PHS HOME PAGE

PLACENCIA HUMANE SOCIETY

Placencia Belize

PHS Year in Review

When President and founding member Marcia Fox moved to Guatemala in April, Mary Smith and Pamela Keck took the helm as Co-presidents. Upon Mary Smith’s subsequent resignation, PHS elected Pamela Keck as President with additions to the Board including Julie Davis-Vice President, Cindy Weller-Treasurer and Cat Harshbarger-Fundraising.

Vets Dr. Tesecum and Dr. Figueroa provided clinic services this year, and Dr. Bennett will return later this year after completing his Master’s Degree in Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Yamaguchi of Belize City visited our Placencia clinic and may offer her services for our local and field clinics as the need arises.

We returned to Red Bank for a field clinic, sponsored by an evangelical group from Kentucky & attended by considerably more animals than last year. Monkey River and Hopkins Village also hosted PHS day clinics. In 2008 we plan to expand the day clinic program to include Punta Gorda and possibly Independence/Mango Creek.

PHS held our 3^rd Annual Seine Bight Clinic with Dr. Tesecum of San Ignacio and Dr. Barnett and his staff from the US. With donations received at this event we plan to do a Seine Bight spay/neuter clinic in April.

In November, generous donations and great support from local villagers made our annual Flea Market in Placencia a huge success.

We continue our goal of securing our own building, and we hope to report more detailed information and progress to you in 2008.

Donations from PHS members and friends this year included a computer, live traps, a squeeze cage, pet carriers, surgical supplies, assorted medications, dog treats, and countless other items.

We express our gratitude to all of you who support PHS with physical donations, monetary contributions, memberships, and letters of encouragement; to Roberts Grove and Nautical Inn for hosting our visiting vets; and to the vacationing vets who find time to help PHS in pet emergencies, sometimes making the difference between life and death.

For those living outside our vicinity and support PHS, please let us know when you plan to visit. We welcome the opportunity to meet you.

Pamela Keck, President, Placencia Humane Society

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The Placencia Humane Society was formed in 1999 primarily to respond to the need for regular veterinary care

on the Peninsula. Before 1999, pets owners on the Placencia Peninsula could only obtain care for their pets

by transporting them to Belize City, or waiting for sporadic visits by veterinarians from other parts of the country.

Today, the Placencia Humane Society has expanded well beyond its original purpose and now offers

temporary emergency shelter for stray and injured pets, no-interest loans to area residents who need help

caring for their pets, spaying and neutering clinics for feral cats, and is now in the process of raising funds

to build a permanent clinic facility. Placencia Humane Society brings a veterinary to Placencia Village once a month

for basic surgical procedures. We have various other clinics around the area ie: Red Bank, Seine Bight,
Hopkins, Independence, and Monkey River. Our focus is education and reduction of unwanted/suffering animals.

We are strong proponents of getting your animal neutered or spayed. We also have a rescue program for

kittens and dogs, and have found homes for numerous homeless animals. We also have worked with

tourists that wish to adopt a Belizean animal in getting the animal shipped to the US and Canada. In cases

where someone has a feral cat that is continually reproducing we will spay/neuter the cat and release it.

We are working on a Junior PHS program to educate kids about the needs of and how to care for their pets.

We also work with the police in cases of animal abuse in order to get the dog removed from the abusive owner.