16/06/2023
We regret to inform that due to lack of resources, we have made the decision to cancel our last event and wrap up the Pupp Project for the forseeable future.
It has been difficult trying to run a charity while working full time and living busy lives. The vet industry is under a lot of pressure and this means vets are already stretched to their limits.
The Pupp Project was started in 2019 by 3 vets: Dr. Mary-Beth Dwyer, Dr. Ella campbell and Dr. Estelle Louarduzzi, each of us determined to see an end to a disease that causes horrendous suffering, yet is completely preventable by vaccination. We had high hopes but unfortunately have been majorly under-resourced to tackle such a massive problem.
Without desexing, the dog population continues to grow and we can't keep up with the number of puppies being born each year. And it only takes a few parvo cases to spread the virus in the community. The virus is so contagious and so hardy that without mass widespread vaccination, it will continue to infect and kill dogs, and make it unsafe to socialise puppies in high-risk areas.
Have we lost hope? No, parvovirus can be eradicated. In suburbs where owners are diligent about vaccinating their dogs, the incidence of parvo is very low, almost non-existent. But how does one small charity convince hundreds or thousands of dog owners that vaccination is important? Poverty, education, attitudes towards animals, access and availability of veterinary services all play an important role and these big problems need big solutions.
We're proud of what we've accomplished. We vaccinated over 700 dogs, most of which would have never been vaccinated without our help. Those dogs will never suffer the horrible fate of parvo. So for us, those precious lives has been worth every effort.
We want to take this opportunity to thank the following:
- The Cook Islands Development Agency NZ (CIDANZ) for allowing us to use their premises
- The New Zealand Companion Animal Trust for helping with funding
- The generous people who donated
- The vets, vet nurses and friends who volunteered their time on weekends to help at our events; in particular Dr. Sylvia Bell, Frances Louard, Desirée Te Moananui
Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts.
In the meantime, we will continue to hope that one day, a collective effort will be made accross the veterinary and animal welfare sectors to make this major animal welfare issue a priority.
And we encourage all dog owners to have their dogs vaccinated against parvo.
