can be confused with diabetes.  If you suspect this condition, please have your pet examined.

We have new FADAB shirts!  They are part of our ongoing fundraising projects and are available at the Tuesday Morning Market and at CURVAS gym in alto Boquete.  $15 each..... get yours ASAP! (Blue only.)

Under our DOCUMENTS tab is a downloadable file covering the new law against domestic animal abuse.  A translation to English is forthcoming.