Announcing Vetscursion: Tulum!

2023 was an exciting year for us: We became a legally recognized nonprofit, we went on our first international charity trip, and we started planning for big things to come! We've been pretty quiet about all of this because there's been so much to learn. Now that we've got our feet wet, we're excited to start sharing more of what we're doing!

The first two big projects of 2024 are the first "true" vetscursion to Tulum, Mexico and what we're calling phase 1 of the field clinic. This update is about our plans in Tulum. You can read more about the field clinic in an upcoming update!

Dogs on the street in Tulum

Why Tulum?

Honestly, the internet lead us there. We stumbled across a nonprofit group called Help Tulum Dogs while trying to find communities that match our mission goals. After reaching out to them, speaking with Cathy, and hearing more about the dire situation in Tulum, we knew we wanted to help.

So, what were we looking for to decide Tulum was the right fit?

First, there has to be a need. We don't want to plan a mission trip somewhere that doesn't need help! The stray dog population in Tulum has become rampant and, aside from a handful of people like Cathy, there isn't any established infrastructure to care for the animal population; there aren't any shelters, no animal control. Most rescue groups in the area have to house animals in their homes, find volunteer fosters, and transport dogs overseas.

Second, we need a great local partner! Without someone who's committed to the long-term success of a community, our efforts would just be one step forward and two steps back. We were lucky to stumble upon Help Tulum Dogs. Check them out on Facebook!

Ok, so we've found a community that could use our help and a local partner that was excited to work with us. Now what?

The Crew

It was time to assemble the band of misfits that would make the journey with us to Mexico. Our goal is to bring 8-10 people and, lucky for us, we've had an amazing level of interest just from word of mouth and telling friends and family about what we're doing. We're still working on finalizing the crew list for this trip so stay tuned for possible openings if you're interested! We're also already working on future plans so follow along for other opportunities.

Each crewmember will be launching their own fundraising campaigns. Check out the fundraiser here for live updates and to show some support for our volunteers!

The Plan

Our goal is to run the field clinic for four consecutive days. Each day we hope to see over 50 animals with the week's total over 250! We're still finalizing details with our local partner so we may make some tweaks to the schedule, but we're currently planning on having the field clinic set up for two days in Tulum, one day in Punta Laguna, and day in Coba. Punta Laguna and Coba are communities outside of Tulum that are similarly affected by a growing dog population.

We've set ourselves big goals in 2024 and we're diving in headfirst! Thanks for reading, following along, and supporting us!

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