May - June 2010: Chile - Notes From The Field

June 25 - Now, 2010: Kinship Circle Chile Report
We Return With Aid, But Still Need Funds For Spay/Neuter

SUBMITTED BY: Sister Michael Marie and Bonnie Morrison in Chile, Kinship Circle
LOCATION: Santiago, Quidico, and Tirua — all cities in Chile

OVERVIEW: Kinship Circle's Sister Michael Marie and Bonnie Morrison return to Chile June 25, 2010 — and bus cross-country to the coastal village of Tirua. They reunite with Socorro Animal Chile (SACH) veterinarians, who are conducting a spay/neuter and first aid clinic for quake/tsunami harmed animals. Bonnie and Sister present a large monetary gift, along with six boxes of medical supplies. Sister, who is trained as a vet tech, then assists with surgery, while Bonnie serves as a recovery room nurse.

SPAY/NEUTER CAN SAVE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS FROM SUFFERING IN THE NEXT DISASTER: Since March 2010, Kinship Circle has worked with Socorro Animal Chile — once stopping a tent camp from shooting its animals because evacuees couldn't bear to watch them starve. We hope to now raise funds for spay/neuter drives so that there are not so many animal victims in future disasters.

Chile's line between stray and "owned" animals is hazy. Animals who roam streets by day return home for food at night. They mingle with a large homeless population. Most are unsterilized, and thus perpetuate an endless cycle of breeding. Sterilizing stray and care-given animals curbs disease outbreak, abuse and suffering — right now and when conditions worsen in disasters. With enough funding, a spay/neuter program can change the post-disaster and long-term landscape for Chile's animals.

TUBUL UPDATE — THE LITTLE DOG BORN ON A CRASH AND A WAVE: APRIL 2010: While searching for the evacuee camp in Tubul, Kinship Circle Team #2 eyes a puppy in a distant field. Other dogs rush the team for food, but this pup is oddly still. The team soon learns why: He has terribly deformed legs. His eyes are dull and feaful. He can only hobble. Somehow this puppy, dubbed Francisco de Tubul, survived the disaster crippled, starving and diseased. READ TUBUL'S STORY

JUNE/JULY 2010: Today we are told Tubul lives with Chilean veterinarian Glenda Cabrera Espinoza in the Concepcion area. But Tubul's primary "owner" is not confirmed. As Tubul grows, walking may become a challenge. Even now (approximately 6-months-old), he freqently rests between movement stints. His mange is healed, but his coat remains thin and dull. We'll follow Tubul's progress and report any news about permission from SACH to fly him to the U.S. for treatment and healing.

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SUBMITTED BY: June Towler, Public Information Officer (PIO) in Chile, Team 3
LOCATION: Talquahano, Chile

HAS IT COME TO THIS? An entire evacuee camp wants to kill its dogs. We meet with the camp's "Mayor" to persuade them to seek alternatives to slaughter. We fear a similar mentality may spread through Chile's 30 tent compounds. People who lost everything in an 8.8 quake and tsunami can't even feed themselves. They don't want to watch their animals starve to death.

We routinely run out of sutures, latex gloves, intubation tubes... One of our veterinarians, Dr. Dan Meakin, performed surgery on a dog in an open field. At times we can't afford the van rental to ferry our team, vet supplies and food...

NO KILLING TODAY: We arrive with food and veterinary equipment. Some tiny wooden cabins now replace worn tents. We walk down aisles of wood and canvas, past military troops, to meet with the camp's Mayor. She tells us why these displaced Chileans may resort to bloodshed:

• Too many dogs roam the narrow corridors of this tent city.
• People can't even feed themselves. How can they afford to feed their dogs?
• Strays, drawn to the camp, mix with caregiven dogs to up the population even more.
• No one disposes feces. This is a public health concern.
• Animals live in tents so closely aligned, there is no outdoor space around them.
• Some animals cause conflict with other dogs.

People here are tossed together by disaster. Help doesn't come quickly. Still, most love their animals and welcome our visits. But despair propels them to euthanize their own animals, rather than watch them starve. This speaks volumes about their plight...and how the world seems to have forgotten them.

RESOLUTIONS FOR KINSHIP CIRCLE TEAMS — ONLY POSSIBLE WITH FUNDING: • Kinship Circle teams follow a daily route to regularly treat mange-fleas-parasites and distribute food. However, we cannot leave full, unopened food bags because evacuees are likely to sell the food, rather than feed their animals.

• During tent city rounds, additional veterinary aid requests are recorded for vets to return another day. This lets them better manage their time and organize supplies.

• Kinship Circle teams build a dog "corral" area within tent cities, to contain dogs.

• We work with tent city "mayors" to implement a poop-and-scoop program.

SUGGESTIONS FOR INCOMING TEAMS — IF FUNDING IS SECURED:
• Use a dedicated team of four people plus a local translator volunteer.
• Rent a vehicle for the team to do daily rounds.
• Volunteer rental house is available for two months.
• Get GPS coordinates; mark maps with 30 tent city locations.

SUPPLIES/RESOURCES TEAMS WILL REQUIRE — CONTINGENT ON FUNDING:
1) One translator per team: Kinship Circle's Maureen Valentine, an American in Santiago, is willing to move to Concepcion to commit to a day or two a week. SACH sent an email alert some time ago asking for literate translators within SACH. We can post for volunteers at the universities, etc.

2) A supply of plastic grocery bags for measuring out food for evacuees' animals. Even bags are scarce! We can cut off tops of large plastic jugs to use as scoops. We can seek donations from grocery stores or manufacturers.

3) Poop bags and scoop/rakes. We are unsure how viable this is, due to theft.

OTHER IDEAS/PROGRAMS:
• Facilitate a relationship between CAAT (Canadian Animal Assistance Team) and SACH for CAAT to go to Chile as a spay/neuter organization — versus veterinarians deployed via Kinship Circle. CAAT can send its own mobile spay/neuter equipment/tents/vet teams. Global spay/neuter is their area of expertise.

• SACH can use Kinship Circle's photos for fundraising and education.

• Purolator or Fed Ex has a program to ship aid equipment free of charge to Haiti. We can attempt to enlist this special service for Chile.

• Kinship Circle's Dan Meakin, DVM, says he can secure skids of food to donate, but shipping and getting supplies past strict Chilean customs might prove impossible.

• Contact airlines to arrange shipments via cargo.

• Ask military if American or Canadian ships docking in Chile can deliver supplies.

• Dr. Dan Meakin suggests a travel agency "package" for American and Canadian vets that includes flight, hotel, breakfast, translator, transportation to field clinic sites. An additional $1,000 for SACH can be factored into cost. Dan feels many vets would relish the chance to work with Chilean vets, learn side spays, etc.

• Devise an Adopt-A-Dog/Adopt-A-Tent-City program. This concept is similar to TV ads to adopt an impoverished child. Participants adopt a street dog or a tent city. They receive photos and progress reports.

• Setup a FaceBook group in Chile, where everyone seems to be avid social networkers. This will circulate issues and recruit volunteers.

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SUBMITTED BY: June Towler, Public Information Officer (PIO) in Chile, Team 3
LOCATION: Yungay and Fundo dos Robles, Chile

OVERVIEW: We travel inland some two hours to Yungay, a town near the Andes Mountains about 100 kms from the Chilean/Argentine border. We are here to setup a treatment clinic in the fire hall.

ACTIVITIES: Along the way we deliver food to Anita Morenog, whose farm serves as an animal sanctuary. She has resorted to feeding dogs oats and grains. Anita shelters about five three-legged dogs, roughly 25 other dogs, and several cats on her fenced property. We examine every dog and treat for fleas and parasites. Each is marked with a new collar to discern which dogs are treated. The vets set up tables staffed with a Kinship Circle volunteer to help handle animals.

A young quiet man assists Anita with the heavy-duty work. Dr. Dan explains to her the importance of removing the poop prevalent around her property to avoid health hazards. She tells us poop disposal is her assistant's job, but with so many dogs the task is never ending. Still, she promises to translate the information and stay on top of this chore. June tells Anita she'll mail her a poop scoop to make the job easier.

With Anita in tow, we drive onward to Yungay for a scheduled treatment clinic. A huge line of people greets us upon arrival. We quickly erect four vet stations while Anita manages the many locals with their animals. Kinship's Maureen Valentine races between tables translating Spanish-English.

We examine approximately 400 animals today. One beautiful German Shepherd, whose caretaker accidentally sliced off part of his tail with a machete, comes to us in great pain. The man and his wife had been clearing grass and the dog got too close. The animal goes to Kinship veterinarian Dan Meak and June Towler's table. There, June quickly sees that this big boy is a job for our "aggressive dog wrestlers," Traci and Ron. Once they constrain and muzzle him, Dr. Dan mildly sedates him.

June preps syringes per Dr. Dan's specifications in what amounts to a major team effort to deal with his grave injury. Dan freezes the tail area with a local and then amputates more of the tail to even out the machete's uneven cut. Traci applies strong pressure to curtail substantial bleeding, while simultaneously holding the dog's hind end down. Ron controls the dogs front end and head. After amputation, the dog's tail is sewn, bandaged and vet wrapped. We apply the usual anti-flea/parasite meds, and clean his ears, etc. The groggy dog lays comfortably with his guardians consoling him, until able to get on his feet. Though still wobbly as he leaves, the surgery is successful and the dog will be fine. It is clear how much his guardians care for him. He goes home with fresh dressing, painkillers, antibiotics and instructions for recovery.

At another table, vets see a cat with a damaged eye. As a vet turns away to get supplies from a medication kit, the cat's guardian lets go. The cat dashes to the back of the fire hall and disappears. The horrified vet immediately initiates a search party. Kinship's Peter scans nearby streets, but cannot find the cat — whose caretaker is nearly inconsolable about having let go of her animal. We hope the cat is safely found, but cannot not do much more while managing a busy clinic.

At Dr. Dan's station, we treat a lovely black and white cat who is healthy, except for a growth under her cheek. A young man and his mother tell us the lump enlarges and diminishes. Fluid sometimes squirts from it when the cat scratches. The man and his mother worry that their adored cat has cancer. Dr. Dan alleviates their fears, but says nothing much can be done for growth. They leave with anti-parasite meds.

The son, who's English is excellent, attends school in Sacramento, Calif. and is married to an American. He is in Chile with family during summer break and volunteers to translate. He is wonderful, staying into the evening. Kinship's Maureen is delighted to get help with the taxing demands for translation between all the vet tables.

One cocker spaniel has a horrific ear infection. The stench is powerful as we clean his ear. His toenails are so long theyve curled into his paw pads. Dr. Dan cuts the nails and extracts them from the pads. Through our translator Fabian, Dr. Dan educates the dogs caregiver (an older man) on ear and nail maintenance. The dog leaves with antibiotics for his ear and anti-parasite meds (he was crawling with fleas). Our supplies are so low, we cannot send flea spray home with him.

STATS: Examine approximately 30 canines and some felines at Fundo dos Robles. Examine/treat approx. 400+ animals at the Yungay field clinic.

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SUBMITTED BY: June Towler, Public Information Officer (PIO) in Chile, Team 3
LOCATION: Dichato and Perales, Chile

OVERVIEW: Kinship Circle's Dr. Dan Meakin and some Chilean vets take Lykia (the German Shep with gaping back wounds) and the broken-leg kitten to the vet university clinic in Concepcion. The rest of the team leave for Dichato, approximately 2 hours north of Concepcion. Displaced locals are scattered between four evacuee camps that consist of open fields with tents. A breathtaking coastal backdrop belies the tsunami that wiped out everything these people owned, including their homes.

ACTIVITIES: We briefly check up on the town of Dichato, where structural damage is prevalent. Homes are gone. The skeleton town reminds us of 9th Ward New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Some rebuilding and cleanup is underway.

Our next stop, Perales, is roughly one hour up the coast from Dichato. The tsunami has washed out Perales' main road, so we climb a dirt back road over the mountain. It is so muddy we swap our van for the Chilean vets' 4x4 covered pickup. KC's Traci, June, Madi, Ron and Pete squish between dog food and vet supplies.

We drop food at several farms along the way, and Chilean vets Georgia and Enrique stop at one farm to deworm and vaccinate a litter of puppies. Eventually, we make it to the first evacuee camp, perched on a headland overlooking the ocean. We pass out animal food and examine/treat roughly 50 dogs and several cats. At nightfall, with just a few food bags left, we are unable to visit the next three camps. We decide to return another day, due to wretched road conditions.

ISSUES: We see many injuries allegedly sustained from beatings and dogfights. Apparently, some men at this camp beat dogs. Children are also observed kicking and hitting dogs. Since all dogs are not fed, fights erupt over food. Unfed dogs are usually those who wandered into the camp in search of food/companionship. People want them to leave, so they withhold food and beat them.

A very sweet young female dog is afraid because other dogs pick on her. She has deep bites in the inguinal (groin) region and a number of bites on her legs and ear. The vets sedate her to treat the wounds. Kinship Circle's Maureen Valentine and a Chilean vet then escort the dog and her guardian home. They want the dog's caregiver to allow the dog to recover indoors. They stress that this dog ought to stay near home and not roam the camp.

A lovely young male Dalmatian, severely beaten, is unable to lower his hind leg. We find him tied up behind a truck. He is skeletal.The dog is understandably skittish, but warms up to gentle voices and patience. We resolve to find a safe place for him and to see if the camp tenets will let us take him.

Later that week, we ask Anita Morenog — whose Yungay farm is an animal sanctuary — if she'll care for him. She agrees. But when Kinship's Peter and Dan return for the dog, who is able to use his leg by then, they cannot negotiate the dog's release (short of stealing him). SACH vets intend to check on this Dalmatian on every visit.

As we prepare to leave, a curious beagle pup stands on hind legs to check out the interior of our truck. Kinship's Madi and Peter are very sad about this little one's plight. But unbeknownst to them, we've already arranged to take him with us. We sneak our "stowaway" into the pickup, even as Pete and Madi lament the dog's sad future. When we arrive at the spot where we'd left our van, the team surprises them with the puppy. Peter is so overjoyed, he decides to adopt this puppy for a new life in America.

STATS: This camp is quite small, with an estimated 50 dogs and a few cats. It is the first location we've noticed such a high rate of animal abuse.

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SUBMITTED BY: June Towler, Public Information Officer (PIO) in Chile, Team 3
LOCATION: Lota, Chile

OVERVIEW: Since the quake, all mines are closed in this coalmining town. Lota has the highest unemployment rate in Chile. Most locals are Communists. Lota has received comparatively more government aid than elsewhere, despite political tension. Still, the jobless status of many citizens leads to alcoholism and degeneracy in this large town.

A HORSE RESCUE: We head to the town's basketball courts to set up for treatment. On the way, we spot a horse who appears injured. A kid chases the horse and throws rocks at him as we pull up. We capture the horse and SACH vets, along with Kinship's Dr. Dan Meakin and Dr. Madi Graham, treat him. We learn that Sparkle's caretaker beats him. SACH negotiates a $200 "purchase" of Sparkle, whom they hope to transport to a military compound to live safely with other cared for horses.

The vets attribute an open wound on Sparkle's back to beatings. His shoes are fastened incorrectly with three nails, rather than the standard three. One vet cleans out the filthy sole area and top of the frog area on all four hooves. While tending to Sparkle's wounds, Chilean vets emit a sound that resembles "Sooooo" in calm tones to soothe the horse...

ACTIVITIES AND ISSUES: We set up four treatment tables, each staffed with vets and a Kinship animal handler. We encounter mange, ear infections, fleas/parasites, distemper, allergies, eye and dental issues, mammary cancer, nose cancer, TVT, and one colon-rectal prolapse with rectal tear laceration. Some surgeries are done on the tailgate of a pickup truck. Kinship's Dr. Meakin and June Towler manage the prolapsed colon-rectal surgery at their outdoor table. It's our only option for this animal.

There is nothing vets can do for TVT cases that present in either the genitals or nose. Chemotherapy, the only cure, is not feasible. Tragically, TVT animals painfully decline and are highly contagious. It is a horrendous situation and the teams are very frustrated by the inability to resolve it.

STATS: During the clinic, from 11:00am to 4:30pm, we treat over 200 dogs and more than 50 cats. A municipality rep records 93 residents with their animals and numerous strays. In total there were more than the 250 animals noted on her clipboard.

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SUBMITTED BY: June Towler, Public Information Officer (PIO) in Chile, Team 3
LOCATION: Coronel, Chile

OVERVIEW: We awaken to find a parvo puppy dead and survivors all in decline. By mid-morning we have to euthanize the little white pup, whose seizures led to a coma. Everyone is very sad. We bury the two in the backyard, beside their brother.

ACTIVITIES AND ISSUES: Nine of us head to a meeting with Senora Leticia Quezada Jerez in the town of Coronel. Senora Jerez states that since the earthquake/tsunami, four times the number of stray dogs and cats roam the streets.

Recently, Ms. Jerez secured homes for specific strays. But when she returned to pull them from the streets, they were gone. A search uncovered these animals shot or beaten to death. At least one police officer is killing animals, Ms. Jerez tells us. In response to her police report, a letter from the Chief of Investigations, Hector Espinosa Valenzuela, Prefecta Provincial Concepcion, claims that police are not killing animals. However, eyewitnesses attest differently.

Senora Jerez has a necropsy done on one of these strays. Findings show thoracic trauma (kicked to death). Some police and residents do support a cull of animals. Yet, other officers give her food for the animals.

We later attempt to visit Coronel's tiny municipal shelter, several blocks from Ms. Jerez' house. The security guard blocks our entry and won't converse with us about conditions therein. The shelter stands inside a walled compound. We hear no barking. SACH and Kinship Circle want to investigate, but authorities won't let us. There are two major allegations against this shelter:

1. The municipality captures dogs to kill them. SACH thinks we can change this mindset via contacts they have with government Health Services.

2. Police investigators ignore most cruelty cases. There are no arrests for dogs skilled in the streets (perhaps by law enforcers) or neglect/abuse at the municipal shelter.

One officer threatens Ms. Jerez by phone, telling her to "get rid of your dogs or we'll kill them," and stops her from distributing food. When confronted, he denies it. We express concern for her safety. She admits fear, but will not stop helping animals.

HOW SACH/KC CAN HELP: We can offer our medical knowledge as an alternative to culling, plus highlight Kinship Circle's aid from the U.S. and Canada. We discuss a "humane education plan" and improvements for the existing shelter. If animals are treated, this quells most related health issues. Kinship Circle can also help facilitate deployment of another spay/neuter organization to curb populations via sterilization.

INTERESTING TIDBIT: During our meeting in Seniora Jerez's home, we experience a 6.4 earthquake that rocks the house. We "enjoy the ride" and resume our meeting when the ground stops rolling.

STATS: 78 rescued dogs, many cats (no number provided); 59 animals under care.

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SUBMITTED BY: June Towler, Public Information Officer (PIO) in Chile, Team 3
LOCATION: Caleta Tumbes, Chile

OVERVIEW We assist at a spay/neuter clinic in Chiguayante. Nine veterinarians — Carmillo, Shery, Laura, Rodrigues, Georgia, Enriques, a student vet, and Kinship's Madi Graham, DVM and Dan Meakin DVM — are on hand. Also present: Kinship's vet tech Penny Konz, responders Traci Dawson, Ron Presley and June Towler, translator Maureen Valentine, eight locals, and the community building's owner, Hector.

ACTIVITIES: In an empty community building, we set up three surgical tables separated by plastic curtains. The room's right side is transformed into a prep/exam area, with several chairs for the animal "on deck." The back left corner becomes a sterilization/cleaning station and the front left corner is designated a recovery area.

An assembly-line system moves counter-clockwise around the room. Unfortunately, I see the same shortage of supplies as observed during my Team 1 deployment a month ago. By day's end, we are very resourceful. For example, when we run out of saline drip, we resort to salines intended for other purposes. We even scrounge up used saline bottles with trace amounts of saline left.

In the prep area, an animal is examined, sprayed for fleas, sedated, shaved, disinfected (incision area), anesthetized, and tagged with a number, name, and caretaker's name. The animal next goes to a sterilized operating table with several vets. One performs surgery, another assists, and one more acts as vet tech and post-op disinfection. Post-surgery, blanket-wrapped dogs are monitored in a heated recovery area. When a dog begins to swallow on his own, the intubation tube is removed and he is sent to the cleaning station.

Supplies are so limited that most items must be sterilized and reused, rather than discarded. We always need more intubation tubes. An animal's size designates which tube to use. When a string of same-sized dogs show up, some wind up with improperly sized tubes. A heated toaster oven substitutes for an "autoclave" at the sterilization/cleaning station. Three resident volunteers sterilize tools in the oven before bringing them back for the next operation.

Today, locals prepare a home-cooked lunch of rice, a tofu dish, fresh baked bread, salad, cookies, soda and coffee. SACH and Kinship team members eat quickly on short breaks during a non-stop workday. We finish at nightfall, exiting into a rough area sometimes populated with gangs.

STORIES: A mother and daughter bring in a kitten who needs a partial tail amputation. A SACH vet suggests the kitten get spayed while sedated at the clinic. The girl doesn't comprehend "spay," and when explained to her, freaks out. She hits and kicks the vet and spits on him. SACH head coordinator Alejandra Cassion spends 20 minutes calming the child down, only to see her temper flare once again. Mom does not intervene. Chilean culture supports an anti-sterilization attitude.

A local brings in a pregnant stray (Many care for strays, but won't bring the animals inside). Kinship Circle's Dan Meakin, DVM, performs a North American spay — based on a center incision, as opposed to the Chilean side-incision spay. The anesthetized dog is injected with a solution to kill the unborn pups. The dog is fine, but we are sad over the loss. Still, the streets are so dense with animals who fight starvation, mange, TVT and other diseases, the decision is understandable.

One dog undergoing a spay stops breathing during the operation. Kinship Circle's Madi Graham, DVM breathes for the dog via an intubation tube until the dog can breathe on her own again. Gratefully, the dog recovers.

STATS: Over 200 spays, no neuters; 1 amputated tail (kitten), 1 broken jaw.

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Submitted by: June Towler, Public Information Officer (PIO) in Chile, Team

LOCATION: Concepcion, Chile / Tumbes, Chile

OVERVIEW Team 3's Peter, Madi, June and Traci arrive in Concepcion at 8:00am. The rest of Team 3, Ron and Dr. Dan, arrive at 12:30pm. Later that afternoon we head to Tumbes to attend an all-day clinic.

ACTIVITIES: Upon arrival to the volunteer house, we find SACH veterinarian Laura holding a dying puppy. He is one of four pups recently rescued, who live at the house. One passed away the previous night and now this little one has severe seizures. They euthanize him within the first 15 minutes we are there. The Chilean vets suspect the puppies have Parvo.

A German Shepherd, Lykia, recuperates at the house from what resembles bullet wounds on her back/left hindquarter. However, x-rays and bloodwork later show Lykia actually has a tumor. At the university clinic, Kinship Circle's Dr. Dan Meakin removes the tumor and sews Lykia up. She is also very undernourished, with a body score of about 2/3. She has two dislocated ribs, but they need to heal naturally.

Because we've been unable to raise funds necessary to erect a temporary tent clinic-shelter, the worst-case animals accompany vets and volunteers back to base house. One of two kittens recovering here undergoes leg x-rays that reveal two breaks. Dr. Dan and SACH vet Rodrigues later insert a metal pin into her bone at the unversity clinic. But supplies are scarce, so they creatively build a pin from a hypodermic needle. While the makeshift pin works quite well, the shortage of veterinary supplies and equipment in Chile can be daunting.

Later that afternoon, we depart for Tumbes. Two veterinarians not associated with SACH hold a small spay/neuter clinic here today. Surgeries are performed in an unoccupied house damaged in the quake. Sheets hang as room dividers between surgical and recovery areas. Local volunteers (wonderful people) handle administrative tasks and two vets perform spays.

ISSUES: When SACH/Kinship Circle teams are in town, many locals lead them to their animals for treatment. We also work on strays wherever we go. So many animals need aid, there are simply not enough resources for them all. The vet university clinic lacks state-of-the-art equipment and is very lean on supplies too.

STATS: We are unable to obtain a precise number of the spays handled that day.

STORIES: A black and white cat with a large mouth tumor has declined dramatically since treated during Team 1 deployment. Her caretaker asks vets to end her suffering. The cat can no longer eat due to the tumor's spread from her nose to right eye. She cannot even keep milk down; it sprays out of her nose and mouth. She is slowly starving to death. After examination, the vets do euthanize the cat... The rest of the team stays to treat street animals and distribute food.

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Submitted by: Cheri Deatsch, Public Information Officer (PIO) in Chile

LOCATION: Tubul, Chile

A TWO AND A HALF POUND MIRACLE: He came into this world on a crash and wave. The floppy-eared puppy was born just days before an 8.8 earthquake and tsunami swept over Chile's coastal towns. We don't know how he escaped tsunami waters that made five to six feet rings around buildings. And we don't know where he hid as structures collapsed into rubble.

We do know the puppy we dubbed Francisco de Tubul, found in the village of Tubul, did it alone. Perhaps his mother and littermates died in the disaster? Somehow, a creature — crippled, starving and diseased — stayed alive.

4/24/10, TWISTED LEGS AND A BELLY FULL OF WORMS: While searching for the evacuee camp in Tubul, the team notices a female dog and her pup eating from a pile of smoldering garbage. We stop to feed them and eye another puppy in a distant field. We wonder why the pup does not approach the food along with several other dogs.

We discover why as soon as we reach him. This dog has terribly deformed legs. His eyes are dull and fearful. When his misshapen legs don't allow him to flee, he drops his head timidly and tries to hobble away from us. But the lure of food overcomes his fright and he winds up devouringthe grub. During the entire meal he lies on his belly. His front legs cannot bear his weight.

The puppy's "wrist joint" is so distorted that his paws splay out at 90-degree angles. He must limp around on his inside lower leg while his paws flip out uselessly.

We immediately decide to ferry him back to Concepcion. He will surely die if left here to fend for himself. In addition to malformed legs, the pup's worm-filled abdomen is severely distended. His hair and skin are scrappy with mange.

Local children watch the entire rescue with great interest. One of our veterinarians asks the children what they should name the puppy. They agree on "Francisco." We attach "de Tubul" to recall the place of his birth and salvation. We depart with Francisco de Tubul safely in tow.

4/26/10, TUBUL'S CHANCE FOR SOMETHING BETTER: Morning vet appointments end in good news for two of our rescues. At the University of Concepcion, a veterinary ophthalmology specialist examines the little dog, Pirate, who has an eye wound. We fear he needs surgery, but the vet believes antibiotics can heal his him.

Francisco de Tubul travels with us to the University of San Sebastian, where most of the SACH vets are alumni. His twisted limbs are x-rayed and several teaching vets and students stop by to view his deformity plus review x-rays. The treating veterinarian even takes photos to document Tubul's case. The x-rays reveal that his bent-in limbs (as if he walks on his knuckles) are due to malnutrition.

A few months old, Tubul was likely born just in time for the earthquake and tsunami. Fortunately, surgery is unnecessary to straighten his limbs. Because he is so young, the vet says that leg splints and good nutrition should correct the deformity in about one month. Tubul requires continuing veterinary care until he has healed enough for adoption. PLEASE HELP FUND THIS WORK — FOR ANIMALS LIKE TUBUL.

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Submitted by: Cheri Deatsch, Public Information Officer (PIO) in Chile

LOCATION: El Bajo and Perales, Chile

EL BAJO: Wow. Today we are treated to first shower since arriving in Chile on April 18! Rodrigo, a SACH vet, is kind enough to offer us his home's shower, since KC's home base still lacks hot water. The showers do wonders for morale!

Our fieldwork picks up in the afternoon with a trip north of Concepcion along the coast to El Bajo, a small "fishing village." We navigate mountains on gravel roads, at times walking because the van can't crawl the steep inclines with all the people and pet food inside. The dirt roads spit so much dust over the van that SACH people write "SACH Ayude Animal" on a rear window, to announce our arrival.

We treat approximately 30 dogs and one cat in El Bajo. The cat had taken refuge under a home after the earthquake and injured her ear. We also hand out pet food.

In El Bajo, the team runs into a documentary film crew who had covered Kinship Circle's work during the 2008 Iowa floods. In Iowa, the crew shot footage for a documentary on pigs rescued from a flooded factory farm. In Chile, they focus on people affected by the earthquake. Kinship Circle's public information officer, Cheri Deatsch, does a brief interview about the repercussions for animals.

Most El Bajo residents bring their dogs to our yellow van (lovingly nicknamed the Partridge Family Bus) for examination. As we leave the center of town and drive toward the next village of Perales, outlying residents call to us to come treat their dogs. People wait at the end of their driveways with dogs leashed on twine.

PERALES: Perales makes the force of the tsunami very real to us. Houses are leveled. Unlike Chile, locals have not begun to clear debris or rebuild. We learn that villages to the south are summer resort destinations. Thus, they receive aid before areas like Perales that are low on the economic totem pole.

At the tent camp, SACH vets treat a 4-year-old Greyhound with a huge abscess hanging several inches beneath his muzzle. His guardians consider killing the dog because of this abscess, but vets lance and drain it. Our operating table is the back of an old pickup truck that a resident parks near the front of the camp. Most of the camp's evacuees gather to watch the procedure until the abscess begins draining. At that point, many women covered their eyes and fled, squealing like young schoolgirls. Oddly, it is a festive scene with joke making and laughter, despite the dire conditions that brought people here. They are very happy that we've come to help their animals.

Additional care is given to a Greyhoud mix who suffered a broken leg and injured eye in the earthquake. He has gone untreated since the disaster, so vets carefully check his healing process.

One woman calls Kinship Circle's Incident Commander, Sister Michael Marie, into her tent to "show off" her cat, Nino. This woman is so proud of her longhaired beauty who survived the tsunami by climbing onto the roof of her house. She tells us that Nino stays inside the tent at all times because he fears dogs. But Nino is in good health, so we leave her with some food.

We then begin the long drive/walk back. Today is Sister and Courtney Chandel's last field day and they need to prepare for their bus trip to Santiago and the airport.

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Submitted by: Cheri Deatsch, Public Information Officer (PIO) in Chile

LOCATION: Llico and Tubul, Chile

LLICO: This morning in Llico we encounter a celebratory scene. National radio and local TV are present to donate to two boats to replace vessels lost in "the wave." The KC/SACH team is to be interviewed after the boat gift ceremony. As we wait, the team surveys damage to the town. It rivals New Orleans' most devastated areas following Katrina. An entire neighborhood is wiped out. Only home foundations remain. Ox carts facilitate cleanup at one home. We feel as if we've stepped back in time.

Our wait for media grows too long, so we set out for the next village of Tubul. While searching for the evacuee camp there, the team notices a female dog and one of her pups eating from a pile of smoldering garbage. We stop to feed them and eye another puppy in a distant field. We wonder why the pup does not come to the food along with several other roaming dogs... READ TUBUL'S STORY

On the drive back to Concepcion we stop at a roadside farm where dogs and a cat are treated for parasites. We also treat two scruffy and cut brown pigs for trichinosis.

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Submitted by: Cheri Deatsch, Public Information Officer (PIO) in Chile

LOCATION: Quidico; Tirua; Llico; Villages of Southern Chile

CONCEPCION - A NEW EARTHQUAKE RATTLES NERVES: We rise at 6:00 a.m. to begin our long drive to southern Chile. While packing gear, a 6.1 earthquake strikes Concepcion. It creeps in as a small rumble and escalates until the house shakes items off shelves. The ground rolls in wavelike curves under our feet. Courtney Chandel, Kinship Circle's safety officer, orders everyone out of the house. Cesar Sanchez (SACH) joins us a few moments later, mostly concerned about our reaction to the quake. Apparently Chileans are accustomed to shifting earth plates.

We still manage to depart early enough to avoid a traffic lock on the sole bridge that remains (there were four) across the Bio Bio River in Concepcion. At rush hour, Concepcion implements a type of contraflow. In the morning, three lanes enter the city while just one exits. At the bridge, we see some of Concepcion's worst quake damage: An apartment building literally cracked in half. Of its 100 occupants, only eight died. Still the sight of a split open structure is shocking.

At the top of the hill we find an enclave of tents and roughly 12 dogs. Two have gaping wounds that vets treat with antiparasitic/antibacterial spray. We leave the displaced people with bags of dog food.

LAND OF THE MAPUCHE: We are warned to stay in a tight knit group when navigating the next hill on foot because the dangerous area is home to thieves. We penetrate deep into the most impoverished region in Chile, past fields filled with sheep, pigs, a few scattered horses, and many cows. From our view at the van, these large outdoor animals appear in good condition. Because they are all grazers who live in open fields away from structures, they do not seem to have endured the quake's wrath. We do see several ox carts in use...

Homes are brightly painted shacks apparently heated with wood-burning stoves. This region of southern Chile is the land of the Mapuche (literally, the "land people), the indigenous tribes of Chile who are engaged in a land struggle with the government.

QUIDICO AND TIRUA: Five hours later, we arrive in the caleta ("fishing village") of Quidico and let townspeople know we'll return in one hour to treat animals. The yellow bus then takes us 20 minutes further to Tirua, another caleta ravaged in the tsunami. Many homes are erased from the landscape, together with restaurants and a boarding school. We see evidence of the 20-30 meter wave on a nearby hill. Trees coated in saltwater stand tangled and dying. A car is stranded in the bay.

Rodrigo, a SACH vet, was here when the quake struck. There are no casualties because the "wise grandfathers" warned families to take refuge in the hills... Three dogs escort us along the pier as we view the blank landscape and briefly speak to the village president.

Upon return to Quidico, we find a line of 35-40 dogs with their caretakers stretched down a dirt road the equivalent of one city block. We set up an exam table (a door-sized board laid atop two sawhorses) in a yard to conduct exams, de-wormings and flea sprays. Each is fitted with a blue collar bearing the letters SACH, along with the animal's name. Cases range from healthy adults and puppies to those with bite wounds, severe arthritis, eye problems, kennel cough, some mange, and other common conditions.

During the clinic, a couple arrives with a black lab in a wheelbarrow. At first glance, the dog seems frightened by the chaos. Then her people lift her front paws to display a 20 cm laceration on her stomach/groin area. Rodrigo and Shiry, two of the vets, wheel the dog back to the couple's house to suture his wounds. Despite a lack of supplies, the veterinarians close the wound with non-disposable sutures and local anesthesia. They provide antibiotics and promise to contact a nurse in the area to later remove the sutures. No veterinary services are available anywhere in this region.

At the clinic we treat approximately 100 dogs and cats. The line of people and pets seems unending. Dogs, who don't ordinarily where collars or leashes here, are guided in with belts looped around their necks. Smaller dogs and cats are bundled in sugar sacks. One cat shows up in a small birdcage.

After three and a half hours (and one dog fight) every animal is treated, including a few stays who wander in. On the way out of town, we stop to examine a steer with an eye tumor. He suffers from a carcinoma, common in farmed animals with white faces, that calls for ongoing treatment over a long period — a commitment the farmer is unlikely to make. Otherwise, the steer is in good shape and the farmer will probably continue to work the animal without treatment, due to lack of veterinary care here.

That night, we sleep at a shabby school in Llico, another tsunami ruined caleta. Though we arrive near midnight, the school's caretaker greets us at the door to suggest where we might sleep. For reasons unknown, the school stocks mattresses that we gladly stack under our sleeping bags.

The school is only blocks from the sea. Yesterday's strong aftershock prompts Cesar to warn us that a tsunami could overtake the school. We plan to drive quickly to high ground in the event of an earthquake. On that note, we settle in for the night.

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Submitted by: Cheri Deatsch, Public Information Officer (PIO) in Chile

LOCATION: Concepcion; Punta Tumbes; Chile

OVERVIEW: Our day begins in a meeting with the Bio Bio Regional Minister of Health, Dr. Mario Fernandez. Kinship Circle's Cheri Deatsch and Sister Michael Marie attend, along with SACH's Cesar Sanchez and Luis (Shiry) Seguel, DVM. Also present is Michel Bernardo, Kinship Circle's direct liaison with the regional Ministry of Health.

At the meeting, Dr. Fernandez tells us he fully supports our work with the animals. He asks about our positions within Kinship Circle's team and the long and short-term goals of the mission in Chile. We explain that Kinship Circle assists animals affected in disasters and mobilizes volunteers and supplies. We are in Chile to work in tandem with SACH. We explain that long-term goals are contingent upon assessment from the next team that arrives May 1, 2010.

I inquire about use of a government vehicle. Dr. Fernandez states he will consider a written request from SACH. He also mentions his willingness to look at a letter on Kinship letterhead that asks for clearance of veterinary supplies at customs. Stocks are low, but Chile basically doesn't allow people to bring animal-related goods into the country. He says all items must be approved by SAG (the Chilean equivalent of the FDA).

After the meeting, we pose for group photos to appear on the Ministry of Health website. An interview with Cesar is to accompany the photos. When we step outside, Mr. Bernardo comments that we must have spoken highly of him because Dr. Fernandez has offered him a promotion! He seems pleased with the outcome of our meeting, as do we.

Meanwhile, Kinship's Courtney Chandel and Penny Konz assist Dr. Laura Floreers with tasks to make our volunteer home base more habitable. So far, we have running water and electricity. Pipes destroyed in the earthquake prevent us from use of propane to heat water. We get by with an electric teakettle.

PUNTA TUMBES: That afternoon, a team that includes six SACH representatives (with four veterinarians) travels to a camp above Punta Tumbes called Campemento Tumbes Alto. We retrieve a dog with an injured eye seen on a prior trip. Dr. Flores discovers that the dog, a small Pekinese mix with protruding eyes, has the husk of a wheat-like seed, with long sharp points, embedded in his eye. Removal is difficult, but the patient sits still and doesn't utter a sound. We take the dog (later named Pirate because he only has one eye) with us to receive further veterinary care for his eye.

Our trip next takes us further up the mountain to a camp situated in a clearing of trees. This camp, as well as Tumbes Alto, is guarded by soldiers in full uniform with automatic weapons strapped across their chests. Here, some 40 tents are not the usual government issued models from countries like Qatar, Japan and China. Instead, shanties are strung together by whatever materials occupants can find: tarps, garbage bags, cardboard, corrugated tin, plastic. It is very cold and residents light fires outside their ramshackle dwellings.

Upon arrival, residents young and old mob us. Dogs are everywhere! At least 50 dogs roam an area no larger than 2-3 acres and filled with tents. Between adults with pets, dogs running free, and children scrambling to see, the scene is chaos. For added drama, two alpha males in the pack vie for dominance. Fights ensue with humans jumping in to chase off dogs.

The vets manage to dispense dewormer to all and ivermectin to roughly 30 dogs and cats. Camp residents want our soft dog food packages. We stay until dark, using the headlights of our yellow bus to finish exams and treatments.

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Submitted by: Cheri Deatsch, Public Information Officer (PIO) in Chile
Sister Michael Marie, Incident Command Officer in Chile, Kinship Circle

LOCATION: Talcahuana, Chile

OVERVIEW: Kinship Circle's Incident Command Officer, Sister Michael Marie, and Public Information Officer, Cheri Deatsch — along with SACH's Cesar Sanchez — meet with Michael Bernardo, a local health authority for the Ministry of Health, Bio Bio Region. At 2:45pm, Kinship Circle officers are escorted in a government vehicle to visit two evacuee tent camps. They travel further out the Talcahuana peninsula through the immense Armada base to the "fishing village" of Caleta Tumbes.

ACTIVITIES / CALETA TUMBES: We find more than 100 dogs roaming an encampment of some 40 tents. Mostly beagle/hound and German Shepherd mixes, the dogs remain with homeless humans and are in better shape than the malnourished and mange dogs seen elsewhere. A powerful tsunami, what villagers call "the wave," swamped this area, but some structures show evidence of recent repair. At first, dogs fed on fish strewn in the streets and rubble.

A woman in charge of the encampment offers a building where SACH can conduct spay/neuters of area dogs. The building, obviously damaged by the wave, still stands. A raised wood floor is sturdy and broken out windows are covered with clear plastic. The evacuees say they'll clean out the building's sole room, previously used for storage. Electricity will be borrowed from next door and water brought in portable tanks with faucets. The building adjoins the tent camp and veterinary traffic could disrupt residents if not managed well. The building, with dirt entryways that would wash out with rain, ought to be semi-restored before a vet team attempts surgeries there.

TALCAHUANA AREA: On the way back, we visit another encampment of roughly 20 shanty huts of tin, cardboard and plastic. Half of approximately 20 dogs (mostly Pekingese and one German Shepherd pup) greet us at the entrance. The settlement leader explains that quake-displaced people will stay here for another two to three weeks, before moving down the hill to Caleta Tumbes. There, they'll inhabit rough, one-room board houses under construction a few yards from the bay. So, animals here can be seen with the rest of Caleta Tumbes animals. He also says that many past vacationers have dropped off dogs here and left...

A prominent military presence pervades nearly all the tent camps. There has been discontent and unrest at times, since the quake and tsunamis. We do not, however, witness any disruptions firsthand.

We are then driven back down the hill (which is actually a coastal mountain) to another encampment, where we part ways with our official escorts. Continuing on foot, we suddenly find ourselves immersed in a street demonstration. Villagers have gathered around the recently uprighted hull of a giant fishing ship that rode the wave onto the main street. They are angry with the ship's company because it has yet to move the hulking structure. They light a bonfire and appear agitated. Apparently, the force of the tsunami dragged the ship on land. Electricity cannot be restored until the ship goes back to sea, since it cut power lines on its way in (and will do the same on its way out). National television is on site, conducting interviews, and local politicians and military are present as well.

TALCAHUANO: Meanwhile, Courtney and Penny accompany two veterinarians on house calls. In Talcahuano, they investigate the sudden deaths of three kittens. Five kittens from two separate litters remain alive. The "owner" describes symptoms that sound like toxicity death. We uncover a highly poisonous plant in the backyard. A necropsy is planned for one of the dead kittens. The other five are doing well.

CALETA EL MORRO: At this deserted shoreline community in Talcahuano, KC's team unites as the two vets examine a dog about 5-6 months old, whom has been agonizing for three days. We find the dog prone on an old, flood-soaked mattress in a gutted, tsunami-devastated home next to the bay. He is dehydrated, smells foul, is covered with flies, and maggots crawl out of his nose. Yellow-green discharge oozes from his eyes and nose. He is barely conscious and characteristic twitching indicates distemper. Apparently, an untrained person tried to euthanize the dog with an overdose of Valium and Tramadol three days earlier, but did not stay to verify if the dog died. Our assessment determines that the best solution for this poor dog is humane euthanasia. At least this forgotten soul hears kind words and feels gentle hands as he is released from suffering.

As team members struggle to contain emotions, a black and tan puppy, about 6-8 weeks old, wanders through the back door. In the vast rubble behind this abandoned house, the team discovers the pup's seven littermates. Some tumble over one another or warily peer from beneath a home that the tsunami uprooted from its foundation. The teams spends a more time with these pups, using their burst of life as a stress release from the earlier euthanasia... We also find and feed a cat atop one home's roof. This cat appears to suffer from an eye infection.

A dozen or so dogs inhabit homes on the bay that have been destroyed in the tsunami. A kind lady feeds these animals and they've grown devoted to her. She is accompanied by a motley pack of spaniel and shepherd mixes as she walks down the street. About 10 cats also benefit from her kindness and the dogs and cats live together amicably. We feed them all a good meal while there. One female is obviously close to whelping.

Upon return, we visit a very orderly tent encampment with 15 well-constructed tents, electric service, portable toilets, and water tanks nearby. We see 15 well cared for dogs and the vets treat an ill Pekinese.

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Submitted by: June Towler, Public Information Officer (PIO) in Chile
Traci Dawson, Incident Command Officer in Chile, Kinship Circle

LOCATION: Villa Futura (north of Concepcion, Chile)

OVERVIEW: Kinship Circle team members Traci Dawson, June Towler, Shawndra Michell, Maureen Valentine and Byron Wilkes work in a temp vet clinic, with three Chilean veterinarians, student vets, and six volunteers from SACH (Socorro Animal Chile / Animal Relief Chile) member group, Animal Dignity. Outside the clinic a line of people and animals stretch down the sidewalk. KC team members unload dog/cat food and hang signs to notify locals about post-quake vet services.

ACTIVITIES: The clinic's three veterinary stations prove insufficient, so two more are added for student vets and Kinship Circle team members to assist veterinarians. People with animals are assigned a number, with only small groups admitted into the waiting area. The moment a vet table opens, the next client brings his/her animal to that table.

The turnout is staggering. Most people are friendly. A rumor spreads that Kinship's team is from Animal Planet, on location to film a TV show! Many clients bring "favorite" strays from the streets, who will return there after treatment. There are virtually no neutered dogs... Vets physically examine animals, checking eyes, teeth, ears, glands, neck region, flea infestation, spines, organs, heart, etc. Skin disorders are prevalent, as are wounds and bites. When animals are treated with "pest spray," flees literally drop off their bodies.

SACH head coordinator, Alejandra Cassion, addresses volunteers and vets in Spanish. Kinship Circle's translator, Maureen Valentine, tells them how impressed we are with their diligent work. Many treat animals non-stop, with no food breaks.

ISSUES: The clinic runs out of pest spray, latex gloves and paper towels. Though Kinship donates latex gloves, there still aren’t enough.

STATS: Today the clinic sees 157 animals, plus numerous strays...over 200 animals. Vets use the quake clinic to educate people about spay/neuter, with pamphlets on each vet table. Clinic visitors are given a plastic bag of animal food, if needed.

INCIDENT – SICK DOGS IN DUMPSTER AREA: Upon leaving the vet clinic, KC's team drives to a dump where strays are known to gather. Animals are in wretched condition, most with mange and some in late stages. Kinship Circle team members manage to capture the sickest animals for vets to treat. There are also numerous puppies at this site and a rotting dog carcass (we remove it and disinfect area).

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4/1/10: Kinship Circle Chile Assessment Team Report
Floods & Quake Leave Dogs, Cats Amid Rubble

LOCATION: Santa Clara Talchuano (north of Concepcion, Chile) / 9:00 am

OVERVIEW: An earthquake and tsunami crashed into this "fishing town" near ground zero. Torn nets and debris cover beaches and streets. Locals pull damaged nets from the wreckage to repair them and resume their livelihood. Many cannot make a living at this time. Numerous dogs rove the coast and live amid rubble. Severely damaged homes are rimmed with waterlines about 5 feet high. Buildings have Katrina-like mold, mud, water damage and collapsed walls. Clean-up occurs at a slow place...

ACTIVITIES: We spot a nursing dog roaming in beach rubbish. Fishermen lead us to the vicinity of her den. We search for her pups to evaluate their condition, but mom has tunneled so deep underground that we are unable to safely reach them.

KC's team follows a route set by SACH to distribute food to caretakers and medically treat their animals. Along this route, we find more animals in need. Some evacuated locals left animals behind -- a few tethered, but who have nearby guardians to provide food and water. An extremely large stray population wander streets and deserted buildings. All seem friendly, if skittish. We don’t encounter any aggressives.

ISSUES: Medical concerns: mange, injuries/wounds, starvation, lack of water. Food is distributed in measured amounts (4 scoops per plastic bag) because many sell food rather than feed animals. Residents in this impoverished area tend to take advantage of donated supplies.

SIGHTING STATS: Roughly 100-150 dogs and unnumbered cats.

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4/1/10: Kinship Circle Chile Assessment Team Report
Evacuees With Animals In Tents, Shacks – No Means To Care For Them

LOCATION: Calita Los Morros (ground zero) / 2:30 pm

OVERVIEW: Military tents donated from Russia, along with small shacks of wood and pallets, serve as evacuee camps here. Many are with their animals, but not all. Some conflict erupts between neighbors with and without animals...

ACTIVITIES: We arrive during supplies distribution to much congestion. The team separates, to pass out food and provide medical care to animals in the camp. Two cats with severe upper respiratory disease are treated on site.

During street rounds, we visit a family with multiple dogs — including a mom with a large litter and several cats. All animals are checked, treated and left with food. KC revisits a resident who'd told SACH she'd leave with her dogs. As suspected, she did not take them. The abandoned dogs are fed and and this location is added to our ongoing care route. We'll attempt to find a home for them.

Our rounds are cut short due to mosquito spraying operations. As we are leaving, a couple asks us to check their dog with a broken hind leg. The leg is healing well, but we treat both dogs there with antibiotics. The family is thrilled to meet Kinship Circle's team, thanks us profusely, and sends us off with a bottle of locally made liquor!

ISSUES: Area medical issues: mange, injuries, wounds, starvation, TVT, distemper. TVT, a canine venereal virus prevalent here, is transmitted via contact (sexual, touch/rub open wounds, nasal/sniffing). Dogs get large red "cauliflower" tumors. Chemotherapy is only cure.

SIGHTING STATS: Approximately 200 dogs/cats.

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4/1/10: Kinship Circle Chile Assessment Team Report
Oil Spill Coat Animals; 500 In One Location; Dazed Pup In Intersection...
LOCATION: Calita il Fiernillo / 5:00 pm

OVERVIEW: The earthquake caused an oil spill at a refinery along this town's shore. Dogs and cats wade through black-water puddles. One cat is found atop a roof drenched in oil... Animals are decontaminated, but with no temp shelter, they are released back into the mess.

Oil company employees are animal friendly and let dogs wander the property. SACH delivers food bags so they can be fed between visits. Though fined by the government, the owner continues to feed/water strays.

At 7:30pm oil plant workers tell us about an area with animals in poor condition. The place is swarming with strays. We capture and treat a very skittish dog whose staked out his "spot" on a slab of cardboard. Down the road, we find an 8-week-old puppy dazed and ragged in the middle of an intersection. SACH takes the puppy to a clinic, where she'll remain till healthy enough to adopt out. Kinship Circle team members contribute money toward the pup's clinic fees, as SACH reveals they are now completely out of money.

SIGHTING STATS: The oil plant has about 50 dogs. In the second area, dogs are on curbs, sidewalks, lawns, alone, in packs... Over the course of the day, we see an estimated 500 dogs. Chile's sizable stray population has ballooned with animals displaced by this disaster.

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Miscellaneous Information/Observations

CELL PHONES: Cell phones don't always work. To reduce costs of long distance and roaming fees, and improve reception, the team purchased a pay-as-you-go cell phone (7-982-6000).

INTERNET: Internet connections are also difficult; no internet cafe's. When they do work, they’re in Chilean Spanish (apparently different from other Spanish). When I borrow a SACH person's computer, the computer is in Spanish...

PACE: Very different pace down here — no one is prompt. People rise later in the morning than we North Americans, siesta 2-3:30pm in many places during which time many businesses close down.

POVERTY: People may take advantage of donations and attempt to sell them as opposed to use them as intended.

PRE-QUAKE ANIMAL SITUATION: It is clear that there was already a major animal disaster prior to the quakes/tsunami's. The team is astounded at the number of strays. The strays share the streets and sidewalks with the people, sleep wherever they choose — middle of the sidewalk, someone's driveway, they are everywhere. The majority of dogs are very friendly, a few perhaps more skittish. We have seen little aggression — a few cases of food aggression at a feeding, but even then, nothing serious.

In Chilean culture, there are very few neuters, only spays. People spay females, males remain intact. This country definitely needs aid for their dog population. There is no shelter system at all. Unwanted dogs are turned out into the street. The government won’t support the stray population issue, animal welfare is entirely donation based. People either don’t feel animals are worth it, or they cannot afford to donate.

Kinship Circle Animal Disaster Aid is a nonprofit that mobilizes volunteers and resources for animal victims through its network of trained responders in the U.S. and Canada.

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