AARF  Newsletter


Volume 8, Issue 3                                                                                     

Fall 2008                                                                                                                  

Until he extends the circle of his compassion to all living things  - man will not himself find peace” 

Albert Sweitzer


IN THIS ISSUE:

FALL BINGO - NOVEMBER 29TH
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING HELD SEPTEMBER 24TH

SPOTLIGHT

VISITORS VOLUNTEER AT THE SHELTER
"HAPPY TAILS"

2008 SPAY & NEUTER FIGURES

ADOPTION PROGRAM UPDATE 

EDUCATION CORNER

JOIN US! WE NEED YOUR HELP! 

SPARE CHANGE DRIVE

AARF MERCHANDISE AT BARTLETT'S COLLECTIONS
ON A LIGHTER NOTE
FINAL THOUGHTS

 

 


 

FALL BINGO - NOVEMBER 29TH

AARF Vice President and Fund Raising Chairman, Gayle Enzel Gurvey has announced the Annual Fall Bingo Extravaganza will be held on Saturday November 29th at Roy's Bayside.

Dinner will be $19 with a choice of two entrees (not sure what at this time) and 20 games of bingo will be $20. Additional bingo cards will be available for $5 per card. Doors open at 5:30 for Happy Hour, Dinner will be served beginning at 6 and Bingo begins at 7 PM. The open cash bar will continue throughout the evening.

Bingo & Dinner tickets are now on sale at Anguilla TechniSales, Gerauds, Essential Office Supply and Bartlett's Collections.


Please mark your calendars to join us for a very exciting and worthwhile evening with proceeds going to support our adoption & spay and neuter projects for 2009.


 2008 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING HELD SEPTEMBER 24TH

The 7th Annual General Meeting of the Anguilla Animal Rescue Foundation was held on Wednesday September 24th at Roy•s• Bayside. The members were welcomed by President Chris Carty, and the meeting opened with the AARF Prayer. Below is the text of President Chris Carty's address, the Treasurer's report presented by Jackie Pascher and Suzie Donahue's introduction of the Board for 2008 - 2009 and presentation of the Volunteer of the Year Award.

President Chris Carty:

This is the seventh annual general meeting of the Anguilla Animal Rescue Foundation, and eight years since the first group of people gathered to discuss its formation.

 This year with the advent of our own shelter space and office facilities at Morlens Veterinary Hospital, not to mention the impressive work done by Sally our volunteer co-ordinator, we have been blessed with many new & enthusiastic volunteers willing helping out.  Just as it was in the year 2000, what makes this organization really tick are dedicated people willing to volunteer their time, offer their own unique specialities and talents, or just pull up their sleeves and clean those cages!  Our volunteers are the life-blood.   

I thought it might be interesting to hear, very briefly, about some of the early days, the rocky roads, and how the hard work of volunteers has helped to fashion the AARF of today. 

To my knowledge, the idea of forming an animal welfare society in September 2000 was certainly nothing new.  Amongst others, Drs. Berglund, Tyhe and Vanterpool, had all discussed the subject at one time or another, but whether it was lack of community interest, not the right time, or whatever, nothing took off from these various discussions.  A year or so before AARF became a reality, Mrs. Barbara Billington, did an enormous amount of research and planning largely in conjunction with the UK based RSPCA, but sadly she left Anguilla before her work reached fruition.   

So what happened on September 14th, 2000 that was so different?  The timing might have been right, and the group who met were surely motivated people, willing to pull up their sleeves and offer their unique talents, in other words – VOLUNTEER.   

They joined together as a group, talked, made decisions and as is often said, the rest is history! 

Progression from that first simple meeting into a more complex evolvement has sometimes been turbulent & in those early days we had all of that, and more!  The Anguilla Animal Rights Foundation, the original name, was within weeks in the middle of a fracas when the soon to be opened Dolphin Discovery became major news; an event which almost caused AARF to close down before it ever started.  Thankfully this situation was resolved when another group was organized which was to spotlight the dolphin predicament, and those who preferred to focus on the welfare of homeless and stray companion animals joined the re-named AXA Animal Rescue Foundation. 

Around that same time Pit-bulls became prevalent, it was a common sight in those days to see one of these poor creatures labouring up George Hill or along Queen Elizabeth Avenue with two concrete blocks roped to its collar, taking its daily exercise.  Many people believed that AARF should and would wave a magic wand and the problem would go away, but before that feat could be organised............ Government legislation was proposed.  An educational forum was held on the “Talk Your Mind” radio program at which Dr. Vanterpool, as the Government Vet, was asked to be a guest speaker unfortunately shortly following this event an attempted arson attack was made on his clinic.  Since that time we have been very conscious of the advice from the Department of Agriculture and the Police Task Force, not to get involved and to report all and every case of dog fighting or animal cruelty to the appropriate department.  At present all cases of cruelty reported to AARF are immediately directed to Dr. Vanterpool or to the Police Department.     

2000 and early 2001 AARF members concentrated on the legal formation of the Society, and the Bye-Laws were drafted & AARF was officially registered under the Friendly Societies Act in March 2001.

Brochures were soon designed and printed, membership dues were collected. 

On March 29th 2001 our first web-site, was launched.  Today, thanks to Suzie, our newsletters are interesting and comprehensive and give a clear chronicle of the day to day events of the Society.       

In May 2001 a graphic artist from Texas kindly designed the AARF logo for free.  Soon after 

Tee shirts were ordered with the new logo and Caribbean Silk Screen did all of the set-up work at no charge and sold us shirts at a reduced rate. 

Much needed finance was beginning to trickle in. 

You may be wondering.....................What about the animals? 

Long before the formation of AARF, Morlens Veterinary Hospital had been caring for the homeless animals of Anguilla – this they continued to do, but at long last in July 2002 AARF was able to reimburse them for the boarding, surgeries and drugs used during the previous 2 years.

To this day AARF and Morlens Veterinary Hospital work in close conjunction.  Since mid 2005 we have relied on them to perform all of AARF•s• spay and neuter surgery and before the introduction of our own shelter space this year, all of AARF•s• animals, not in foster care, have been housed there. 

Obviously in 2001, fundraising became somewhat of an obsession.  In April of that year AARF made its first formal grant application to the William and Charlotte Parks Foundation for Animal Welfare, we were soon turned down.  Too new – apply again next year!   

So what did those stalwart AARF volunteers do?  They sat outside the post-office & attended each and every community function going on, whether we were invited to or not - selling merchandise, soliciting memberships, selling raffle tickets and promoting the mission of the organization.   

Wooden collection boxes were made & these were placed at business places, the airport, and some hotels. 

At the end of May 2001 AARF had EC$2311.71 in the bank – we were so proud! 

In September 2001, AARF received its first substantial donation – US$1000.00 from Cove Castles Hotel & it is of note that every year since a donation has been received from Mr. Goldfinger.  Cap Juluca Hotel and the Flag and Viceroy projects have all donated generously to AARF and over the years & we have consistently received donations from businesses, residents and visitors alike, most often in cash, but also much needed supplies.    

AARF has developed its fundraising expertise to the extent that for the last few years we no longer have to apply for overseas grants or aid.  In 2003 we held our first yard-sale where everything collected was stored in Amy•s• spare bedroom, and it took two cars and a pick-up, only one trip each, to deliver to the site.  The following year we had to move to Heather Wallace•s• store-room at Essentials, and presently we enjoy the luxury of a donated 40ft container, and a fleet of trucks is needed for transport, on the day of the sale – Gayle now informs us that soon we shall need our own store!

AARF is also famous for its fun filled Bingo nights; together with the yard sale these 2 events raise a substantial part of the annual budget. 

But guess what?  These events would not be possible without VOLUNTEERS.   

In 2002 AARF was introduced to John and Sherry Morral, a young American couple from Connecticut who had already visited Anguilla many times and who had already taken back homeless puppies to be re-homed in the US. For a time their organization, Puppy Angels helped us enormously by re-homing many dogs & puppies.  American Airlines, Caribbean Transportation, Save a Sato and the Second Chance Animal Rescue in P. Rico as well as Roy Bossons and Bob Turner with their own planes, all helped with transportation.  In 2003 Puppy Angels was instrumental in introducing AARF to the Pegasus Foundation and in June of that year we held our first spay and neuter programme jointly funded by AARF, and the Pegasus Foundation and Puppy Angels.  Our relationship with the Pegasus Foundation continues today, we are a member of their Caribbean Animal Welfare group & we attend and contribute to conferences and educational workshops arranged by them, WSPA, of which we are also a member, and the Humane Society International. 

In June 2001, Michelle Owen-Vasilis opened discussions with the education department on Anguilla; she had such a difficult time in those days persuading the teachers & head-teachers that humane education would have a positive impact on the children.  However that early groundwork must have been effective, our volunteers today, are welcomed into the schools and this is certainly an area where more volunteers would be welcome.  Educational highlights have been the Kathy Melby art project at the Road School introduced in April 2004, and the much enjoyed animal “fun-page” which ran for a while in the Anguillian Newspaper in 2005.  Again dedicated volunteers offering their unique talents. 

Recently, Suzie wrote an article on change, and mentioned a change in attitude.  Before the advent of AARF unwanted puppies and kittens were for the most part left in the bush to die or become feral, or were inhumanely killed.  Not many pets were vaccinated and very few were treated for heartworm, fleas and other parasites.  AARF volunteers have played a monumental part in effecting the change that now prompts some people to bring their animals to the shelter and surrender them for adoption, to have their animal spayed or neutered and to ask about vaccines.  Maria and her team of volunteers labouring outside various grocery stores on adoption days should be very proud of the part they have played in helping to educate and bring about these changes.   

And now we have another change with the advent of new shelter premises all adoptions will take place there, we feel this will insure that the person who is interested in adopting has come solely with that purpose in mind, and more importantly it will be much less stressful on the animal and our volunteers. 

To all AARF volunteers, of the past, the present and to those of the future, we salute you. 

And last but not least, Amy, for the past 8 years, 24/7, 365 days each year.  Whatever we say to you can never be enough………………………we all support you, and wish you every blessing in your future endeavours.  Everyone please join me in a round of applause for Amy!  

Thank-You

 Jackie Pascher: Treasurer's Report for 2008 Annual General Meeting

For purposes of this financial statement all figures are expressed in U.S. Dollars.  All E.C. transactions have been converted using an exchange rate of $2.68.

For the calendar year January 1 – December 31, 2007 we had the following:

Income             $46,792.26

Expenses         $27,799.21

Surplus           $18,993.05

 

Combined Bank Balances as of 31 December, 2007 was:

                            Total                        $27,564.25

Our  fund raising events for 2007 included  2 bingo events which generated $17,898.00 in revenue with $5435.34 in expenses and our annual yard sale which generated $5316 in revenue with $745.24 in expenses for a total of $23,214 minus expenses of $6180.58 for a net of $17,033.42.  We received $12,356 in donations and drop box donations of $4819.  Adoptions, membership dues and merchandise sales provided additional revenue in the amount of $8320.

 In 2007 AARF paid $17,549 for spay & neuter, room & board and medical care for animals brought in for adoption. 

Another major expense in August, 2007 was the expenditure of $20,000 for the purchase of an X-Ray machine to be used at Morlens Veterinary Hospital in exchange for space at the hospital for the AARF Shelter. 

Overall 2007 was a very good year for AARF with a significant increase in revenue from our successful fund raising events and the generous donations from our friends and visitors.  We thank all of you, our members, for your continued support and for volunteering at the events.

 

Suzie Donahue: Good evening …... It is my pleasure to introduce the following members of the 2008 - 2009 executive board.  

Gayle Gurvey – Vice President and Fundraising – Gayle begins her second term as fund raising chairperson with a bingo night scheduled for November 29th and our annual yard sale in April. Please continue to drop off items at the AARF container at Anguilla Techni Sales. Gayle plans to have an initial sort and organizational event soon, so sign up to join us - it•s• almost like going to the Mall!! 

Kimberly Fleming – Secretary – This is also Kimberly•s• second year on the board preparing agendas and meeting minutes and maybe we can get her to adopt another kitten as well!   

Jackie Pascher – Treasurer – Jackie begins her third term as treasurer and we so appreciate her keeping our finances organized! This term she has an “assistant treasurer” who won’t be serving on the board, but who has volunteered to help Jackie with her treasurer duties – thank you Rebecca! 

Linda Gratton – Member at Large & Education Linda has agreed to a second term as Education Chairman after a productive year. We hope to have an active committee of “school captains” assigned to each of the primary schools that will work with Linda. Our goal is to visit all the primary schools more frequently to continue our program of teaching the children about pet care. We firmly believe it is through the children that we will see permanent change in the way animals are thought of and treated.

Sally Baumwell – Member at Large & Membership / Volunteer Coordinator. Sally as Membership Chair is responsible for keeping an accurate membership list & sending out dues reminders. As our Volunteer Coordinator she manages an updated list of volunteers for the committee chairs to access when needed for AARF projects and also organizes the shelter volunteer schedule for the AARF Shelter at Morlens Veterinary Hospital.

The other board members are: 

Maggie Mitchell  – Policies and Procedures – Maggie will guide us again this year with our policies and guidelines regarding adoptions, the AARF shelter, and AARF bylaws.  

Bethany Riskin has agreed to serve as the AARF Adoption Chairman. She has some wonderful ideas to increase visibility of the animals we have available for adoption. Now that we have all adoptions from the AARF Shelter we are working diligently to change the mindset of the community so that they will come to us to adopt.  

Mark Baumwell has agreed to replace me as Communications Chairman. He will now take over management of the website, publication of the newsletter and other publicity articles in the papers and Anguilla Life, emails to the membership, lost pet reports and other announcements to the radio stations & flyers, as well as thank you notes to our contributors. Mark has a long association with MAC computers and we look forward to some pizzazz in our communications – not to mention a “guy•s•” view on our board! 

Amy Williams – will continue as a trustee - safeguarding the assets of the foundation.  

Last but not least is Chris Carty our past President – who with all her experience and knowledge I am sure I will depend on frequently.  

So let•s• give a round of applause to the Executive Board of AARF for 2008 - 2009. Thank you!

  Volunteer of the Year Award

 Since we began presenting this award several years ago, we have always had an unwritten rule that if you are a board member, you can’t be a “Volunteer of the Year”. It doesn’t say that anywhere – we just always thought it was a good idea and we still do, however, this year there are a few “buts” regarding our choice. This year we are presenting the award to a family – “but” part of the family is on the board, “but” only recently, which made it OK in our minds to present the award to a board member!

 

I am privileged to announce the Volunteers of the Year are

Sally & Mark Baumwell

who unfortunately can’t be with us tonight.

 

Sally is AARF's newest addition to the Executive Board taking over in March as Volunteer Chairperson for Maria and Membership Chairperson for Gayle. We decided to combine these two positions (Volunteer and Membership) when Maria had to resign and Gayle had plenty on her plate with fundraising.   

Sally and her husband Mark have been constant volunteers since they returned to Anguilla last  August! I remember them sitting in the back at the AGM and then signing up to help on every committee! Sally & Mark have been supporters of AARF for many years and in fact I met them for the first time when they volunteered at the Christmas Fair back in 2003! In the process of dealing with the many challenges that go with remodeling their home, they have both found time to volunteer at every turn. Working at bingo, sorting on Thursdays at the container, manning a table at the yard sale, fostering, organizing the shelter volunteers and training them, more fostering, assisting in updating the AARF forms, more fostering and being active shelter volunteers - often three times a week! Sally and Mark also help with communications by producing and distributing flyers on animals up for adoption and lost & found pets. We are extremely grateful for all that they both do and can't wait for them to return home to Anguilla in a few months.  Thank you & Congratulations Sally & Mark! 

Appreciation Award:  

Finally I would like on behalf of the new board and the previous board and all the members and contributors of AARF to thank you Chris for your many years of service and dedication. Chris has served as our president for the past 3 years, as well as advisor to our previous presidents. She has also served as secretary and was a founding member of AARF and she and her husband Lenny let us keep the AARF container where we collect items for our annual yard sale in their business yard! Now that is dedication!! We have counted on Chris so many times and she has never once let us down! As a small token of our appreciation I would like to present you with this gift for all that you have done and will continue to do in the future. Thank you Chris! 

Closing: As Chris mentioned, we finally opened our own shelter this year and I have been thrilled with the volunteers that have come to join us and assist with adoptions, socialization and animal care – we have a great committed group and I would like those volunteers that are here to please stand.

 AARF has made great strides in education, our adoption program is a success with 166 adoptions this year and 130 spay and neuter surgeries. I have been told that reports shouldn’t include “boring numbers” but I contend that our successes can only be measured by these figures and I am pleased to share them with you. Since we began our spay/neuter program in the summer of 2003, AARF has sponsored over 980 surgeries – that makes me extremely proud to be a part of AARF – and you should feel that way too!

However, as you all know, since the beginning of August we have been facing certain issues regarding staffing at Morlens. We are hopeful that a positive solution is in the works. With our dedicated volunteers, our committed board and you - our members and supporters, we will continue to work hard to control the births of unwanted kittens and puppies, educate the public on the wonderful gifts that our companion animals can give to us and through our own example prove that we can make Anguilla a better place for the animals that live here. The future is ours – all we have to do is volunteer to be part of the solution!

 Thank you!  

 


 

AARF SPOTLIGHT

 

Sally & Mark Baumwell - AARF Volunteers of the Year

The AARF spotlight this issue shines on our Volunteers of the Year for 2007 - 2008, Sally & Mark Baumwell who have been fantastic volunteers at every turn! Sally became a member of the Executive Board in March as Volunteer and Membership Chairperson.  Both Mark and Sally have worked on every single project or activity that AARF has been involved in this year, including our fundraising activities, communications, shelter volunteers and a lot of  fostering. They have come to bat for many, many kittens and puppies and done some very long and successful fostering including 3 black cats that no one would adopt for several months. Their love of animals and kindness for them, their continued willingness to work to make Anguilla a better place for her animals and their special focus on volunteerism make Sally and Mark two remarkable people that we are grateful to have as members of AARF and proud to name as Volunteers of the Year! Thank you & Congratulations Sally & Mark!

 


Visitors to Anguilla Volunteer at the AARF Shelter

This summer we were very lucky to have some of our members and supporters from the US join us at the shelter to volunteer and leave us with very generous donations as well. Thank you to Karen and Troy from Maryland, Sue and Ray from New Jersey and Susan from Philadelphia. Susan also helped me feed the feral cats where she was staying at Cap Juluca while she was here!

We were pleased to show off our new shelter and introduce the staff at Morlens to our visitors. We would also like to thank Luci and Rose who stopped by to see the new shelter and leave generous donations too!

To all our visitors - shelter volunteers are at the shelter from 10 -1 Monday - Friday so please feel free to stop in.

Susan spends time with the adoptees!

 

Ray and Sue from New Jersey


 

HAPPY TALES   

Thelma, Louise &  Cruiser

I received this story from Larry & Michelle who visit Anguilla every March from Maine. 

We come to Anguilla to relax at Shoal Bay and enjoy the quiet, tranquil clear blue sea, sunshine, Smitty's Rum punch and Amy's banana cream pies. In March of 2006 as we were driving on Shoal Bay Road we saw what we thought was a puppy tied on the side of the road, no homes nearby and very close to the road. We turned around from our trek to the beach to check it out. When we arrived, the puppy was not tied at all and there were actually 2 puppies! They had been dumped there in a box and were wet and shivering as the box had collapsed from the heavy rain the night before.  We each picked one up and said “what do we do now?” “put them in the car”?? We took them to the house where we were staying, settled them in and later went looking for supplies. That night we pulled at least a 150 ticks off them, out of their ears & between their toes, gave them a couple of baths, fed them and the next day they started to perk up as they were very lethargic when we found them.  When we took them to Morlens Veterinary Hospital, we were told that AARF could only kept homeless dogs and cats for 10 days and if they could not find a home for them they would be humanely euthanized. We decided to keep them with us & take them to the States to try to find homes for them there  - we already had 4 dogs of our own. After quite an adventure home we quickly realized we couldn't give them up and they became "Thelma & Louise"!

                                                                                                        Thelma & Louise

They loved their first snow, their freedom and quickly became a part of our family that includes 2 Newfoundlands and 2 Chocolate Labs!  

When we returned the following year in March 2007, we told each other “no dogs, don’t even look to the sides of the road.”  We were successfully congratulating ourselves on making it through our entire vacation with no dogs until 3 days before we had to head home, we were awakened by a puppy whining under our bedroom window at 5:00 am. We couldn't believe it,but there he was, a black and white puppy (we named him Cruiser like a police car). We asked and looked around for a few days to see who was missing him, but of course, no one was.  So we made a few phone calls and this time found a home for him before we left the island  - with our next door neighbors in Maine! 

Cruiser

 

 Now all 3 Anguillian dogs are in Maine together,love the snow and play together constantly. When we come back to Anguilla this year, we are a little nervous about returning home with a dog or 2, 6 is enough for us for now.  I think we will try to find a potential home first, because these island dogs just seem to know when we are coming!

 

Larry and Michelle with Cruiser on his way home to Maine

 

 Jules    

When Penny and Malcolm went on a long vacation this year they left their cat June, who they had adopted from AARF, in the care of their daughter and her family who lived upstairs. Little did they know until they returned and found no June that she had decided she liked living with Isabel and Mike (their grandchildren) better!!

Thankfully, Penny after a couple weeks of volunteering at the AARF Shelter, decided it was time to adopt again. Knowing that most Anguillian's don't like black cats, she decided to adopt Jules who was one of a litter of 6 kittens that had been at the shelter for longer then they should.

 

Jules appears to have made himself right at home and we are happy to hear that he doesn't seem inclined to venture upstairs where June now lives!!

                                      

                                       

Apples

You may remember Apples - she was in foster care for a long time before we were able to place her and boy was she lucky!! Who knew that this little puppy would really become a world traveler! After leaving here last year, Apples and her owners Kiana, Shernaz and Don went to Mexico where Apples really grew!! Now we have received word that Apples and her family are on the move again - this time to Egypt!

This Angullia dog sure knows how to get around!!

                                

                         Apples is adopted - April 07                                              Apples in Mexico - September 07

Apples & Kiana relaxing in Egypt - looks like these "two little girls" have grown up a bit!

 

Maxwell - the cat that was "left behind" when his owners returned to the US in July and was brought back to CA by a very kind traveler, will be preparing soon for his return journey to AXA with his sister Maisie. For now however, he and his friends continue to share sunny California days!

                               Maxwell and his deer pals!

 

Patches

When Patches and his 3 litter mates arrived at the shelter, he was frightened, unsocial and very thin. The shelter volunteers slowly, but surely gained his trust and fell hard for him. We were determined to find a forever home. He spent the time that the shelter was open up front socializing with the volunteers and learning what a leash was, the fun of playing, the enjoyment of being held and all about "love".  After a lot of unsuccessful advertising, we were all starting to feel that we weren't going to find anyone that would take him - he was well past the "cute puppy stage".

Patches learns about a leash.

After hearing our concerns about finding a home for him and seeing his pictures, Jackie, AARF's Treasurer, offered to "take him home for the weekend" to see how he would do with her two other dogs. Patches reminded her of her dog Jimmy that had recently passed away at 12. As they say "the rest is history".  Patches took to him new home and his new siblings Sam and Lucy (another AARF adoptee- who went home for a weekend with Jackie several years ago) very well and by the end of the weekend - as you can see from below - he had made himself very comfortable indeed! Thanks Jackie for giving Patches the forever home he deserved!!

 

Oscar - In mid May, AARF received a report from a tourist, that there were two small kittens that appeared to have been abandoned behind Brothers Auto. Volunteers went on several occasions to try to locate them, but had no luck. Finally, almost a week later, an employee of Brothers called to let us know that one of the kittens had been found dead and the other one wasn't doing so well. He was picked up and taken to the shelter & the next day being a Friday and my day at the shelter, I decided to take this poor creature home for a weekend of TLC. Already having earned the reputation as a "foster failure" i.e. not being able to give them up for adoption, I was careful to let my husband know that he was just staying for the weekend and with 8 cats and a dog already, I knew we didn't have the room for another cat. 

Once the weekend was over, I felt that the kitten - now called Oscar (tip -  never give a foster a name!) needed a few more days of extra care so he stayed. Finally 6 weeks later in July, I realized he was healthy enough to go to a new home and found one for him quiet easily. I took Oscar, his carrier, his toys and 3 pages of instructions to his new home, made sure that if their Huskie didn't take to Oscar they would call me right away and with tears streaming and vowing once again, to never foster again, drove home. When the phone rang the next afternoon and I was told that Oscar and the Huskie just weren't bonding, I took that as a "certain sign" that his home with me was meant to be! I quickly picked him up and he shivered on my shoulder all the way home - poor little guy - was that a trick or was he really frightened?? My husband suggested that "if I promised to let him do whatever he wanted for the rest of his life and never to foster again" I could keep Oscar - of course I promised - after all Steve has always done what he wanted anyway and I knew with Oscar, I certainly had a full house! Wilson, Henry, Sam, Flossie, Lily, Lucy, Fiona and Daisy aren't thrilled with Oscar, but they are adjusting - and Oscar - well, his best friend is our chocolate lab - Nora!

                                     

           Oscar arrives for the weekend!                                                                                                       Oscar in July!

Oscar & Nora                                                                                          

                                       


2008 SPAY & NEUTER FIGURES

Morlens Veterinary Hospital partners with AARF by giving us space at the hospital in Sandy Hill for our shelter and providing veterinary care for the shelter animals including spay and neuter surgery. This year so far, a total of  150 surgeries (95 dog & cat spays and 55 dog & cat neuters ) - have been completed!

 We are extremely grateful to Dr. Vanterpool and his staff at Morlens Veterinary Hospital for their continued cooperation. Since the inception of our spay/neuter program in Anguilla in July of 2003, AARF has sponsored surgeries for over 1000 dogs and cats!! 

Did you know that one unspayed cat and her offspring can produce 420,000 kittens in 7 years? And one unspayed female dog and her offspring can produce 67,000 puppies in that same time span. 

AARF is making a difference through your support and generosity at our fundraising events. 

Thank you!


2008 ADOPTION PROGRAM UPDATE

 AARF initiated a new adoption policy in November of 2005 that included a fee of $20 USD to adopt an animal and included free spay or neuter surgery when the puppy/kitten was old enough for the surgery (between 4 & 6 months), worming, flea/tick bath and the animals first set of vaccinations. Cats are also tested for feline aids/leukemia, which is an incurable disease transmitted from cat to cat and is common here on Anguilla.  Dogs are tested for heartworm, a parasite transmitted by mosquitoes  and erlichosis, a blood parasite transmitted by ticks. Both of these diseases are also common on Anguilla and can be life threatening.  

New owners are provided with information on the proper care of their pet and encouraged to call AARF if they need any other assistance.  

In addition, AARF has also developed a surrender form that allows the owner of an unwanted dog or cat to leave the animal at the AARF Shelter at no charge. This permits the animal to then be put up for adoption. These animals will be accepted free, but need to be eating on their own which is usually at 6 weeks of age or older. It is hoped that unwanted dogs and cats will be taken to the AARF Shelter at Morlens Veterinary Hospital instead of being left to fend for themselves and causing a nuisance in the areas where they are abandoned.     

Since January of 2008 AARF has found forever homes for 185 puppies/dogs and kittens/cats in Anguilla. Thank you to everyone that has welcomed these unfortunate animals into your hearts and homes and given them a second chance! 

LOOKING FOR A NEW PET??

Remember  -  we no longer have designated Adoption Days - all adoptions now take place at the AARF Shelter located at Morlens Veterinary Hospital on Long Path near the Sandy Hill Roundabout. Call the AARF Shelter to find out what we have for adoption 476-2761 or Morlens at 497-4600. We are open from 9 -1 Monday thru Friday and for appointments on Saturday.


EDUCATION CORNER

Understanding Your Dog•s• Body Language

One of the reasons dogs make such good pets is the remarkable way they can communicate with humans. Pet dogs see us as an extension of their own canine family, and are very quick to interpret our moods and intentions. An understanding of how dogs communicate with other dogs will help the observant owner correctly figure out the message their pet is trying to convey.

Communication—canine style

Dogs can communicate with other dogs through a series of signals, including a variety of facial expressions, body postures, noises, and scents. Your dog will use his mouth, eyes, ears, and even his tail to express his emotions. By reading the combination of body signals, you should be able to work out who is top dog in any confrontation or situation.

A dog that's feeling brave or aggressive will try to give the impression of being a larger, more powerful animal. He will stand tall with his ears and tail erect, thrust his chest forward, and may raise the hairs around his neck and along his back (his hackles). He may also wave his tail slowly and growl.

A submissive dog, on the other hand, will try to appear small and puppy-like. Adult dogs will chastise puppies, but they don't attack them. A submissive dog's approach to a more dominant individual is likely to be from the side, crouching near to the ground with its tail held low and wagging enthusiastically. He may also try to lick the hands or paws and face of the dominant dog (or person). If this isn't appeasing enough, he might then roll onto his back to expose his stomach. In this position, some dogs will involuntarily pass a small amount of urine.

Tales the tail tells

One pattern of behavior that's characteristic of dogs, and familiar to almost everyone, is tail wagging. Most people would recognize that loose, free tail wagging indicates pleasure and a general friendliness. Exaggerated tail wagging, which extends to the entire rump, is seen in subordinate dogs, as well as dogs with very short tails.

The tail, however, is also an indicator of other emotions. A tail waved slowly and stiffly, in line with the back, expresses anger. Clamped low over the dog's hindquarters, is a sign that the dog is afraid. Anxious or nervous dogs may stiffly wag their drooping tails as a sign of appeasement.

Ears, eyes, and lips

The facial expressions of your dog will tell you a lot about his mood, whether he's anxious or excited, frightened or playful, or any one of a vast range of emotions he may express. His ears prick up when he's alert or listening intently, but are held back or flattened onto the head when expressing pleasure, submission, or fear. To read his mood correctly, you must watch for other body signals at the same time.

The narrowing or half-closure of the dog's eyes indicates either pleasure or submission, but when his eyes are wide open, he intends to be aggressive. In the wild, the pack leader can maintain control simply by staring at a subordinate dog. The two animals will continue to stare at each other until one challenges the other, or until one lowers his head and turns away.

You should not try to outstare your dog if he has aggressive or nervous tendencies—this could provoke an attack. Nevertheless, regular, gentle eye contact reassures the dog and reinforces your relationship.

Submissive dogs and those of certain breeds, notably Labradors, may appear to be smiling when they open their mouth to show the teeth in a lop-sided grin of friendliness. In the snarl of aggression, however, both lips are drawn right back to expose most of the teeth, and may be accompanied by a growl.

Playtime

A dog will indicate his desire to play by raising a front paw or by performing the play bow, which is often accompanied by barking to attract attention. Other gestures include offering a play object or bounding up to another dog to invite chase.

Now that you know more about your dog's rich and varied body language, you may understand him better than ever.

And that can lead to an even closer relationship.

 


JOIN US!!  

AARF always needs members and joining us can be very rewarding!  Memberships are vital to the life of the organization and all fees go directly to support AARF programs including animal care, spay/neuter clinics and education.  

Membership dues are:

Student (Under age 18) $13.00 EC / $5.00 US

 Regular $53.00 EC /$20.00US

 Senior (65 and over) $13.00EC/ $5.00US

 Family $ 80.00 EC/$30.00 US

 Corporate $300.00 EC /$112.00US. 

  Lifetime memberships (one time fee) $500.00EC / $186.00US. 

Volunteers are needed in areas of education, fundraising, adoption days, shelter volunteer and fostering those animals awaiting their permanent home.  If you can volunteer or want to adopt a puppy or kitten (adult animals as well), or know of ones that need homes, please call AARF at 476-2731. 

 

If you would like more information on AARF please visit our website at www.aarf.ai, send us an email at aarfinfo@aarf.ai or contact our Membership/Volunteer Chairman Sally Baumwell at sbaumwell@yahoo.com.

Or call AARF at 476-2731. 

If you are interested in becoming a member you can obtain a membership form via our Membership page. Or you can get one 

at the AARF Shelter located at Morlens Veterinary Hospital in Sandy Hill during our open hours.  


 SPARE CHANGE DRIVE

Our "Spare Change Drive" is on-going so don't forget to drop those extra coins and cash at one of our locations! We really appreciate your donations and the proceeds go to our Lehigh Fund, (established in memory of David Johnson, an AARF member and foster parent), that assists financially with medical treatment for pet owners including spay and neuter surgery. In 2007 funds from the collection boxes/Lehigh fund provided free surgery for 61 dogs and cats, as well as heartworm treatments and other medical needs. Thank you Bob Turner for creating these permanent donation boxes for AARF and to the WISE project for their donation of 6 more boxes. The donation  boxes are located at the following establishments - Straw Hat, Bartlett•s• Collections, Wallblake Airport, Christine Fleming's Mini-Mart, Ashley's Pet Shop, Un Amore, Lake's Grocery, Morlens Veterinary Hospital, Tropical Flower, Fat Cat, Best Buy, Anguilla Techni Sales, Ashley's Grocery Blowing Point, Roy's Bayside Restaurant, Irie Life, Barrel Stay Restaurant, Foods 95 & Geraud's. 

Thank you to all the businesses that have agreed to support our cause.


AARF MERCHANDISE MAKE GREAT GIFTS

Most of you know that AARF has some great t-shirts, hats and other merchandise for sale at Bartlett's Collections at the Sandy Ground Roundabout. Lynn & Calvin Bartlett have been huge supporters of AARF over the years and we are most grateful for their help in merchandising our products.

We are also grateful to long time visitor Steve Stanczyk of Wisconsin (check out his company Kramer Printing to see his great work) who has designed two of our long dog t-shirts for us, as well as a bumper sticker and along with his wife Angela, adopted their dog Maggie when they found her on the beach at Rendezvous Bay a few years ago. Steve's latest contribution to AARF is the long dog t-shirt shown below and modeled by Jennifer at Bartlett's.

  

Jennifer models the newest AARF T-shirt.

 


ON A LIGHTER NOTE:

 

                                                     

 

FINAL THOUGHTS:

The Rescuer's Final Reward

 

Almost all animal rescuers know of the Rainbow Bridge, where departed animals wait for their people to meet them for the last  joyous walk across the Bridge together. This story is also about the Rainbow Bridge, but concerns those animals who never found their forever homes on earth.

Unlike most days at the Rainbow Bridge, this day dawned cold and gray. All the recent arrivals at the Bridge did not know what to think, as they had never seen such a day. But the animals who had been waiting longer for their beloved people to accompany them across the Bridge knew what was happening, and they began to gather at the pathway leading to the Bridge.

Soon an elderly dog came into view, head hung low and tail dragging.  He approached slowly, and though he showed no sign of injury or illness, he was in great emotional pain. Unlike the animals gathered along the pathway, he had not been restored to youth and vigor upon arriving at the Bridge. He felt out of place, and wanted only to cross over and find happiness.

But as he approached the Bridge, his way was barred by an angel, who apologized and explained that the tired and broken-spirited old dog could not cross over. Only those animals accompanied by their people were allowed to cross the Bridge. Having nobody, and with nowhere else to turn, the dog trudged into the field in front of the Bridge. There he found others like himself, elderly or infirm, sad and discouraged. Unlike the other animals waiting to cross the Bridge, these animals were not running or playing. They simply were lying in the grass, staring forlornly at the pathway across the Rainbow Bridge. The old dog took his place among them, watching the pathway and waiting, yet not knowing for what he was waiting.

One of the newer dogs at the Bridge asked a cat who had been there longer to explain what was happening. The cat replied, "Those poor animals were abandoned, turned away, or left at rescue places, but never found a home on earth. They all passed on with only the love of a rescuer to comfort them. Because they had no people to love them, they have nobody to escort them across the Rainbow Bridge."

The dog asked the cat, "So what will happen to those animals?"  Before the cat could answer, the clouds began to part and the cold turned to bright sunshine. The cat replied, "Watch, and you will see."

 In the distance was a single person, and as she approached the Bridge the old, infirm and sad animals in the field were bathed in a golden light. They were at once made young and healthy, and stood to see what their fate would be. The animals who had previously gathered at the pathway bowed their heads as the person approached. At each bowed head, the person offered a scratch or hug.  One by one, the now youthful and healthy animals from the field fell into line behind the person. Together, they walked across the Rainbow Bridge to a future of happiness and unquestioned love. The dog asked the cat, "What just happened?"

The cat responded, "That was a rescuer. The animals gathered along the pathway bowing in respect were those who had never found forever homes. The arrival here of a rescuer is a great and solemn event, and as a tribute they are permitted to perform one final act of rescue. They are allowed to escort all those poor animals they couldn't place on earth across the Rainbow Bridge."

 The dog thought for a moment, then said, "I like rescuers." The cat smiled and replied, "So does God, my friend. So does God."

 


Dear AARF Members and Friends - the goal of our newsletter is to keep you up to date on events and plans of the foundation. Please don't hesitate to send an email to aarfinfo@aarf.ai, if there is any topic you would like to see addressed . 

Thank you, Suzie