On Being A Foster Mum...

When asked if I would foster orphaned pups, it came as a shock but only took me seconds to say yes! It is a decision I have never regretted, even after the sleepless nights, the wagging tails, eager eyes and little cries of hunger stir your heart. Then comes the contented sucking sound as they enjoy their first meal of yet another new day of life; it is enough to make your heart burst.

I started out believing I could stay detached, as the goal, of course, is for these little wards to be placed in forever homes with their new permanent families, but it is impossible! I know now that I love them enough to want a loving family of their very own, meaning I have succeeded in my task of giving them that chance. How rewarding is that?

If you have time and patience, there is NO other job as rewarding; you will have a bigger heart with more love to give by the time they leave your care, not to mention the many hours of fun and enjoyment along the way.

The support of VSPCA, a wonderful organization that I feel privileged to be a very small part of, is always just a phone call away.

Carolyn- VSPCA Volunteer

Annique's Perspective 

For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to become a veterinarian. From a tender age, perhaps as soon as I could walk, I have been assisting my father in his veterinary clinic – be it weekends or school breaks. I have also always had a profound love of animals, I guess this has been fostered by my always having been exposed to them in a positive light from an early age – something I wish more people in St. Vincent and the Grenadines could experience. When a child shoos an animal, or expresses some other form of cruelty towards it, I don’t think it is because the child doesn’t like the animal, he or she is just emulating what they see their parents and other influential people in their life do, they then grow up with a certain mind-set and in turn pass on these traits to their children.

I’m currently on a journey towards obtaining my DVM; at the moment I’m going for my Bachelor’s Degree in Animal and Poultry Science (Pre – Vet). My main goal is to become the best vet I can be, and then return home to make a difference in the lives of the animals residing in my country. To me, having the power to alleviate the suffering of these animals is the most important aspect of veterinary medicine.

While working with my father, I’ve seen some heart rendering cases of neglect and abuse: animals so engulfed by parasites that they are on the brink of death; extreme malnutrition; oozing, festering, human-inflicted wounds; and so many more. The worst of it is however, that after these animals are cured, they end up going back into the arms of those who caused the misery. I would dearly like to see brighter futures for these animals someday.

I take my hat off to the VSPA J I am SO happy with the effort being put forth, and I’m deeply inspired by how much hard work you guys are doing! Can’t wait to help you guys out when I get back in the summer!

All the best,

Annique-VSPCA Volunteer 

The Taming of the Roo

But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world…” Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Roo showed up at our doorstep like most of the strays in our neighborhood; starving as evident in her emaciated frame, flee-infested, skittish, and just doing enough to get by day-by-day. There was something different about her, but I failed to notice it from my first encounters... We already had a former-street dog named Isla (who was rescued as a puppy from an abandoned lot) and other neighborhood dogs would show up at the house enticed by the smell of her dog food. We were protective and worried about Isla being attacked by other dogs because of their territorial nature. I would shoo Roo and other dogs away from our house with a broom, but never touching a hair on their body. Roo would move a bit when I came close with the broom, but as soon as I walked back to the house she would be waiting by the gate and I eventually gave up trying to shoo her away. You can’t shoo a Roo- at least I couldn’t anymore.

Roo became a fixture on our lawn and we would refer to her as “Girl” because we didn’t have a name for her yet, but somehow we knew she had a name, if not only the one we would give to her. Roo waited patiently and consistently on our steps; her stubby legs going from side to side and her little nub of a tail wagging upon our return, arms full of groceries - more than we probably needed. She would jump up and down once she reached us begging to be petted and loved. We would give her a little pet, as you could see the fleas crawling all over her patched, lackluster fur coat. We felt sorry for her, but what could we do? We talked about giving her a name and Kiersten wanted me to come up with it, as she knew there was a special bond between us. I thought the dog looked a lot like a Kangaroo and she was always jumping up, so I went with Kangaroo.  We mainly call her Roo or Rhubarb, but she has a litany of names depending on the day. We began to feed her rice (a staple for dogs in St. Vincent) and would let her play with Isla in the yard.

Roo’s biological clock rang and she was soon in heat. The local male dogs, or bulls, in the neighborhood were pursuing her night and day it seemed, and after not being able to take the whining and cries of help any longer from the constant attacks, Kiersten and I let her rest overnight and recover during the day, hoping she felt more comfortable. Tired and bleeding, Roo became a fixture on our porch, and now I was shooing the male dogs away with the same broom that used to meet her. She acted in many ways like she was once cared for, that she once had a family, but most likely abused and later dumped, as so many dogs are. They grow out of cute “puppy-ness”, or become sick or unattractive and are unfortunately easily disposable by those who lack empathy, compassion, and kindness. She was jumpy and shy, and traces of this troubled past follow her today. You could sense she was always on egg shells waiting to be hurt or chased away.

Roo started to wander in the house and try sit on the floor. We were worried about her being in the house with her flea infestation, so we soon embarked on trying to wash and de-flea her in the back wash basin/sink area. Roo did not like water at all, so I used a flea comb with anti-flea bath soap. I tried a few times to comb her, but she would not have it! She’d run away and only return when it was time to eat. I finally put her on the gated porch and began to comb her. We did this process multiple times filling up water bottles with floating dead fleas. As I was combing Roo, I thought to myself that this must be an act of true love. If somebody truly and unconditionally loved me, they would spend hours picking fleas off my body (I would never really have this problem, but it is a good metaphor). During this time, our bond deepened and she was no longer a random stray mutt, but a fellow being that needed love and care. What if we began to see all in this light?  I soon took on the job of domesticating Roo by giving her baths, taking her for walks and trying to teach her how to play catch (she is still working on giving up the ball).

Roo spends her days now in the house chewing on bones, playing with Isla and Wolf, and dreaming of butterflies. She has moved up from plain rice to three meals a day with chow, boiled chicken, boiled eggs, rice and LOADS of yummy treats from America and home-made by Kiersten. She received her first present after her spay surgery; a jersey I purchased in Kenya, which she sleeps on every night. Gone are the days of beatings, shooings, rancid garbage digging, canine gang rapes, and sleeping with one eye open. She is home. She is Roo.

By Nick VSPCA Social Media Strategist & Kiersten VSPCA President 

Gully: From Gutter to Forever Home

When a member of VSPCA posted the adoption link on the group's wall, I decided to take a look, because I was eager for a puppy. I think it would have been best for me to support the organization and adopt a pup in need of a home. These pups need love too, which they never received and if it wasn't for VSPCA, they never would have had an opportunity.  Dogs are said to be faithful animals, so why not be faithful to them. The manner in how some people treat these animals in our communities are unjust, people have to realize that they too have a beating heart, they have feelings, and pain exists. As I was viewing the pictures of the puppies up for adoption, I came across Gully's picture and I fell in love instantly. I just knew I had to have her. Now she has been with me for two days and I see that she is fitting in very well. She licks me a lot, so I know she likes me, and she loves it when I scratch her chin. I have all my love to give to her and I know she will return it. There is a saying that the greatest love is a mother's, then a dog's, and then a sweet heart's. To the members of VSPCA you are doing a very good job. 

Thank you, 

Natalia 

Wolf’s Courage

During my visit to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, I learned one of the most difficult tasks was taking Isla (my girlfriend’s first rescue dog) for a walk. Kiersten’s neighborhood was full of wandering dogs; some owned, some unowned... all appearing hungry and somewhat timid of humans. At the bottom of the hill was a group of dogs that were owned, but allowed to roam freely and were not very social. On the top of the hill were dogs that were owned or strays that also roamed freely and also unsocialized. There is a tendency for most dogs in St. Vincent and the Grenadines to be territorial and they would be aggressive towards Isla and other dogs that wandered onto their turf. I would usually have to pick Isla up when we were confronted by a pack of roaming dogs. Most dogs I encountered tended to be afraid of humans because they were abused by having rocks thrown at them or worse, but when they were in a pack they acted aggressively, especially when walking Isla on a leash.

There were occasions when a few of the local strays would walk with Isla and me, forming their own pack. I would start off with one dog and arrive back at the house with five other dogs trailing behind. Isla became the pack leader and the other dogs would visit our yard to play with her during the day. One day I was walking Isla and a small German shepherd started running towards us. I was weary at first because he was a male dog and they tended to be after Isla when we walked around the neighborhood. Isla and him met nose to nose, but he seemed more interested in me. He came walking up to me. This was highly unusual as most dogs were afraid of me- even the ones that would walk with Isla and I, would keep me at an arms length. He walked right up to me and hugged my leg and let me pet him.

I began to see the German shepherd on a daily basis and he was always friendly towards me as he licked my face, while his tail wagged fervently. He was such an adorable dog and I decided to name him Wolf Blitzer after the dashing CNN anchor. I would bring him food whenever I saw him in the morning and at night because I felt bad that he was a stray and did not have a home, let alone a consistent source of food! I could not fathom, for the life of me, how someone could have abandoned such a sweet and loving dog- or any dog for that matter! It must have taken a great deal of courage for Wolf to be so friendly and trust me because I could have easily been a human that would throw rocks at him or hurt him. He soon started showing up at our door looking for food and playing with Isla and Roo. We soon found out that he was a great cuddler and kisser and it earned him the nickname handsome Wolfie. He is still getting used to baths and interaction with people outside of Kiersten, but overall an amazing dog. We found him a home in Bequia, but unfortunately he was still in the process of being socialized, so Kiersten has been fostering him and we will eventually bring him back to the States.

Wolf is a lucky St. Vincent dog! He spends his days at Kiersten’s new place, playing with Isla and Roo and digging holes to China, or whatever is on the opposite side of the world of St. Vincent. He has toys to stimulate him, chicken to eat, treats that clean his teeth, and a comfy couch and bed to sleep on. We had him neutered shortly after he moved in with us and got all of his shots. Although he had some medical issues, we caught them early enough and thankfully they are a thing of the past. He is adjusting to walks on a leash and collar and becoming more socialized every day. If Wolf did not have the courage to come near me, he would still be wandering the streets- scrapping by hour to hour, getting attacked by bigger dogs, picking through trash, impregnating other strays, and possibly dead on the road, especially if a van ever saw him in the street. There are so many obstacles for stray dogs in St. Vincent and without caring animal advocates, animals like Wolf end up being viewed as “nuisances” and are deliberately killed, whether by poison, being ignored, physically attacked, drowned, and so forth.  Thankfully Wolf is soundly asleep with his pals Isla and Roo dreaming of living in the US where he hears there are lots of doggy treats and endless opportunities of off-leash parks to explore...

Nick-VSPCA Social Media Strategist 

Elena's Post: Pets Bring Joy

I’ve seen a lot of animals in miserable conditions while travelling and volunteering for animal welfare projects but nowhere else have they touched my heart as much as in the Caribbean. Seeing an overpopulation of stray dogs and cats and not being able to find owners for them is one thing but seeing dogs and cats that have owners being neglected and abused by them is a whole other thing. It’s so sad and it makes me very angry. Why would people do something like that? There’s still a lot of education on animal rights and ethical treatment of animals to do on these islands. It’s not an easy thing to establish an animal welfare organization on an island like Saint Vincent but Kiersten Anderson and a group of volunteers did what no one else had dared to do before. I’m so grateful for the VSPCA and Kiersten’s incredible commitment to the project. She has achieved so much in only a few months and if we now spread the word about this wonderful project I’m sure with the help of new volunteers and donors she will be able to achieve even more! 

I’m from Germany but lived on Saint Vincent for about a year and was lucky to stay with a local family who has a great passion for animals. They have rescued dozens of stray dogs already and it’s very touching to see with how much love they care for their animals. It was great to be surrounded by so many happy dogs and cats. I wish there were more people like them in Saint Vincent. I’m sure there are but the sad reality is that there are just not enough! At least not yet! Hopefully the VSPCA and other initiatives will help to change the thinking of those who still believe that a pet is just an object that can be (ab)used and thrown away if not needed anymore. Hopefully one day they will be able to look into an animal’s eyes and find some love in their frozen hearts and realize that these are living beings which need our love and affection just as much as we need there’s. If you have pets and treat them right they will be loyal and devoted to you forever and bring immense joy and happiness to your life.

Elena-VSPCA Volunteer 

The Tale of Brownie

Brownie was a timid, stray dog in St. Vincent and the Grenadines who lived under a van. She used to come by the house for meals or water, but many of the bigger stray dogs became territorial, so she stopped visiting. As I would pass by her to do my laundry at a neighbor's, she hid under a van or ran under a nearby house.  Whenever I passed Brownie while walking Isla, she would run off, fearful of being attacked by other strays that followed us on our daily walks.

            

I felt badly that Brownie was no longer eating at the house, so I made special trips to the van with rice, kibble and milk to make sure she ate. Usually, she would only eat at night if I stuck the dish under the van. I would sit guarding her as she quickly ate her food, paranoid that another dog would come or a human would hurt her. As I watched her eat, I thought to myself, this is compassion and it is hard to learn from a book or a class. It would be easy to overlook a timid dog, afraid of its own shadow and the world around it, especially on an Island full of strays. It would be easy to just ignore this dog’s plight and say that our world is based on survival of the fittest. I took the time to put a meal together, walk it up a hill and sit in the moonlight with this meek, stray dog.

           

I found my time with Brownie to be moments of enlightenment and Zen. Back in the states we are always in a rhythmic hurry and rarely take time to enjoy the simpler moments in life. I would sit on the road and talk to Brownie and occasionally she would let me pet her or give me a few licks. My time with Brownie was special and it made me realize how fortunate I was to have a voice to tell people I was hungry, to have a home and not sleep under a van, and how lucky I was to be able to buy food and not have to rely on a stranger to bring me a dish. As humans we take for granted how much dogs and other animals rely on our kindness and generosity.

Dogs like Brownie should not be left on the streets to survive on scraps, constantly in fear of being hit by vans, or euthanized because they don’t have a home. Overpopulation of animals can seem overwhelming. Simple acts of spaying and neutering your pets, adopting, and regular vet visits, can make a huge impact. It all starts with responsible pet ownership and making sure you take personal accountability for your animals. My heart breaks for every Brownie out there who is cold, hungry, alone, and longing for a home and caring owner. If you want to make a difference in an animal’s life, please help control the pet population by spaying and neutering your pet and adopting older dogs! If you see a stray dog, make a difference in its life, you will learn the true meaning of compassion. 

Nick Social Media Strategist 

Welcome to the Vincentian Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (VSPCA) Blog! 

Thank you for checking out our new website and blog! We will use the blog to give you an in-depth look at the activities and people involved with the VSPCA in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Please like us on Facebook , Twitter, and Google+. Stay tuned for future posts and updates! 

Thanks,

Isla, Wolf, & Roo