The two abandoned dogs on my block.
During one of my recent dog walking sessions, I came across a lady by the name of Sra. Gladys Ylich. She lives in my neighborhood, but I’d never talked to her before.
Anyway, one day I saw her feeding two stray dogs that had set up temporary residence on the corner of my block. My dog, Max, wanted to play with them, but neither dog showed much interest in him. They looked defeated. I got chatting with Sra. Gladys as she clutched a bundle of papers in one hand while using the other to pour water for the two strays. As it turned out, the papers were also for the dogs.
Sra. Gladys, you see, is spending a great deal of her time and money trying to help the abandoned dogs of Tarapoto. She showed me her papers, which contained details about her proposed dog refuge, La Creación de Dios. The plan was comprehensive and well conceived, but it soon became apparent that Sra. Gladys was all but exasperated due to the complete lack of support from local authorities.
According to Sra. Gladys, Tarapoto does not have any kind of dog shelter or refuge. For a city of its size, and considering the amount of abandoned and generally sick dogs roaming the streets (not as many as some cities, but still too many), it seems like something the city needs.
So far, and despite her passion and the professional nature of her plan, Sra. Gladys has received no answers to the various letters sent out to local authorities and institutions asking for some kind of help. Nothing. Nada.
Sadly, that’s no great surprise.
Considering I sometimes receive emails asking about volunteer opportunities in Tarapoto, I told Sra. Gladys I’d write a short post about her plight on TarapotoLife. And here it is. Financial donations are obviously welcome, but I know it’s a stretch to send money to a random stranger in Peru.
But if anyone is looking for something to do during their spare time in Tarapoto, maybe you could contact Sra. Gladys to see if you can help in anyway. She already has plenty of previously abandoned dogs in her care, and she seems to be continually fighting to achieve her ultimate aim of a fully functioning refuge for abandoned and abused dogs found in Tarapoto. I’m sure any kind of assistance, even just some moral support, would go a long way. Or maybe you’d like to adopt a dog…?
Contact details for Sra. Gladys Ylich:
Address: Jr. Leoncio Prado 684, Tarapoto
Tel: 042-341-189; Cel. 986975303; RPM. #964882449
Facebook Page: Albergue canino “La creación de Dios”
Gladys Ylich on Facebook: www.facebook.com/gladys.ilich
