Importance of Volunteers -- Susan Taylor

September 12, 2012

Susan Taylor , AVC 2013, travelled to Nain as one of the student participants on the Chinook Project. As part of the experience, the students craft various pieces of writing.

During our trip to Nain, we saw many examples of kindness and compassion for animals.  The woman in the picture is Tammy, a pivotal volunteer in the success of the Nain Chinook Project.  Tammy had many of the medicine and surgery appointments booked and scheduled before the team arrived and happily added to the roster as we saw more and more patients throughout the week.  She had to take time off from her job for the Nain Inuit Community Government to aid in the Chinook Project’s efforts.  She answered the phone, arranged for pickup times, sat with recovering dogs and even hand delivered patients back to their homes.  Tammy knew just about everyone in town, so she was a great way to gain the trust of the people of Nain.  She was a joy to be around and always had a smile on her face, even through the long days. 

Tammy got even more involved when she volunteered to place the catheter in her own dog.  She had been practicing with a pop bottle and IV tubing put together by Dr. Foley.  Several members of Nain’s community, Tammy included, were trying to build on their skills of injecting into the cephalic vein to become certified to euthanize the dogs of Nain when needed.  This is a vital skill in a community with no veterinary care.  Despite Cocoa’s short legs and twisted veins, Tammy got the catheter in on her first try and we were all very proud.