Project Samana is an animal welfare program started in 1992 by the Massachusetts Veterinary Medical Association on the Samana peninsula on the northeast coast of the Dominican Republic.

The mission of the project is to improve the quality of life of the animals and by so doing to also improve the conditions of the people of the region. Twice yearly a team of veterinarians, technicians and students spends a week in the Samana region operating spay/neuter clinics for small animals and clinics for large animals, primarily equine.

Robert Labdon, DVM and Jay Meriam, DVM are the two veterinarians that have assumed responsibility for organizing and maintaining the project. It was Dr. Labdon who discovered the need for Project Samana when he and his wife Jane were sailing the world back in the early '90s. Dr. Labdon and his son went back to Samana and started establishing the contacts necessary to get the word out to the local people that medical care would be available twice yearly. Soon after Dr. Labdon and his son went to Samana, Dr. Meriam joined them and started visiting farms in order to provide large animal care.

These are my thoughts and impressions of my time in the Dominican Republic.

Monday, June 4

I woke at 3:50 a.m. for what was to be an incredibly long day of travel. My flight left Atlanta at 7:00 am. I met up with most of the other group members at the Miami airport. We arrived in Peurto Plata, D.R. Everyone got through customs easily enough until this one veterinarian was stopped because of holistic pills in his suitcase. The next thing I knew, officials were pulling some of the other doctors back in to reexamine their suitcases. At this point, one car full of our group left the airport, figuring that it would be best not to be standing there if they decided to round us an up to search our suitcases. After several calls to D.R. officials and veterinarians, everyone was allowed through. It was decided that after eight years of bringing what was needed for the trip in everyone's luggage, it was time to go through different channels in order to get the appropriate drugs into the country. This was discussed with a number of local people, and everything appears to be in place to make the trip through customs a lot smoother in the future.

After leaving the airport, we had a three and a half hour drive to get to Samana.

I must say, I have never experienced anything remotely close to my experience driving to Samana. The roads are mostly paved, but there are no lines on the road and apparently no rules either. We were driving on the "main" road, and I saw people drying their grain on the road, moving cows, sitting on the road in chairs playing some sort of board game and more crazy motorbike drivers than I ever imagined. People would transport everything from three other people to a dead pig on their motorbikes. I am amazed that I didn't see an accident in my time there - especially the way some of our own group drove.

I was instantly struck with the sense of community that I observed just driving to our hotel. It was easy to observe the people, as their houses were literally five feet from the road. In every little village that we drove through I would see groups of people gathering and apparently just hanging out. The "rat race": that we are used to was nonexistent.

After the long drive and the modest conditions that I drove through, I had no idea what to expect as we drove to our hotel. When we arrived, I could not believe how beautiful a place the Gran Bahia was and how great a view I was going to have all week. Apparently, the hotel has changed hands a number of times since the first trip in 1992, and it was not known what the cost would be until we arrived. I roomed with a Tufts student and We paid the low, low price of $46 per person. What was more amazing was that this included all meals and drinks. The hotel was open and beautiful. It is located on a cove with a beautiful little beach and a pool. The rooms are large with a balcony. My balcony overlooked the water and was utilized every morning when I woke. I was stunned at my good fortune!

We had a group meeting right before we ate dinner that first evening to get everyone on the same page for the following day. It was upbeat and was a chance for everyone to figure out his or her role. Something about having a meeting in the Caribbean in a hotel lobby with a breeze blowing through it with a tropical drink in hand just appealed to me. Dinner followed the meeting. All of the meals were served buffet-style and the selections were numerous and tasty. After the first night the hotel staff reserved a large table on the outdoor patio for us each evening. I just remember thinking that life was pretty good.

Tuesday, June 5

Morning came and the whole day was one incredible experience.

The building we set up our makeshift clinic in was not up to AAHA standards to say the least. The ceiling leaked, potable water was not available, our operating tables consisted of desks on cinder blocks, and light was not provided by anything other than sun through windows.

When we arrived there were some thirty-odd dogs already waiting for us. Many of these people waited all day to be seen by us - and did so happily.

Before I knew it, the first dog was induced and what followed gave me a great sense of accomplishment and pride in the profession. What I was part of was a team of people working towards a common goal. Evidently, people were not lining up, as they were on my trip, when the first trips began. Over time, the people of the Samaria region have come to see the benefits of population control and now look forward to our arrival every six months.

We had several people along who spoke Spanish and they would attempt to gather a history form the owners. Every dog, it seemed, was a surgical risk. The dogs had problems ranging from heartworm to worms to respiratory infections to skin problems. It was routine to give every dog a shot of Ivermectin.

By lunchtime the whole operation seemed to run itself. I did a couple of spays with Dr. Labdon and when we both felt comfortable, I did the spays on my own. We worked about twelve hours and at the end of the day we had spayed about 40 dogs. I just remember thinking how many uncared for puppies we just avoided bringing into the world. It was a wonderful feeling.

We had a quick meeting that evening before dinner. Everyone felt so positive about the day. It feels great to make a difference.

Wednesday, June 6

I went with Dr. Jay Meriam to work with horses. Another great teacher and another great day. I believe we castrated 13 horses that day. It just so happened that the surgery field was right across the street from the ocean. How could it get much better than this?

We worked all week, traveling to different farms and villages. One of the most enjoyable aspects of the trip was the chance to interact with the local people. The people as a whole were just nice, warm, family-oriented people.

I could go on and describe every day that I spent there, but I will, instead, leave you with my lasting impression. I got more real surgical experience there in one week that I imagine I will get in three weeks of soft tissue surgery. I left feeling that our group had made a lasting difference. I felt as though I was extremely fortunate to learn from two people that I feel are at the top of their profession.

Please contact me at swalsh@arches.uga.edu with any questions regarding my experience on this trip. If interested in going on a Project Samaria trip, please contact Dr. Robert Labdon at Veterinary Associates of Cape Cod, 16 Commonwealth Avenue, South Yarmouth, MA 02664 or vacc@capecod.net. There is also additional information about Project Samana on the International Activities Externships and SAGA websites.

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