Todos Santos, Guatemala
In Todos Santos, a remote village in the Cuchamatán Mountains of Guatemala, VWB/VSF is working with local partners to develop a sustainable and culturally-appropriate canine population control and rabies prevention program. Dogs are the primary reservoir of rabies in the community and many people live in daily fear of these free-roaming animals. Previous population control programs, like mass dog extermination campaigns, have proved unsuccessful and community members are eager to develop a more humane and sustainable solution.

In January of 2009, VWB/VSF began the first implementation phase of this project, which involved sending a team of eight Canadian veterinarians and animal health technicians to Todos Santos, Guatemala. The team started off by conducting extensive home surveys to determine the community's position on sterilization and to gain further insight into the size and nature of the dog population. By the end of their three week stay, the team had examined and chemically sterilized approximately 50% of owned male dogs in Todos Santos.

Phase II of this project took place in late November, 2009 when a second team went to Todos Santos to examine, vaccinate and sterilize the remaining male dog population. During Phase II, the team will also started sterilizing female dogs.

The team also set into motion a few long-term goals. By working with local partners, the team created a follow-up dog population study and participated in city meetings and educational workshops which focused on responsible pet ownership and the link between slaughterhouses, waste management and dog overpopulation.

Veterinarians without Borders / Vétérinaires sans Frontières will return to Todos Santos in November 2010 with a third team to continue this work.

By establishing this multi-faceted program that controls the canine population and prevents disease, VWB/VSF and Todos Santos are working together to improve the health and wellbeing of both people and animals.