Rescuing Francesco

Before travelling to Ecuador, I had to get a number of vaccinations. I was warned by the health care provider adminstering the vaccinations at the time, "Stay away from animals -  they can carry a lot of diseases and parasites, including rabies." I've been volunteering in Ecuador since August, and just like I was told, there are a lot of stray animals - especially dogs.

While working in the rural community where I'm posted, I was happy to make my first Ecuadorian friend, Francesco ("Fran" for short). He's a young guy with a handsome face who overall is pretty quiet, but friendly enough, for sure. Yeah, my buddy is a dog. Against the advice of the healthcare provider, I hung out with Fran a lot. He was a loner, a bag of bones, and followed me everywhere. I bought some dog food and, unbeknownst to me, so began my commitment to saving Fran.

In the first couple of months, I saw that the other dogs in the village treated Fran like an outcast and were always agressive towards him. He was very submissive and would skirt around them to avoid them. He was also hit by a car, and while still injured, people kicked him to get him to leave areas where he was not welcome. After spending a couple of months together and seeing how he was such an outcast, I knew I couldn't leave him there. I contacted Jesse Adams from Raincoast Dog Rescue in Victoria, BC who agreed to do what he could to help me rescue Fran.

Fast forward to Jan 6, when I hired a truck to bring Fran into Quito, found him a temporary foster, and took him to the vet. That was less than 3 weeks ago, and he's been neutered, vaccinated, cleared for all parasites and diseases, treated for fleas and ticks, microchipped and had his teeth cleaned. Raincoast has helped to cover most of those costs. Now the tough part - it's been very challenging for me, an 18 year old from Canada, to try to organize and navigate all the hoops and check all the boxes to get Fran shipped to Canada. He has a BC adopter (through Raincoast) waiting for him, and who can pick him up in Calgary. However, shipping Fran requires the use of a third party freight forwarder which, as it turns out, is very costly, and his airline ticket with United will be almost as much as mine. There is also a sense of urgency as Fran's foster can't keep him much longer, and my time in Ecuador is fast coming to a close.

This gofundme campaign is the only way I can think of to generate the money needed to finish this rescue off.  I need to get Fran on his way within this next week. While I know there are many very worthwhile causes out there, and many people in need, it's my hope that among all the people I know, and among all the people they (you)  know, that we can find 100 people who would be able to donate $11 each. That's my goal.  7 days - $11 - 100 people. Please help me get Fran to his new home, where he will enjoy the love and safety of a human who is committed to him, and where he can be a loyal friend and companion for the rest of his days, just like he deserves. 

Gracias, thank you, for reading and considering this gofundme. I have learned more than I ever thought I could through this dog rescue. I've had to speak all sorts of Spanish that I never thought I would. I am so grateful to Fran for being him, to Kat for being his foster (who thought I would run into another Canadian in Ecuador who loves dogs as much as I do?), and to Jesse at Raincoast for his guidance and support from so far away.  And thank you in advance to those who donate to this cause, and to those who share it out in support. 

7 days - $11 - 100 people.