The Mobile Clinic trailer was carefully towed to the space allocated to us at Mahiai-Ini Primary School in Gathiga in Kikuyu. We parked it away from the vaccination tents, but near to a building which offered shade for animals awaiting their turn to be prepared for sterilisation surgery, but with space for the tent where animals recover from surgery next to it.
Over two incredibly hot days, we rabies vaccinated 526 dogs and cats, Spay/neutered 54 dogs and cats, and educated 124 children on safety around animals and basic pet care.
Our highly interactive Education Program was very popular, with kids rushing to be the first to experience what it is like to be a guard dog, locked in a cage all day! We place a blanket over the cage for 20 seconds, to improvise darkness, and then ask the children how it would feel to be a dog enclosed for 12 hours without access to a toilet. They always agree that they would not like it – and we request that they not do the same to their dogs.
Our special animal capture nets were in constant use, as so many people bought their cats to the campaign in their arms, rather than in a box, or in a sack. This results in the cats easily fleeing out of fear of the dogs, the noise and too many people milling about.
Likewise, a dog ran under a car to avoid being vaccinated. We tried to tempt him out with food, which did not work. We then resorted to using one net to “prod” him a bit into running out the open side where we had a waiting net! Success!
He was soon vaccinated and on his way.
We were startled when a man showed up with his dog and a very loyal sheep who would not leave his side! He said that his sheep followed him everywhere and so he could not leave it at home. And indeed the sheep hugged his side from registration to rabies station to deworming station before following him out.
Typical of the dogs we saw were many with mange and skin issues which we treated with Ivermectin.
Tommy hanging out at registration 
Tommy enjoying a scratch at the education tent
A dog named Tommy, just would not leave, no matter how much he was called by his keeper. Tommy hung out by the registration desk, then grabbed a scratch at the Education tent, before spending time at the Rabies vaccination tent! After about an hour, he gently left the site and trotted off home.
One of the saddest and cruelest wounds that we have ever treated was that of “wire dog”.
