2015 British Columbia
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DAY 0- Northwestern British Columbia HERE WE COME!
Three veterinarians. Six veterinary technicians. Five animal loving assistant volunteers. All about to converge in Fort St. James and Hazelton, British Columbia to provide volunteer veterinary services. It’s the Northwest British Columbia CAAT Project 2015! And the blog is now officially back in action to share our experience.
I first learned about CAAT reading an informational flyer in the waiting room at my local vet. As a life-long pet owner, this organization’s work really resonated with me. If you aren’t already familiar with CAAT, here’s a little background to get you up to speed:
There are countless pet owners in communities in Canada with dogs and cats that are not sterilized, not vaccinated and do not have access to minimal health care. They are either in very remote locations with no access OR the owners are not able to afford to travel to a veterinary clinic (often a fair distance) or pay for the services.
Volunteer veterinary CAAT teams travel to these communities and set up a temporary (MASH-like) clinic right in the host community. Providing these services assists the animals, the community as a whole and also dramatically reduces the burden on organizations that are trying to rehome animals every year. CAAT recognizes that education is also a vital element to any comprehensive population management program in order to make a long-term change. During Animal Health Care Clinics, CAAT provides an education program that includes dog safety lessons for the children, one on one information sharing with pet owners and the provision of teachers aides for continued humane education initiatives.
When I opened the email confirming that I would be on the NWBC team, I actually squealed. Now instead of reading about CAAT on a bench at the vet while giving my dog the occasional “don’t you dare get up from your down stay” glare, I get to help make a difference. I’m not sure exactly what I’ll be doing on the team yet, but book mark this page and come back to join me in exploring the wonder of the CAAT projects:
– Patient profiles, of course accompanied by adorable photos.
– What kind of MacGyverisms are necessary to provide vet services on the road?
– Meet the team members.
– How does a newbie fit into the team?
– Get to know the patients’ owners and their communities.
– Are there rules in place to keep me from adopting any and all homeless dogs we encounter? (My husband really hopes the answer is yes.)
– How do relationships develop with the communities we visit?
We leave for Fort St. James today – stay tuned!
written by Sarene Bourdages, new CAAT member!