Mission Statement

Our mission is to protect and improve the lives of animals in Cotacachi and surrounding indigenous villages, in Ecuador. Our team provides high-quality veterinary services to stray dogs and cats, companion animals with owners, and those who cannot afford treatment. We combat abandonment and overpopulation, provide sterilization and emergency veterinary care, and teach children to respect and care for animals.

Beginnings

Ecuador suffers tremendously from severe pet overpopulation, with a free-roaming dog and cat problem, a lack of resources for sterilization campaigns, and a culture that lacks knowledge of the values of animal welfare. Our developing country has a significant need for investment in animal welfare projects that focus on the values of sterilization, vaccination, veterinary care, and the human-animal bond. In 2011 the Ecuadorian-based Fundación Amici Cannis was created and registered for the purpose of funding Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) campaigns to combat the severe free-roaming dog and cat overpopulation problem.

In 2015, Amici Cannis USA, a 501c3, was formed as an umbrella organization to raise funds for the Fundación Amici Cannis. Amici Cannis ran large sterilization campaigns in Cotacachi, paying local veterinarians to perform the procedures. In 2016, Amici Cannis opened a brick-and-mortar hospital in Cotacachi, the main town in the predominantly indigenous canton of Cotacachi, Ecuador. Today Foundation Amici Cannis, has the goal to fulfill the need of these welfare projects in Cotacachi and the surrounding Indigenous villages. 

Our Work

Amici Cannis Hospital is staffed by capable Ecuadorians and our equipment and protocols are to North American standards.

Since opening, the Amici Cannis team has sterilized an average of 1,500 dogs and cats per year (over 10,000 animals to date in 2023) and provided medical care to thousands of pets and community dogs (previously street dogs).

We utilize a semi-annual roaming dog census which allows us to track our progress and document the impact of funding.

We maintain a good working relationship with the municipality and enjoy the goodwill of the residents of Cotacachi and the surrounding indigenous villages.

Our greatest achievement to date is the stabilization of Cotacachi’s large community dog population through a robust TNR program using a dedicated mobile technician and our full-service animal hospital.