During my trip to Asia some good news was received.
“Success!! Shaggy arrived in the UK on Saturday afternoon., 17th Nov. I am now a happy, excited owner of a dog once again. “

By the sounds of it the process was not an easy one

“What a drama Operation Shaggy has been. Amparo and I spent all day going from place to place in a taxi. I needed official permission from the head of the vetinerary clinic in Habana, followed by legal validation of her signature at another office in another part of Habana. The rest of the day was spent at the airport, gathering all the other bits of paper to be signed and stamped. Amparo and I thought that was the end of it and the day of the flight would be easy. Wrong again! Another whole day was spent at the airport running from one office to the other - to the Customs office 3 times, an examination by the airport vet, paying for one thing in one office and another in another office. We were exhausted. Even Amparo was confused at the end of the process, and she speaks the language. I had 13 official stamps on my papers! She said it must be easier to move an elephant that it was to get one little dog to the UK. I could never have done it on my own.”


Sound like the exit process for pets could be streamlined a little. I think this is something we can work on.
All the best to Marilyn and Shaggy.

Asian Musings

I'm back home and trying to get into my home time zone. During my trip I observed less stray street dogs than I expected. Dogs in the streets seemed to have collars for the most part and seemed to be in good shape. Contrast this with Cuba where the sight of a dog with a collar is a rarity and the physical condition of the strays is painful to see. Part of the reason for the lack of street dogs may be that Thit Cho (dog meat) is a part of some diets. We heard from our group leader that dog meat is imported into Vietnam from Laos and Thailand. Below find a loved dog on the border of Thailand and Cambodia. This stone relief carving was spotted at Angkor Wat, Cambodia. It depicts dog fighting and was carved in the 12th century.

View From The Road

Sorry for the gap in posting but I’ve been on a bit of a trek.
The posting is coming from Hoi An, Vietnam. I am in week two of a three week journey from Bangkok through Cambodia to Saigon then north to Hanoi with a few stops.
Here are some photos taken along the way.


Bangkok cat sunning near a Budhist temple.

Resident dog Bangkok Protestent Cemetery

Heartgard Plus Donation

Thanks to the generous, group, individual, company, whose name would not be revealed to me, for the generous donation of Heartgard Plus.
I traveled to Toronto yesterday where I was presented with 290 six month treatments of HeartGard Plus.
Heartgard is an Ivermectine based product for the prevention of Heartworm. The Plus portion is Pyrantel with takes care of a number of parasites.

The next step is to get the supplies to Cuba.
If your located in Canada, traveling to Havana and have some space in your luggage I would love to hear from you.


*due to the temperature sensitive nature of Heartgard I cannot ship via courier or post during winter months.
If you are in Southern Ontario contact me and we can make some arrangement.

Wish List Wednesday

Here we go with Wish List Wednesday.

Please do not restrict yourself to the listed items. Everything is in need so look for sales in your area.
I have provided links to sources in various countries. If you come across a deal let me now and I may post it.

The last item on the list, an "animal marker kit", is needed urgently.
The company will ship only to the billing address of the credit card used for the purchase.
If you live in the USA and can purchase and deliver this item to Havana I will reimburse you once delivery is confirmed.

A similar arrangement can be made for Canada but the importation from the USA creates additional costs.



Australia
All Wormer


USA
Ivomec 1% Injectable

Permectrin II
Provides long-acting killing power for flies, lice, mites, ticks, fleas and mosquitoes

Bio Spot Pyrthrin Dip
4oz bottle makes 8 gallons of dip.


UK
Source for wormers

Drontal Plus All Wormer

Capstar


YOUR LOCAL DOLLAR or PET SHOP
6' nylon dog leashes
nylon collars
Dog and cat crates and carriers of ALL sizes

BIGGER TICKET ITEMS
Animal shaver with detachable surgical blade. ie Oster A5 Golden (110V) #40 blade, Andis MBG2 Pro-Animal Clipper Kit.

Animal marker kit ie Spaulding Electric Tattoo Animal Marker(110V)

Time For A Bath

Shaggy is now in the care of a Vet in Trinidad. Early reports are that with some loving care all will be well.
I believe a bath is the order of the day for the little guy.




Soon after Shaggy was in the foster care of the Vet, Marilyn was on the telephone to Julio for some first hand reports.Now comes the logistics of arranging for Shaggy’s trip. In an email I received Marilyn stated, “The licence and other documents which our Government needs are complete and I have made a reservation at the quarantine premises near my home."
In Trinidad Julio and the Vet will take care of whatever paperwork they can and my contacts in Havana will ease the way before departure.

Marilyn has booked passage to Cuba and is slated to be in Trinidad November 8th.
Traveling with her will be veterinary supplies and meds, all of which are in short supply in Cuba.

Could it be?

It doesn't get any better than this on Wish List Wednesday.

Julio took the photos I sent and put them to paper for distribution to some friends around the Plaza Mayor area.
Shortly after distribution Julio received a call about a possible Shaggy sighting.
These photos were taken in Trinidad so the UK could confirm the ID.

What do you think? Is this Shaggy?





Confirmation came today that this is in fact Shaggy.
It looks like the six months on the streets have been rough.

The next stop will be a visit to the Vet and a home stay with a Protectora both of whom are working with the Spanky Project..
Once the health of the dog is accessed plans will begin for a trip to Cuba to pick up Shaggy for a life in the UK.

Stay tune for further developments