An animal welfare group in Lebanon helped find homes for a dog and seven cats in the United States after teaming up with a veterinarian in Michigan. Bruce Langlois, DVM, director at Animal Hospital of Lowell, welcomed the animals to his clinic as part of a global initiative to spay and neuter 100,000 dogs and cats a year on a clinic-by-clinic basis.
Langlois visited Beirut in February as part of the outreach work that he does for Remote Area Medical, a volunteer organization that provides free healthcare and veterinary services in remote areas throughout the world. During his one-week stay in Beirut, he trained other veterinarians and a rescue group on how to operate high-volume spay and neuter programs in a sterile and humane way.
Rescue group members were interested in traveling to the United States to learn more about caring for dogs. They arrived in Michigan two weeks ago, along with the dog and 14 cats in need of a home.
The dog, a Poodle mix, was rescued by shelter volunteers in Lebanon when he was a puppy four years ago, says Marguerite Shaarawi, a volunteer who accompanied the animals to Michigan. The dog was not able to find a stable home, Shaarawi says.
“He was abandoned for several reasons,” she says. “He was unlucky.”
When Langlois offered to help the overcrowded no-kill shelter find homes for a group of cats, a door also opened for the dog. Shaarawi decided to transport the dog along with the cats.
The dog’s luck changed in Michigan when he was adopted out by the animal clinic soon after his arrival. Seven cats also were placed in homes, Langlois says. An adoption event is planned for the remaining cats.
Langlois says the animals were likely left to roam the streets when their owners fled Lebanon during a time of political unrest. The animals were rescued off the streets by volunteers, some were found next to garbage bins.
“This small group is the only animal rescue group in all of Lebanon,” Langlois says. “They are doing a very good job.”
Shaarawi says it’s important to emphasize the need for spay and neuter programs to control the dog and cat population. “Animals all over the world need help,” she says.
Shaarawi will spend one more week in Michigan before returning to Lebanon. To learn more about Remote Area Medical, go to www.ramusa.org