In Memoriam

SPANKY

1995-2003

 

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown..

Ten years ago today we said  Adiós.

 

Oh yes, we didn't play dress up with Spanky. 

The cow sweater shots were from her knitwear modeling days!

Spreading The Word

Thanks go to those that came by to say hello at Toronto - Cuba Friendship Day.

We spread the word about our work in Cuba.

Dra.Evelyn, Me, Dr.B, Sherry

This was the "unofficial" kick off to our 10th Anniversary.

Going into our tenth year of "Helping Cubans Help Their Animals" we need your support.

 This was an opportunity to share ways donations can be made.

Click here to donate through the

 MACKENZIE-PAPINEAU MEMORIAL FUND.

Please note Spanky Project on the "message/instructions line"

As alway the food and music were mighty fine.

Our neighbours on the day were the Therapeutic Clown Cuba Project.
Truly wonderful caring people doing great work.

By the end of the day I felt great.

Visit

Toronto-Cuba Friendship Day

 

  This is always an enjoyable event.

Spanky Project will have an information table and we would love to meet you.

Come and see us at Nathan Philips Square - Toronto´s City Hall - between 2 pm and 8 pm.

Dr.Belovich of Yonge Street Animal Hospital will be joining us...

 ... as will Cuban veterinarian Dra. Evelyn Gomez.

Sharon of Mackenzie-Papineau Memorial Fund will be in attendance. 

She is the one that writes the charitable tax receipts for your donation cheques.

With Paypal suspending our account fundraising totals have been negatively affected.

We have two campañas slated for October and December.
Your support is needed.

If you cannot attend.

Donations by cheque or money order can be sent to ...

Mackenzie-Papineau Memorial Fund
Attention - Sharon Skup
56 Riverwood Terrace
Bolton, ON L7E 1S4
Canada

Please write Spanky Project on the memo line.

New Partners

In July of 2012, the Spanky Project came to know a specialized veterinary group working in Havana.

Headed by Dr. Juan Carlos Rodriguez Arrocochea DMV, 
 the Laboratorio de Patología y Cirugía Experimental
- ( Pathology and Experimental Surgery Laboratory) –
is located in the Hospital de Oncología y Radiobiología situated in Vedado, Havana

Through an interview with our wonderful coordinator in Havana, Susana Hurlich, we found out it was a group which we could assist and collaborate.
Our first collaboration was a Fine Needle Biopsy presentation and workshop.

 Juan Carlos introduced Dr.Michael Belovich to those in attendance.

Dr.B's Powerpoint presentation, "Biopsia con Aguja Fina", was well received.

Our host venue was Quinta de los Molinos.

  With Alexandra Oppmann our Oncology Project Coordinator translating, theory was covered before we crossed the street for a hands-on workshop.

Every Friday morning Juan Carlos consults at the countries largest veterinary clinic on Carlos III.

When a possible case of cancer is suspected at Carlos III, Juan Carlos refers them to the Lab for a detailed diagnosis, treatment and follow-up--- the Lab deals primarily with referred cases.

  Juan Carlos prefers to do the follow-up consultations at the Lab. 
At the Lab, it’s much calmer and more focused than Carlos III
 therefore patients are less apt to experience stress.

Much of the work that Juan Carlos does at Carlos III is taking BAAF samples. 
These samples are then analyzed at the lab.

Up until now, the Lab had received no assistance from outside the country.
It was our pleasure to deliver an Oster Clipper. 
Until this new acquisition, the shaving of patients was done using a bare safety razor blade.
Along with the clipper, various reagents for testing samples and Coplin Jars were donated.

In October 2008, the first consultation in the field of veterinary oncology took place at Hospital de Oncología y Radiobiología.

Operating within the hospital, the new Laboratorio de Patología y Cirugía Experimental(Pathology and Experimental Surgery Laboratory) is dedicated to veterinary care.

During the care of these loved pets many lessons are learned that can be applied to human cancer treatments.

Juan Carlos acknowledges receipt of the donation.

In June 2013, we again met with Juan Carlos and Dra. Lilibeth Calaña Seoane.
We furthered our planning for a research project into Transmissible Venereal Tumors (TVTs) and ways of reducing their occurrence.

 This collaboration with Juan Carlos and his team means a lot to me.
It will be ten years ago this September when we said goodbye to Spanky due to liver cancer.
Having the opportunity to help Cuban animals battle and survive cancer brings a joy beyond compare.
Please support this collaboration if cancer has touched you and your furry family member.
Donations can be at
Canada Helps.

  ¡Felicitaciones to Alex and the Oppmann crew!!!!

A new member is joining their team

PayPal "Feezes" Us Out.

 PayPal has limited our account.
Donations can no longer be made via PayPal.
I have quested their email at the end of this post.

We believe PayPal is in the wrong on a number of levels

We will keep you posted as we work our way through the "freezing" of our account.

 

Here are some alternatives to PayPal.

Donations by cheque or money order should be sent to ...

Mackenzie-Papineau Memorial Fund
Attention - Sharon Skup
56 Riverwood Terrace
Bolton, ON L7E 1S4
Canada

MAC PAPS is a Canadian charitable organization.
Their registration and details can be found here
Canadian Registered Charities -Detail Page
 (Revenue Canada Charitable registration#88876 9197RR0001)

Make your cheque payable to the "Mackenzie-Papineau Memorial Fund" and please write "Spanky Project" on the memo line.
In Canada
Interac e-Transfer is available to send a donation.
No tax receipt will be issued.
You can do this through your on-line account.
The email address to provide is
donations@spankyproject.org
Don’t forget to send us the answer to the “security question”.

Here is what they wrote:

There's an issue with your account
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Dear Terry Shewchuk,

As part of our security measures, we regularly screen activity in the
PayPal system.

PayPal's Compliance Department has reviewed your account and identified
activity that is in violation of United States regulations administered by
the Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

PayPal is committed to complying with and meeting its regulatory
obligations. One obligation is to ensure that our customers, merchants, and
partners are also in compliance with applicable laws and regulations,
including those set forth by OFAC, in their use of PayPal.

We are very sorry but PayPal is no longer able to have you as a customer.
While we wish you the best of success in your future business endeavors, we
respectfully ask that you seek another method of payment for your online
transactions. 

Various U.S. agencies have sanctions in place that substantially regulate
or ban trade with particular countries, including but not limited to Cuba,
Sudan, Iran, Burma and North Korea. Activity within your account is in
violation of OFAC regulations. As a result of the violation, details of
your account and the transaction have been reported to OFAC.

For more details about U.S. sanctions regulations, you can visit OFAC's
website at
http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Pages/default.aspx.

Sincerely,

PayPal Compliance Department

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This email was sent by an automated system, so if you reply, nobody will
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Day Off?

 On this Sunday we were "mandated" a day off.

It was... Election Day.

"Exercise your right to vote and vote early"

Spanky Project's Gladys Morales was working at one of the polling stations.
We were invited to visit.

 

For some news on those elections have a look at this article in  

Granma, the newspaper of Cuba's Communist Party.

After our polling station visit it was off to Cementerio de Cristóbal Colón.

 Colon is the final resting place for many famous Cubans.

The likes of writers Alejo Carpentier , Dulce María Loynaz'.

Famed revolutionary photographer Alberto Korda.

Buena Vista Social Club members,
Ibrahim Ferrar, Ruben Gonzalez and Pío Leyva.

It is also home to the living.

Actually, the whole day we were just killing time until some special guests arrived

Stephanie - Courtney - Leslie - Shelley

Four VetTechs from Southern Ontario.
Steph and I have been in contact for years.
She has a love of Cuba and animals.
She is now set with her second career as recent Vet Tech graduate.
She told me a few years ago that once she graduated
she was going to work with the
Spanky Project in Havana.
She kept her promise.
They generously took two days out of their beach vacation to spend working with us in Havana.
Even thought they got bumped from Hostal Los Frailes and had to spend the night at the Hotel Florida they were a happy gang.

They were also kind enough to haul three bags

 I had pre-packed for them.

Toronto - Varadero - Havana.

Good Morning Havana!
We were up and out at the crack of dawn to head to 

Talapiedra Cochero Garage.

After the group shot and the opening of the gates ...

...  we paired Courtney, a farrier before her Vet Tech career, 

with Talapiedria's "herrero".

Hoof care and related matters were discussed with Gladys providing the translations.

Outside the Cocheros and their horses began to arrive.

Quite the crowd amassed as Dr.Travers and  Dr.Belovich 

oversaw the treatment of the horses.

 At the end of the treatment session we had a get together.

The Cocheros had an opportunity to express some of the day to day

concerns they have for their horses.

The Cocheros gave us a ride back to Plaza de San Francisco or

 as the locals call it "Plaza de las Palomas". 

There we caught taxis to the clinic.

After arriving Emma gave an orientation to the crew.

 

 Leslie and Steph in the "prep room"
Pet cats get their nails clipped - colony cats don't.

We celebrated Dra.Rocio's Birthday with a cake thanks to Frank.

She put her surgical skills to work by cutting us all a piece.

On this day we dewormed 65 horses and sterilized 58 cats.
Certainly a reason to dance.

Shelly being experienced in neuters did a few for us.

Day two, with our four Canadian Techs, saw another 40 cats sterilized.

At the end of the day Courtney, Stephanie, Leslie and Shelley headed back to the beach. 

Their volunteer time with us was much appreciated by all. 

I hope they join us again.

OAVT continuing education credits are available to Vet Techs that work with us.