theplayatimes~Agency
BY E.FLORES
T
his week The Playa Times visited the Playa Animal Rescue center whose newest facilities have now been open for two years. We went to see first hand the valuable work that the self-funded, no kill organization carries out and to meet the people that help make it happen. Jan Northenscold, the co-director at Playa Animal Rescue is originally from Minnesota, land of “warm hearts and cold noses” as she appropriately described it. Jan has lived in Playa for over 2 years, since retiring here permanently after 12 years of vacationing in the area. She is now settled with her husband and four adopted street dogs and her “retirement” is now pretty much a full-time occupation running the center. She runs operations together with Sue Silva and the US board of directors Pat and Craig Faulstitch, Deb and Gary Hoke and local board member Heather Stewart. The team also includes live-in veterinarian Dr. Mauricio and full time helpers Carlos and Matteo, and about 20 regular volunteers made up of locals, expats and regular tourists who visit annually. The center premises consist of 16 pens, a quarantine ward, washing and grooming areas and a clinic. The center was impressively spick and span, the pens pristine and the animals happily divided into packs of four to five within the enclosures. There are currently 65 dogs being homed here and I asked
Jan how long the average stay is, “Anywhere from 3 weeks to 3 years, we had Luna, our longest resident, from a shelter that closed. We inherited 90 dogs from that shelter”, Jan told us. “Only Luna is left, she spent one year at the previous shelter before coming here, and she has been with us now for two years. It is harder to rehome a fully-grown dog, and she is a little larger. But she is sweet and so gentle, we are hopeful she will eventually find her forever home”. Stella was another inmate with a happier ending, she was preparing to fly
to Calgary after being rescued from the top of the pyramid at Coba, which she climbed to scavenge food from tourists, and then became stuck when she couldn’t get back down. The tourists who rescued her couldn’t adopt her, but they paid for her treatment and board as part of a sponsorship scheme. As you read this she will be starting her new life in Canada thanks to the committed work of Playa Animal Rescue. We were then introduced to the rest of the canine crew who greeted us with a volley of barks and wagging tails, but settled down whilst Jan introduced each resident individually, amazingly she knew each by name and told me the history of every animal. The stories were all similar in that the dogs were bought in injured or abused and in desperate need of care and compassion, of which Jan seems to have an endless supply. The newest residents are kept in a separate quarantine area in case they test positive for heartworm or present illnesses that could spread to the other dogs. The cost to keep a dog in the center is approximately $75 USD per month, which covers full health testing and any treatments, food, and general maintenance of the facilities. The center holds regular fund raising events, such as a Bingo night at Mom’s Bar, which last month raised nearly $500 USD and March 13th heralds the PAR Annual Fundraiser which this year will be at Bad Boy’s Bar and has the theme of “Art”. Various artworks have been donated along with jewelry and other handmade creations. Every Thursday morning the center holds Waggle Walks, where everyone is invited to help exercise the dogs and Saturday Spa Day has a 9.30 pick up outside the MEGA supermarket, which is a morning of washing, walking and playing with the dogs. The Playa Times runs a regular “Find Me A Home” feature in conjunction with the charity which has already helped to rehome several dogs. If you would like to make a donation to PAR please contact them via their Facebook page Playa Animal Rescue or contact Jan via info@ playaanimalresue.org. For more information see the website www.playaanimalrescue.org
COMMUNITY
KKIS PROJECT
Read about the valuble work of this
PAGE 5
NATURAL PLAYA
PLAYA ANIMAL RESCUE SUCCESSFUL TWO YEARS
www.theplayatimes.com
2014 TOURNAMENT PAGE 10
DINING OUT
January 28-February 3, 2014 Weekly, Year 01, Number 18, 10,000 Copies,16 Pages
RESTAURANT REVIEW
PAGE 13