Canada has welcomed a new furry citizen and a little part of Cusco to its shores! Rafaela, a puppy who was rescued by the Peru Dog Project, recently left for Canada where she will now permanently live with her adoptive mother and Globalteer Peru Dog Rescue Project volunteer Shae.
Like many dogs at the shelter, who were dumped on the streets or abused by their owners, Rafaela had a hard start to life.
Found in a rubbish bin on the streets of Cusco at only a few weeks old, Rafaela was weak and sick from a lack of food. Her sister, who was also dumped in the same bin, tragically had already died.
When Rafaela was brought to the shelter, she could barely move she was so young, although her trademark inquisitiveness quickly started showing through and she would always try to say hello to every new person, dog and cat at the shelter!
Shae, who was a volunteer at the Peru Dog Rescue for four weeks, quickly became her substitute mother and looked after her day and night as she started to recuperate. After only a short few days, Shae knew that she wouldn’t be able to leave Peru without adopting little Rafaela:
“I got attached to Rafaela when I was nursing her back to health, and I knew I could provide her with a loving home and future.”
Organising Rafaela's move to Canada required plenty of planning for Shae, including vaccinations for Rafaela, a certified medical card, export documentation and fees, and an international cargo ticket. It was definitely worth all the effort, however, and after an unexpected overnight delay in Lima, they safely made it to North America together!
Since her arrival in Canada, Rafaela has definitely been enjoying exploring her new home.
“In her new life in Canada, Rafaela has joined our three dogs Ayla, Taffy and Molly, where she now spends her days playing in the backyard, going for walks at the park and swimming in the nearby river. She is really happy and loves to stop every single person walking by when off leash!”
If you want to help make a difference to street dogs in Cusco, we are looking for volunteers with the Peru Dog Rescue Project. We accept volunteers of all backgrounds, age, ability and education, and Spanish is not required for this project. Get involved today!