Animal-Kind International
- May 10
- 3 min
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AKI Partner Organization-Helping Hands for Hounds of Honduras (HHHH)
AKI's Partnership with Helping Hands for Hounds of Honduras
Pilar went to Honduras as a Peace Corps Volunteer, and when her 2 year tour was over, she stayed in Tegucigalpa, where she raised her son and daughter and was an ornithology professor at the National Autonomous University of Honduras. Pilar always loved animals; she has always been the go-to person for injured cats and dogs, birds, and other wildlife.
So when Pilar started Helping Hands for Hounds of Honduras, it seemed like the natural thing to do. HHHH is a rescue organization and animal sanctuary.
The Nereida Montes de Oca Refuge, HHHH’s sanctuary, is named after Pilar’s niece, who accompanied Pilar on many animal rescues, but died prematurely.
Pilar w/ Sweetie, hit by a car & rescued by Pilar, adopted by Andrea.
HHHH has been an AKI Partner Organization since 2007. Other than donations of cat and dog food and shelter supplies from local supporters and volunteers, AKI donors are the only source of funding for HHHH.
At the Nereida Montes de Oca Sanctuary, most residents come from the streets of Tegucigalpa, some have been kicked out of their homes, left to fend for themselves, some have been hit by cars, and some were abandoned at Pilar's vet's office because the treatment is too time consuming or the animal too severely injured (vet care in Honduras is rarely too expensive, even for low income pet owners-vet costs are nowhere near what they are in the US).
Pilar is especially known for "before-after" --turning dogs and cats lives around (like in the 8 after/before pictures below-click on a picture for more info).
There’s no other sanctuary quite like this for cats and dogs in Tegucigalpa--essentially, the HHHH sanctuary is an old age-hospice-rehab facility for cats and dogs, where many of the animals require intensive care to overcome their physical and emotional injuries.
Some cats and dogs are permanent sanctuary residents—it's unlikely they’ll find other homes because of their health issues, the intensive care they need, their age, or their injuries.
Pilar usually cares for about 25 dogs and a few cats at the sanctuary (there are also birds and often a couple of wild animals that Pilar is rehabilitating).
Pilar has given courses at the university on first aid for animals, and many of her students now help her with animal rescue. They act as an animal rescue squad, and have fanned out across the country, where they are emulating Pilar’s rescue work.
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