Bring Pacha Home
Donation protected
My partner & I are on a year long charity expedition, cycling the entire length of the South American continent through the Andes, the worlds longest mountain range. Following various setbacks with injuries and illnesses, we were forced to change our route at the last minute. In this twist of fate, call it destiny, our paths crossed with a very poorly little puppy who desperately needed help.
We were cycling through a remote village in Peru, when we first set eyes on a little puppy in horrifying shape. She was severely emaciated, with every bone in her body protruding abruptly through her thin pale skin. She could barely stand she was so weak. In her eyes you could tell she had lost hope. How could we cycle on and leave this poor thing to her certain fate of death without any compassion from anyone? The short answer is we couldn't, and we didn't.
We stopped to offer her some canned fish, fashioned a cardboard box and transported her 50km to the nearest town on the back of our touring bikes to get veterinary assistance.
Thankfully, we were told she didn't have any significant diseases, but she was suffering from severe malnutrition and anaemia, and that with good nutrition and TLC she could make a full recovery. I think both being doctors, her immense vulnerability really struck a chord in our hearts and there really was no choice but to take her with us, cycling north. We decided to call her Pacha, meaning ‘earth’ in the indigenous language of Perú, since we found her in the dirt.
And so two became three, and we’ve had a tremendous adjustment to go through adapting to life on the road with a puppy. We sent a lot of our equipment home to make space for our new teammate and her accessories. She rides with us in a large travelling kennel so that she is comfortable and safe on the back of the bike, and she’s taken to this adventurous life like a natural. In her first month traveling with us, her weight increased from 2.7kg to 6kg, she began to play and developed a gentle personality. She is certainly one of the team now and we could not imagine being apart from her.
We are reaching out to people for a little financial assistance in getting Pacha home to the United Kingdom. We clearly couldn't have foreseen this chance encounter and with our trip being completely self funded we simply don't have the budget to cover the substantial cost of getting Pacha home.
We have already paid over £1000 for her veterinary treatment, vaccinations, travel certificates, food and accessories. In order to bring her home with us in February, she will need to spend a minimum of 2 months in quarantine, as per EU legislation. This will cost £2500, which covers everything from customs & airport clearance, collection and transport from the airport, to food and accommodation costs for that period of time. Her airline ticket will cost at least £500 from Colombia if using a reputable company who regularly transport animals.
For anyone who has had a loved pet, you will know that they are more than just an animal you feed. They become part of the family, with their own personality and capability of showing and receiving love. When they are ill, you are concerned. When they are happy, you are happy. We have loved this little puppy for the past 2 months and couldn’t imagine leaving her to fate in a foreign country which is why we are asking for your help, a small contribution to help us care for a puppy who was on deaths door and who is now thriving.
We would be eternally grateful for any support received and will tell the world of your generosity over our social media feeds. We would love to keep everyone informed of her progress over the years with photos and videos and of course, you would always be welcome to visit Pacha and see how grateful she is.
We were cycling through a remote village in Peru, when we first set eyes on a little puppy in horrifying shape. She was severely emaciated, with every bone in her body protruding abruptly through her thin pale skin. She could barely stand she was so weak. In her eyes you could tell she had lost hope. How could we cycle on and leave this poor thing to her certain fate of death without any compassion from anyone? The short answer is we couldn't, and we didn't.
We stopped to offer her some canned fish, fashioned a cardboard box and transported her 50km to the nearest town on the back of our touring bikes to get veterinary assistance.
Thankfully, we were told she didn't have any significant diseases, but she was suffering from severe malnutrition and anaemia, and that with good nutrition and TLC she could make a full recovery. I think both being doctors, her immense vulnerability really struck a chord in our hearts and there really was no choice but to take her with us, cycling north. We decided to call her Pacha, meaning ‘earth’ in the indigenous language of Perú, since we found her in the dirt.
And so two became three, and we’ve had a tremendous adjustment to go through adapting to life on the road with a puppy. We sent a lot of our equipment home to make space for our new teammate and her accessories. She rides with us in a large travelling kennel so that she is comfortable and safe on the back of the bike, and she’s taken to this adventurous life like a natural. In her first month traveling with us, her weight increased from 2.7kg to 6kg, she began to play and developed a gentle personality. She is certainly one of the team now and we could not imagine being apart from her.
We are reaching out to people for a little financial assistance in getting Pacha home to the United Kingdom. We clearly couldn't have foreseen this chance encounter and with our trip being completely self funded we simply don't have the budget to cover the substantial cost of getting Pacha home.
We have already paid over £1000 for her veterinary treatment, vaccinations, travel certificates, food and accessories. In order to bring her home with us in February, she will need to spend a minimum of 2 months in quarantine, as per EU legislation. This will cost £2500, which covers everything from customs & airport clearance, collection and transport from the airport, to food and accommodation costs for that period of time. Her airline ticket will cost at least £500 from Colombia if using a reputable company who regularly transport animals.
For anyone who has had a loved pet, you will know that they are more than just an animal you feed. They become part of the family, with their own personality and capability of showing and receiving love. When they are ill, you are concerned. When they are happy, you are happy. We have loved this little puppy for the past 2 months and couldn’t imagine leaving her to fate in a foreign country which is why we are asking for your help, a small contribution to help us care for a puppy who was on deaths door and who is now thriving.
We would be eternally grateful for any support received and will tell the world of your generosity over our social media feeds. We would love to keep everyone informed of her progress over the years with photos and videos and of course, you would always be welcome to visit Pacha and see how grateful she is.
Organizer
Laura Irwin
Organizer
