2008 was a year of growth for The Humane Society of Cozumel Island. In February we were surprised by a totally unexpected inheritance, which came from a man that we never new, but through one of the many rescue stories from our regular work. This allowed us to make urgently needed improvements and to employ more staff so our shelter works better. Soon after that, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, an important and recognized worldwide organization, invited us to sign an agreement of collaboration with them, which we did in September.

With this important backing, in 2009 we are launching our most ambitious project yet: a massive free spay/neuter campaign with a goal of 2,000 animals sterilized in 2009. The long term goal is to do increasingly more pets as we gain campaign speed, and cover 15,000 animals in a period of 3 to 5 years. This roughly equates to 70% of the total estimated dog and cat population of the island. If and when we reach that goal, Cozumel will be the first municipality in the country where dog and cat overpopulation will be controlled solely by the prevention of litters, and not by extermination.

In preparation for this, we have made several changes and added new staff. We hired an additional veterinarian and a manager/supervisor. We have purchased a new anesthesia machine and are in the process of getting other pieces of equipment needed: an autoclave, more surgical instruments, an additional surgery table and lights.

We have extended our hours from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on week days, to allow the medical staff to be fully dedicated to spay/neuter surgeries from 9 to 1, and provide our regular veterinary services from 1 through 7 p.m. This also required having sufficient lighting installed in the entire shelter; a major investment.

Various other important repairs, improvements and maintenance work have been made, like emptying and cleaning our septic tank, a non-enviable task that could wait no longer. Cleaning and refreshing our well, installing a second electric meter so our surgeons could have air conditioning. A gate here, a shelf there, and more.

The biggest investment will be the construction of a room on the second floor, which will provide a waiting area/classroom, where pet owners can sit while they wait for their pet to be sterilized. During that time they will watch a video and receive information on what pets are, and what they need to do as guardians to give them a good life and fully enjoy the benefits of having a companion animal in the family.