Some of our shelter animals in Q1:
Savannah
Office assistant Angie
Shiloh
Poe
puppy
two black kittens
white fluffy puppy
kitten
March kitten
Mallory
Introduction
This newsletter covers the first quarter of 2010. Some highlights: We had our first of our redesigned Yard Sales, we have people to thank, we rolled out our new web site, we continued our School Education program,we held our Annual General Meeting (AGM) and of course had Happy Tales (or Tails, as we like to call them) that we want to share with you.
Again, we have many people to thank for generous donations.
Feedback about this newsletter is always appreciated; please use our contact us page.
Administrative note: images with a border around them (such as the ones just above) may be clicked to see an enlargement.
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AARF Yard Sale
One of our major fundraising events has been our annual Yard Sale. This once–a–year sale was held at the Agriculture Department in the Valley on a Saturday morning in the Spring.
All throughout the year, generous donations given to AARF were carefully sorted for quality, itemized, priced, and packed for the sale. On the morning of the sale, many trucks and helpers unloaded and stacked everything on rented tables. Chairs, tents and tarps were set up to try and protect shoppers and goods from sun and rain. But sometimes, it was still hot and not all of the goods and shoppers could be protected from sun and rain.
Women's clothing area
It all used to work quite well (see here and here for past articles), with one major exception: the sale was held on only one day each year, and anyone missing the sale was out of luck for the year. And if we got donations soon after the sale, they had to be stored for nearly a year before someone had a chance to buy them.
This year, we are trying a different format and location, both of which will benefit Yard Sale aficionados.
First, instead of one huge annual sale, we are having smaller sales every two months. This allows more chances to shop — and we can put newly donated goods on sale tables soon after we get them.
Second, through the (once again) extreme generosity of Roy and Mandy and Roy's Bayside Grill in Sandy Ground, we have a lovely open-air (but with a roof) setting by the beach in Sandy Ground.
Roy's, as many will recall, is also the setting for our Bingo Nights. If you have been to Bingo, you know where the Yard Sale is held (if not, here are directions).
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Thank Yous
AARF received many wonderful donations of funding, volunteer time and much–needed supplies, and we'd like to send special thank yous to those that donated funds, goods, time among other wonderful things! To protect internet privacy, we choose to use initials.
Thank you to: Barnes Bay Development (Kathy & Debbie), Roy and Mandy B.,Liz D., Lewis E., Mr. and Mrs. Myron G., Sue H., Billy K., Katie O.,Anne & Peter P.Elizabeth P-V., Mira Q., Jean S., Charise Y.
Mere thank yous can't go far enough to express what these people have provided us. All donations go directly towards the welfare of AARF animals.
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New AARF Web site
The AARF web site at www.aarf.ai has been redesigned and is now live with information about us, adoption services, our Shelter, events, interesting links and more. The older newsletters are still available. The front page has a small space for news items, so give it a look now and then!
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school Visits
As part of the ongoing Education Program, the Anguilla Animal Rescue Foundation (AARF) visited primary schools (concentrating this time on Grades One and Two) to spread the word about pet care and needs, along with giving key animal safety tips. Penny Hope–Ross of the Education Committee took her dog Maggie as a live prop to work with the students.
Penny started with questions to the student to get them involved and then spoke about how to care for pets: the best type of food to give them, their need for exercise, the importance of water and and the need for a cool place to sleep. She spent some time discussing dog behavior, specifically how to approach a dog and when not to approach one (if it is eating, tied up or has puppies for example). In particular, Penny advised them to watch the dog's posture and body language to gauge whether the dog was agitated or angry.
She then encouraged the children to use their new knowledge to approach Maggie — something nearly all of the children were happy to do, even those not accustomed to dogs.
The AARF adoption and spay/neuter programs were also described to the students who were given the opportunity to share their experiences with pets and to tell stories about them.
We have nice photos of Maggie and some children from a previous school visit.
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AARF Annual General meeting
The Annual General Meeting was held on January 21st at Roy's Bayside Grill. It was a year of many great accomplishments by the Anguilla Animal Rescue Foundation in 2009. Many activities directly benefiting the community of Anguilla as well as its population of dogs and cats were successfully accomplished during the year.
Following a welcome by President Suzie Donahue, the meeting opened with the traditional AARF Prayer. Various committee reports then detailed the year’s highlights:
The Shelter at Morlens Veterinary Clinic (space for the Shelter has been very generously provided by Dr. Vanterpool, who deserves AARF's heartfelt thanks) is the place to adopt a new dog, cat, puppy or kitten. It is also the place to surrender an unwanted canine or feline, at no charge to the owner; AARF will attempt to find such an animal a new home. AARF even maintains a list for future adopters – complete with the ability to request a certain kind, sex, color and even characteristics of a desired pet.
For a very small fee, adopting a new pet from the Shelter is easy, and provides the new owner with a myriad of benefits: an exam by a veterinarian, the first set of needed vaccinations and de-worming (for puppies and kittens), a discount on the second and third vaccinations (all three vaccinations are needed on a scheduled timeline), and free spay or neuter when the animal is old enough.
This spay and neuter program is needed to reduce overpopulation. (Consider these two facts: mathematically, in just six short years one un-spayed female dog and her offspring can be the source of 67,000 puppies; and in seven years, one cat and her young can produce 420,000 kittens! On a small island such as ours, even on a smaller scale, spay and neutering is a must.)
Many volunteers at the Shelter are available to help with adoptions, supplies and other needs. All are encouraged to drop by to visit or ask questions.
The Veterinary Clinic now has new, extended operating hours, providing even more flexibility for human and animal patients:
Rebecca (left) receives Volunteer of the Year award from Sally
Joan gets the first ever Superstar award issued by AARF. Here she is on the right with AARF President Suzie
Two big events helped AARF raise funds for its substantial annual budget while also giving back to the community. Last Spring, the annual Yard Sale at the Agriculture Department allowed for the purchase of all sorts of high quality items such as used clothing, household goods, electronics and books, and last Fall, a Bingo Night at Roy’s brought exciting and fun Bingo games with many fabulous prizes. It was also noted that, to benefit AARF, environmentally friendly bottle bags, dog and cat crates and carriers as well as t-shirts are available at various businesses around the island including the shelter in Sandy Hill.
AARF’s Education program continued with many visits to the younger children of the Primary schools and to Campus C. The education syllabus emphasized the basic needs of dogs (water, food, shade, freedom to move, and most importantly, love), and, very importantly, how to read a dog’s “body language” so as to know when and how to approach a dog.
AARF has a community of around 90 active memberships, many of which are families. Many members are also volunteers. Some volunteer on a regular basis, some for special events such as Bingo night and the yard sale. Some live off island and are just here for short periods volunteer their time when they are here. All are highly valued and appreciated.
AARF publishes quarterly newsletters and is working on a new look for its web site. See http://www.aarf.ai for more details.
The Volunteer of the Year Award went to Rebecca Taillon for always willing to help at the Shelter and at all events (no matter how dirty the task), working in an organized and efficient way, wielding tools when needed and for being a special friend of Anguilla’s beach dogs and cats. Her efforts made a dramatic, positive impact on the animals and people of AARF.
AARF’s first ever Superstar Award went to Joan Hill, a long time supporter who has done it all, consistently, with zeal and enthusiasm and so very effectively: shelter volunteering, working at adoption days, providing transportation for adoptees or surgery patients, feeding and taking care of her own trap/neuter/release project, assisting at events, soliciting members, helping with shelter supplies, fliers, posters and more.
AARF President Suzie Donahue issued this statement:
The Anguilla Animal Rescue Foundation began 2010 with a new executive board, a new budget, and plenty of fund raising projects and ideas to hopefully provide the needed care for many of the homeless animals in Anguilla.
Our expenses increased about 30% in 2009 because of the number of animals that were surrendered to AARF and our expected budget for this year is in excess of $39K. Last year AARF had more adoptions and did more spay/neuter surgeries than ever before – a total of 240 adoptions and 194 surgeries. We recognize this as a positive step in that these animals are not being inhumanely killed or left in the bush to suffer and die, but the increase in our expenses for their care means that we now need, more than ever, your continued support.
So far in 2010 we have had 84 adoptions and completed 56 surgeries. We are continually grateful to Dr Patrick Vanterpool for allowing AARF to use a large part of his Morlens Veterinary Hospital as our shelter and the compassion and skills shown by the Drs. Umali who take care of the AARF clients as well.
We also thank all of you that come to the shelter with your donations of collars, leashes, towels, pet food as well as your donations to our ongoing yard sales. So many of you give to help us make Anguilla a better place for the animals that live here – we thank you!
As with other nonprofit organizations, we too are in desperate need of funds to continue our care for these deserving animals – please support our fund raising activities and if you are unable to be here for these events, we would certainly welcome your financial gifts. We now have a way to accept credit card charges and I will be happy to provide that information if you are interested.
The official AGM meeting minutes from the meeting are available in Microsoft Word or PDF formats.
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Happy Tails
We have several happy tales in this issue of the newsletter. First, we have an amazing tale of cat and owner being reunited after almost one year. Next we have a story of a a Hollywood discovery (but in this case, the cat did the finding.
Read on for the stories.
Nayja (a great tale of lost and found!)
Sometimes AARF receives calls for help in locating a lost pet, but rarely do they have a happy ending. Due to two coinciding strokes of fate, we have just such a story.
Last year, on March 29, 2009, AARF posted a flier in response to a beautiful long haired declawed female cat who had escaped from her home in Sea Feathers.
Nayja
Suzie was the AARF volunteer that posted the flier; she suggested (and provided) a trap to try to catch Nayja, but it did not work. Nayja was never found, although there were reports of her being seen in the area.
Months went by – and when summer came, Nayja’s owner Bonnie, moved all way to the West end of the island. Although she returned periodically to the old house just in case Nayja might be around, the cat remained AWOL.
Imagine then, the surprise and pleasure, when Bonnie received a call from Suzie a year later (on April 19, 2010) saying “Bonnie – I think Nayja is here at Morlens”!
It just so happened that Carol, a good hearted animal lover, had been feeding a stray cat in her yard in Sea Feathers for almost a year. The cat was very shy, but she did eventually let Carol pet her on occasion. One Monday, Carol noticed that the stray hadn't been eating very well, scooped her into a crate and went to Morlens for help.
It also just so happened that that particular day was Suzie’s day to volunteer at the AARF Shelter. And that is when she saw the cat and said, “I think I know whose cat that is”!
Nayja is happily now recuperating and getting reacquainted with Bonnie (who can’t believe she is home again). We will never know how Nayja managed to survive for over a year outside with no claws - but we do know that without the kindness of Carol who fed her and took her to Morlens Veterinary Hospital for help and if Suzie hadn't been volunteering that day this "Lost and Found" Tale may not have ended with “Found”!
Tamala Georgette
Enjoying the beautiful new resort at Viceroy, Jason and his friends were surprised to be joined by a young adult cat who simply moved right in.
Never having had a cat before, Jason was fascinated by this little one who had obviously picked him to be her friend. They say cats have an uncanny ability to pick their owners, and it seems like this was the case.
After contacting Suzie at AARF, who took the cat to Morlens for her exam, vaccinations, travel documents and a travel crate, this lucky kitty was off on a very long journey that included a ferry, a plane, a tram and a car ride to her new home in Hollywood, California.
Jason reports that she did very well on the trip (and some of us from the Western USA know how long a trip this is!):
Tamala and I arrived home late last night after a very long day of travel. She was an absolute angel on the all the boats, trams, buses and planes. She slept all night and has adapted quite well to our home. She seems very happy and I am thrilled to have here.
From the photos, it sure looks like Tamala Georgette is more than content - we can certainly agree she made a great choice when she picked Jason!
Jason and Suzie
Tamala Georgette in February
Tamala Georgette currently
Puss Puss
“Puss Puss” is white with one green and one blue eye – often a sign of deafness – and she is indeed deaf, but that hasn't’t stopped her from responding with lots of loves and purrs to her best friend, Everett.
“Puss Puss” was brought to the AARF Shelter when she was very, very tiny and was fostered by Mark and Sally (who termed her Snowball) until she was able to eat on her own.
She was unbelievable tiny at first, fitting into a small basket, but she grew and became more friendly each day, finally becoming a fixture around the office area.She found things to play with, and better places to nap than that small basket.
She was adopted by Everett and they have become fast friends. Now called (but she still won't come (queue drum rimshot sound) Puss Puss, she has grown into a fine looking cat!
Snowballl was so small,
she fit in a tiny wicker
basket
Snowball became a happy
fixture around the office
Snowball, even though
deaf, liked to play
(as all kittens do!)
Everett and Puss Puss are great friends now
Puss Puss is all grown
up now
Allie
Allie was a very cute, small dog that was surrendered to AARF. But she was very shy and cowered and flattened herself on the floor, even when approached by very kind Shelter volunteers. To help her out, she got some foster care to help her understand that there were caring people out there. And she turned into quite a happy and playful little puppy!
Allie
Eventually, she was spoken for by someone on the East Coast, where she encountered a world far removed from the Anguillian bush. But she has a loving owner, who is clearly spoiling and spoiling her. We have a separate page with some updates, including some short movies.
This story also shows that it is very easy to adopt a Anguillian dog or cat and take to North America (USA or Canada). See our Adoption Basics page to find out just how easy it is!
Consider coming to Anguilla with the idea that you may find and rescue a deserving island pet, who will charm a way into your life and family!
Blackie
Blackie was given to Miss Eileen as a gift when he was adopted from AARF three years ago after being found abandoned as a small kitten in Island Harbour. Interestingly, his rescuer initially named the cat Rainbow Lemon Swirls. He loves everyone that comes to visit, and some inquire of Miss Eileen on arrival “where’s the cat?
Sometimes Blackie even “allows” you to sit in his favorite chair!
Blackie keeps Miss Eileen company in the yard too and is truly a wonderful “gift that keeps on giving”!
Miss Eileen and Blackie
Blackie
Willa
Let's see, wedding checklist:
- Get married
- Go on honeymoon to fabulous Caribbean Island
- Dog profits
Here is the story of Willa (short for Anguilla, doncha see) as told by Amy:
Back in March my husband Ryan and I went on our honeymoon...the last thing we thought we would do is bring home a puppy.
The day before we were planning to leave to head back home to Florida we decided to look in the shelter and we saw Willa. I had to have her! She had the sweetest face. I was worried about getting her home with us on such short notice but the woman at the shelter (I think her name was Sally) was so very helpful in guiding us with the steps we needed to take to get her home.
Willa was home for just a few days and bonded with her 3 brothers (Lucky, Wee Wee and Trey) Yes, that now makes 4 dogs. They all play together wonderfully. On day 3 Willa dug a hole in the back yard and now she will lay in there all day long sunbathing.
She is living the good life ...play, sleep, eat and of course: treats. She loves treats! Just say the word and she comes running!
She has the best personality, we all just love her so much. She brings smiles to our faces all the time! One of the best things we ever did was bring her home with us.
Didn't we say that it is easy (and subsequently joyfully rewarding) to adopt a pet from Anguilla?
willa
willa
willa
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On a Lighter Note
We end with some more LOL (Laugh Out Loud) Humor. We did did other LOL humor in a past newsletter. It's a guilty pleasure that we won't admit to in public.
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