I got a text from Kelly the other day, asking if I could photograph some puppies and their mom. Um, yes! Of course, I said yes.
It was a good day for puppies. Some days just have a drib-drab about them, and I’ve been having a spell of those days lately. But when these five five-week old puppies showed up on my doorstep for their photo shoot, the melancholy scampered away.
Family portrait of five puppies. Left to right: Paprika, Safflower, Dill, Rue, and Juniper.
Puppies!
Mama dog, Canela, had been rounded up by an animal control officer. The little chihuahua-dachshund-terrier (?) mix was close to her due date, and a call had been made to One More Dog Rescue to help. Canela ended up with a foster mom who doubled as midwife, helping her deliver six beautiful puppies a couple of days later. Two days later, Ash died–he had been the smallest and the only black puppy in the brood. The remaining five caramel and vanilla colored pups are Paprika and Safflower (girls) and Dill, Juniper, and Rue boys. By the looks of the babes, dad had a good helping of Cocker Spaniel in him. They are five-and-a half-weeks old now, and starting to come into their personalities. When they aren’t sleeping, they are chasing mom Canela for milk. Canela kept good watch on her puppies, but she was also ready to play like a puppy herself. All of these sweeties will be up for adoption soon on the One More Dog Rescue site.
Mama dog Canela with the big eyes is ready to be done with nursing puppies. She’s good at counting the puppies, and her toys.Canela is waiting for a treat, and keeps taking a watchful glance at her sleeping babies.
And…here are the puppies!
Paprika. This brave little girl was the first to sit for her portrait.By frame five, Paprika was bored by the camera, and ready for her nap.Safflower stretches her legs.Safflower smiles for the camera.Dill was the only one I heard growl…and only when Rue kept stepping on him.Dill poses for his portrait.Juniper wonders why we woke him up.Juniper. Still wondering about his nap time.Rue the charmer was finally awake, and ready to rumble.Rue was the only one who played…with some dramatic pawing that offset his balance.
If you are a dog lover, please ADOPT from, FOSTER for, VOLUNTEER with, or DONATE to a rescue group. Ditto for cat lovers. Support Spay/Neuter programs in your city. And please, take great care of all animals.
When the cloud cleared, we were already low over the green and red earth of Cuba. The plane tilted left into a turn that positioned us to land in Havana’s Jose Martí airport in about three minutes. I could see that the streets were wet, rain drops now skittered across the plane window. Like a dream window to the past, I could see a few of those old cars moving down a road in the distance, and as we neared our landing, I saw two dogs drinking from a puddle on a dirt road. It’s been three years since I last visited Cuba. Many things have changed, and many have not.
A dog wanders down a street in Centro Habana, Cuba.
When I last saw Cuba
When I last saw Cuba, I was not part of The Aniplant Project (TAP), a non-profit dedicated to helping the animals of Cuba. I had yet to publish the photo essay and article that TAP’s Les and Charlene Inglis read, that gave them the idea to contact me to join them. The last time I visited Cuba, Fidel was alive, Raul was President, and Obama had not yet visited. The place had been mobbed with USA visitors after Obama’s trip, and now, not as many. The last time I walked in Havana in March 2015, veterinary clinics were open. Many pets were receiving at least basic care, and were being spayed/neutered and vaccinated in proper clinics.
A cat waits her turn for spaying in Havana Cuba
Fast forward to 2018
Since 2015, some big things have changed. But let’s skip the politics and talk about the ugly change that impacted the animals.
Veterinary clinics across Havana were closed in Spring 2017. Some people say it was because of improper medical waste disposal, others say it was because medicines were disappearing from people hospitals. Regardless of the reason, it has had a negative impact on the health of animals. Keep in mind, there are still no animal shelters in Cuba.
Animals are turned out to the streets when people can’t or won’t care for them. Street cat populations have swelled. Every corner in Havana that has a trash dumpster will also have at least 2-3 cats and maybe a litter of kittens living there. More visitors to Cuba are writing us to report the sad, sick state of the animals on the streets, more tourists have seen the cruel treatment of animals in Santeria rituals, and Zoonosis round-ups. Without veterinary clinics, fewer animals have been sterilized, vaccinated, and treated for fleas/ticks, mange, or parasites. And as a result of fewer sterilizations in the last year, more animals are going hungry and suffering on the streets. It is overwhelming to see.
Cuba is working on reopening veterinary clinics in Havana. It is taking a lot of time, and paperwork. It is frustrating for many and requires patience from all.
On-going care for the animals
Despite the setbacks, Aniplant continues to do sterilization campaigns around Havana. While the clinic was closed like all the others (and because ~20 dogs are sheltered there), it does not prevent Aniplant from going into neighborhoods to spay/neuter pets and area strays. Sterilization work continues because of Nora Garcia, President of Aniplant and because of the resources supplied by TAP Animal Project (formerly The Aniplant Project).
TAP Animal Project believes that the number one way to end the suffering of animals on the streets is through mass sterilization campaigns. Why? Consider this:
Female cats can breed three times a year, and have on average 4 kittens per litter. That’s another 12 cats in just one year from just one cat. Multiply that by the kittens having babies who have babies, etc…and in just seven years, that’s more than 400,000 new cats. Where will they go?
Maybe you are a dog person? Female dogs can breed twice a year and have 6-10 puppies per litter. In seven years, that’s about 97,000 new dogs. Where will they go?
Without sterilization campaigns, the population of animals will multiply and multiply and multiply, ad nauseam. More and more innocent dogs and cats will be left to fend for themselves and to suffer harsh lives and cruel deaths. The best long-term solution is spay/neuter, and Cuba needs more of it.
A TAP Animal Project + Aniplant sterilization campaign for 12 cats on May 26. The blind 92-year-old grandma slept with kittens on her feet.
TAP Animal Project supports ANIPLANT’s spay/neuter mission
TAP recently changed names in order to expand sterilization campaigns beyond Aniplant. The Aniplant Project became TAP Animal Project in May 2018, and continues to be a 501(c)(3) non-profit, incorporated in Florida, and operating from Chicago. TAP believes that with supporters’ continued help, there is capacity to do more mass sterilizations in Cuba. It’s not going to be easy. There are many regulations around the importation of anesthesia and who in Cuba can receive it. There are issues of facilities, of veterinarians, of certifications, and of access to other needs like TNR traps, transportation, antibiotics, etc. It’s Cuba. It’s complicated. Change is rarely easy. But for healthy pets, healthy people, and the happiness of our animal-loving souls, it’s worth it.
A veterinarian spays a cat in a TAP Animal Project + Aniplant small house campaign while other cats and kittens watch and wait.Nora Garcia cuddles a happy puppy who is temporarily staying at Aniplant in Havana CubaThis skittish, one-eyed dog lives in the stairwell of an apartment building near the Malecón in Havana Cuba.This little kitten wandered up alone in the streets of old Havana. Skin and bones, timid and hungry.
Thank you for reading
Carol Fletcher is a traveling, dog-loving, coffee-addicted, tree-hugging, Nashville born-and-raised photographer living in Chicago. To see more photo essays and projects, please visit www.carolfletcher.com.Select Cuba photos are available for purchase on Etsy.
