A CUTE GROUP OF PUPPIES WIN THE ATHLETES’ HEART AT THE PAN AMERICAN VILLAGE

A friendly group of dogs has won the hearts of thousands of athletes who came to stay at the Pan American Village in the district of Villa El Salvador. A total of 13 docile dogs have an 'accreditation' and the freedom to share time with the athletes, who have gotten attached to them.

The 13 dogs have a 'Dog village', which was built within the Pan American Village. They eat and sleep there, although they are usually found around the buildings where the athletes stay throughout the day. All the dogs are sterilized, vaccinated and very docile, so their coexistence with the athletes is pretty normal.

They all show their accreditations proudly and have been baptized by workers with names such as: Coca, Negra, Preta, Bambye, Reina, Are, Hermes, Pablo, Chato, Puñete, Toby, Gringo and Sultán. All of them have the surname Villa Buitrón written in their accreditations, which reaffirms them as part of the Pan American Village team.

Paloma Yrrivarren, who is in charge of the Pan American Village, said that several dogs were already inside the area when the construction began in 2017, while others arrived as the days went by. Therefore, it was decided to 'accredit' the 13 dogs and build them a house.

"We have informed the athletes that these dogs are well cared for, vaccinated and healthy. We now want them to find a permanent home. The 13 dogs have been well received by the athletes because they are not aggressive. We decided to give them their accreditation to be recognized, to give security to the residents and to see that they are part of the Village team. Athletes have grown fond of the animals because they are docile, loving and healthy.  The Canadians and Brazilians are very happy,” stated Yrrivarren.

One of the most enthusiastic workers in the care of the 13 dogs is Nathaly Romero, who is part of the company MB, which is responsible for the care of the parks and gardens of the Village. The dogs won her heart and that is why she feeds and take care of them with the support of the veterinaries of the district.

“We have old dogs that were already here and stayed because they had food. They were given affection and now we are in a campaign to give them up for adoption once the Games are over so that they are not alone. Formally, there are 13 dogs, but there is an average of 20, because they can find food here. Those who want to adopt the dogs should call 927627684. We are also asking for food and medicine. Each puppy has a story, one sadder than the other, but in the Village, we are making them happy. We have support from the Oasis veterinary, that helps us by taking care of the puppies," said Nathaly Romero.

In recent months, seven puppies have been adopted, some by the Lima 2019 workers, who got attached to them. "'Reina' is one of the dogs that was adopted and although many say that adult dogs are terrible, that's a lie because the one that was adopted behaves very well," said the enthusiastic worker.