Community dogs benefit with a little help from Best Friends

by Best Friends staff

It was early 2007 when one of Best Friends’ founders, Gregory Castle traveled to Addis Ababa at the invitation of Dr. Anteneh Roba to discuss the possibility of city involvement in saving thousands of street dogs there.

Dr. Roba, a physician living in Texas, is also a leader in animal welfare in his home country Ethiopia and is well known throughout Africa for helping animals there. He had been supporting a small courageous Ethiopian organization, the Humane Animal Protection Society, but he wanted the program to expand to help the estimated 250,000 dogs roaming the streets there. Best Friends advised that the city had to become involved, and offered to create and help finance a pilot program to show the city how effective a Trap Neuter Return program could be as a kind and humane alternative to just killing the dogs.

Gregory and Dr. Roba made a detailed and impassioned case to an influential group of city officials. Not only would this elevate the humane treatment of the dogs, it would also make a significant impact on the problem of rabies cases in the city. It had been done before in India and other countries with dramatically positive results. The group listened attentively and agreed to accept a detailed proposal.

Best Friends went to work on the details. Dr. Roba, through his foundation, the Amsale Gessesse Memorial Foundation, secured more support from Humane Society International (HSI). Negotiations with the city continued, and in March 2009 the program was under way.

Best Friends sent Chief Veterinarian, Dr. Michael Dix DVM, and a team of rapid response veterans. HSI organized a team from India led by Rahul Sehgal. Together they trained Ethiopian veterinarians and city officials to catch the dogs effectively, to spay and neuter the dogs, and handle all the logistics.

Success Breeds Success
The team stayed two weeks, when they felt that they had given the local animal medical community a solid foundation to turn the city around. But would it continue once they left?

That answer is a resounding ‘Yes’! The latest on-the-ground report from Dr. Roba is that the clinic is buzzing along, and the city is so pleased with the program that it is planning to open nine additional clinics covering all regions of Addis! In addition, the Amsale Gessesse Memorial Foundation and the city government have agreed to mutually produce brochures that will inform citizens on how to take care of their dogs: how not to chain them, proper nutrition, exercise, regular medical checkups and vaccinations!

This is just the beginning of a new era for the companion animals in Ethiopia and beyond!

To read the full report and updates on how the program is going, please go to:
Ethiopia Update, Part I
Ethiopia Update, Part II

To check out the blog from Dr. Anteneh Roba, click here

For more history on this groundbreaking program, please click here

What You Can Do!
Working together we can create a world of No More Homeless Pets! Donate today to the Best Friends Rescue Fund, which helps to support emergency situations and programs such as this Ethiopian street dog TNR effort.

images by Molly Wald, Best Friends photographer
posted by Denise LeBeau, Best Friends staff

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