Tides Canada’s CANDi Fund highlights the past year

Thank you so much for your support of CANDi in 2009. Because of you, we had a busy, exciting, and productive year: let me share some of the highlights.

After launching Project Cancun in early 2008, we were able to take this pilot program to the next level. In October, we held our second annual free spay/neuter clinic.  Thanks to our many volunteers, we sterilized almost 450 cats and dogs in two weeks. Other medical procedures were conducted as well. One dog had a growth removed from its lip, another had surgery to repair a broken femur, and still another had surgery to repair its eyelids.

We also rescued numerous abandoned dogs from imminent danger and facilitated their transport to new homes in the United States. One special rescue took place just blocks from the Cancun clinic where I found a skinny Doberman with a horrific open wound near his anus. (We were hoping that fate would see fit to give him a second chance.) At the clinic, his dangerously infected wound was surgically repaired. He was also treated for a hernia and his ears, which had been cut to make him look more ferocious, were mended.

A CANDi volunteer took the doberman back with her to California, where she planned to find him a forever home. But that plan changed when she decided to adopt him. Now named Segundo, he is 12 pounds heavier and full of love and appreciation. His is just one of many happy endings made possible by your support.

Unfortunately, CANDi wasn’t immune to the world economic crisis, which prevented our moving forward on some planned initiatives. But a new year brings new possibilities, and we are more committed than ever to making a difference for homeless animals. Despite the economy, we made excellent progress in many areas:

• We became the first animal group ever to be endorsed by the Canadian Association of Travel Agencies
• We expanded our Humane Partners program within Mexico and the Caribbean
• CANDi was featured as an example of a social change organization in Kathy LeMay’s book The Generosity Plan
• We lay the groundwork for an educational program in Canada, the United States, and Mexico

In 2009, I made it my personal mission to get out and develop the connections that we will need to make a seismic shift in the lives of stray cats and dogs. During many trips to Cancun, I worked to solidify our Humane Partners and earn the support of government officials.  In Acapulco, I attended a major travel conference and discussed partnership opportunities with different travel organizations. In the Dominican Republic, I worked with international animal organizations to develop long-term strategies. In Puerto Rico, I introduced the CANDi model to resort and hotel representatives, government officials, and travel association executives.

And no matter where I went, I never turned my back on an animal in need. In the Dominican Republic, I found a three-week old puppy dying on a beach.  She came home with me and after some good food and contentedly at my feet as I write this. She is healthy and safe and getting the love she deserves. In Puerto Rico, the CANDi team rescued six abandoned puppies and sent them on to our rescue network to find their forever homes. Again, your support made this possible.

What’s next for 2010?

In April, we are planning a landmark collaborative effort—a spay/neuter clinic in Cancun that will bring together local veterinarians, local government representatives, local animal welfare groups, and international animal welfare groups. The team plans to sterilize at least 450 cats and dogs, while also making inroads in veterinary training and humane education.

Vets from Humane Society International (HSI) will be there to teach their local counterparts how to perform high-volume sterilization procedures, and the head of education for the World Society for the Protection of Animals will be there to meet with government officials about introducing humane education programs in the school system.  Students from the local university and other community members will work with us to keep the clinic running smoothly. We plan to have at least one more clinic in Cancun during 2010.

We will also be unveiling CANDi’s e-newsletter, which seeks to provide you with updates on program development, strategy, new partnerships, and stories of hope. (Just go to our website to sign up.)

And we are working with another international animal group to develop a website where tourists can post their comments, concerns, and complaints about their experiences with homeless cats and dogs while on vacation. We know that the distressing conditions of stray animals can negatively affect the vacation experience—sometimes so much that the tourist decides never to return to a particular destination. The proposed database would give us quantitative evidence of this phenomenon and bolster our contention that tourism-based businesses willing to implement animal welfare programs will have a competitive edge.

So, despite the challenges of 2009, I am tremendously encouraged by the progress we made in laying the groundwork to realize our long-term goals. This progress would not have been possible without your support. With that continued support, I know we can make a difference in the lives of the world’s homeless cats and dogs in 2010 and beyond.

Warmest Regards,

Darci Galati
President/Founder