Newsletter July 2019 Amigos de Animales Boquete

[NewsLady]

 

 

On Sunday June 30, Amigos de Animales spayed or neutered 233 animals – 122 dogs and 111 cats. We had 5 wonderful vets working and plenty of volunteers, including some of our friends from Puerto Armuelles and some students from the Guadalupano School. It was a very busy long day but it all went just as it should have, smooth and steady.   We were lucky to have Nicholas Mellana with us again after a few months’ absence. His calm presence makes a big difference to the animals he treats in triage and the volunteers alike. Registration started breaking in the new system This was also the day when we started going live with our computerizing of registration and medications. The first day of the trials went very well, though it was not without its glitches as is to be expected on the first day of a new system. Registration had already started breaking in the new system, telling anyone who contacted Magaly for an appointment that they had to register online and once that was completed, Magaly called them back with their registration number. Sometime in the future that last step will be eliminated and the registration number will be automatically generated. But poco a poco! We are already light years ahead of where we were a few months ago. We now have computer generated pre-printed tags as well. These tags are started from the information received from the initial registration forms. According to the time the person checks in, they will then get a clinic registration number that will stay with the animal throughout the process. This number is different from the confirmation number received from Magaly. Then, once inside, another change is taking place. After the animal is weighed at Intake, the weight is entered into the program specific to that animal and this automatically computes the medications needed at each station. All the formulas have been computed and entered so that no more manual consulting of the different medication formulas is needed. As always, the tag and the animal’s number is extremely important and follows them from beginning to departure. We appreciate everyone’s patience while we continue to finalize this exciting process. Many thanks to Andy Mitchell for all the time and effort he has put into bringing this program to Animales. This is a man who saw a problem and turned it into an opportunity and actually did something. We have long talked about streamlining our procedures, and Andy actually did it! Also, thanks to Cary and Mary and Magaly in Registration who kept things moving along despite the initial confusion. And thanks to Fran Hogan who has taken on the task of entering all the information once the animal is weighed. The weight is critical as that is what generates all the following calculations. Also thank you to Karen Salacki who took on the role of Andy’s unofficial assistant. These are some interesting and useful facts from Andy’s June report. I have always only been able to record the total number of animals, dogs or cats. Now we know that 30% of the animals were males and 70% were females. Of that, 30% were male dogs and 32% were male cats. And the average age of the animals was 1.32 years. 88% of the animals were brought in by owners and 12% by collectors (Carmencita has been away!). We know the progress hour by hour of the animal going through. All this is great information for our planning purposes, plus we can see where and why the holdups were at any given time. I always like to check in with the first-time volunteers get their impressions and see if they are planning to return. One man told me he would for sure be returning, that this was the “best food” he had had since moving to Boquete! Thank you, Jane. And thanks to everyone who works in the clinic. Those who bring food, work with the animals, prepare food, clean up after the clinic, and so many other things that go on before, during, and after the last Sunday of the month. AND SPEAKING OF CARMENCITA Here she is with Joan James in Canada In other Animales News. Fundacion Amigos de Animales Boquete is now Asociacion Amigos de Animales Boquete. This is a huge step for us, we are now recognized as a registered not-for-profit in the Republic of Panama; donations to us from Panamanian businesses or individuals now qualify for tax breaks, similar to the 501(C)(3) in the United States. But mostly, it is recognition for the work we do here in the Boquete area. We keep the streets clean and safe and the animals under control and enhance the livability and desirability of living in Boquete. Special Thanks to Cynthia Slade for the beautiful photos. To register – very important – Register Online, contact Magaly at boqueteanimales@gmail.com or 6563-8686 for phone or whatsapp. Register here for the Clinic Trivia is back at Animales!!!  After a long absence Trivia Night will once again be held at the Animales Events Center.  We will be starting up again on Tuesday July 30;  doors open at 5, game starts at 6.  Same challenging questions, same fun night of questions and answers.  Get your team together and join us on July 30, and every other Tuesday night from then on.  Great food and drink will be available as well. Hope to see you all there!