I’m writing today to share a problem that is very near and dear to my heart: Animal Population. When I was planning my wedding, I wanted to be sure to somehow include The Humane Society of St Thomas. I’m using my small voice to speak out about adoption and spaying and neutering.
The population of cats and dogs on this island is out of control. Six animals can be adopted from The Humane Society in one day, but they’re quickly replaced with twelve more. People are breeding their animals, then within months, those puppies are brought in. People are not spaying or neutering their animals. For the most part, people are just not educated on the subject. If I can help educate just one person from this blog post, it is worth it.
A little about the Humane Society of St Thomas:
- They are associated with an amazing program called Pets With Wings. Pets With Wings is a program whose goal is “To transport as many animals as possible from the HSSTT to rescue groups and shelters where there is a shortage of adoptable pets.” They are constantly accepting volunteers who are traveling to the following states: Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Illinois, Colorado, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire. If you’d like to help, but don’t see your state, email them at info@hsst.com. They take every oppurtunity they can to get animals to their forever homes.
- If you’re on vacation, you can adopt a pet for a day. This really helps socialize the dogs and cats and helps them to feel some love for a day.
- You’re also welcome to adopt dogs and take them off the island. My new husband and I rescued a dog and she found her forever home, where her new parents were having drinks close to the airport. She’s currently happy as can be in Oregon!
- With advance notice, you can even have dogs and cats at an event!
Tim and I have 2 dogs. They’re a lot of work, but they’re amazing and it’s worth every second! Here we are with our small family, right after the wedding!
I also included our officiant’s cat. She rescued and adopted Ocean a few weeks before the wedding. There are tons of beautiful cats located at The Humane Society of St Thomas.
So, next time you’re in town, see what you can do to help in between drinks and beaches. Below, you’ll find contact information for this amazing group who works tirelessly for little to no money on a daily basis to save these innocent animals.
Humane Society of St Thomas Contact Info:
Email: Info@hsst.com
Phone: (340) 775-0599
P.O. Box 8150 2F Estate Donoe
St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands 00801
One more thing: They are about to host a ’30 dogs in 30 days’ challenge! Contact them to see how you can help!