2nd Trip to Chaihuin

Once again it has been some time since I wrote. We have been super busy with a number of projects and continuing to help in the earthquake/tsunami affected areas. So I’ll get going on you update right away, and check back shortly for the next update from Erik- our volunteer on our first trip to Dichato where the tsunami hit!

On the weekend of March 27^th, we went out to Chaihuin, Cadillal Alto and Cadillal Bajo again to vaccinate and deworm the community dogs, and to give talks to the dog owners about public health concerns regarding dogs, and the disease risks that free-roaming dogs pose to local wildlife. This time we set up in the local Posta (like a community health centre) in Chaihuin, and then went out to a community centre in Cadillal Alto, and one team went house to house in Cadillal Bajo (because it’s so small!). It was a success, and lots of people were interested in the talks, asked a lot of questions and provoked some interesting discussions.

This time two of the the Policlinico Movil students came with us from UACh, and they helped tons! Here is Lady taking blood from one of the dogs:

And Dr. Alejandro Aleuy from UACh weighing one of the dogs on the nurses scale!

And César giving talks to the farmers in Cadillal Alto:
And of course, our mode of transportation was the boat again:

I think the best thing was going back to the same community, recognizing the people and their dogs, and being able to follow up on some of the things that we saw the first time. The people are so nice, and seem genuinely interested in their animals’ health.

Here’s the group that we went with:

And that night in Chaihuin there was a community gathering that we attended, and got in on some local seafood, and other Chilean goods!

And finally on the last day, this dog that had been following us around all weekend, took a stroll with us down to the beach to watch the sun set....we had a few special moments together!