Come to the animal shelter Sat. Aug 27 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. to meet our pets, help support AWC in the ASPCA Challenge and help save lives. Potential adopters will draw thermometers [...]]]> Learn about pet care, basic obedience and draw for sizzling adoption discounts during AWC’s Beat the Heat event on Sat. Aug. 27.

Come to the animal shelter Sat. Aug 27 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. to meet our pets, help support AWC in the ASPCA Challenge and help save lives. Potential adopters will draw thermometers displaying not summer temps but discounts of 25, 50 and 100% savings on adoptable animals that can be redeemed throughout the ASPCA Challenge period which runs until Oct. 31.

Participate in our shelter open house and on site behavior and care clinic, too. Gain tips on basic obedience and pet grooming care. AWC hopes to educate owners on pet care in order to reduce the surrender of owned animals to the shelter by people who can no longer care for their pets.

Thus far in 2011, 970 owned pets have been surrendered to AWC.
“AWC wants to be a winner in the Challenge, but more importantly we hope to use this competition as a vehicle to educate pet owners,” said shelter coordinator Gretchen Sherrill. “Too often owners fail to provide basic pet care, such as regular grooming of long haired, fluffy dogs, and then surrender their pets when matted fur and skin infections due to poor grooming arise. They can’t understand what happened to their cute pet. We want owners to realize that pets depend on them to maintain good health.”
Remember Free Cat Fridays with approved applications is ongoing throughout 2011.

Help St. Croix compete in the ASPCA Challenge. To learn more, volunteer or donate visit www.StCroixAWC.org or find us on Facebook. To inquire about an adoptable pet contact our adoptions department at adoptions@stcroixawc.org.

Celebrate Crucian pets—join your friends at the St. Croix Animal Welfare Center (AWC) for a Challenge Carnival.

On Saturday, July 30 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. the pets and staff at the animal shelter will hold a mini carnival to honor local culture [...]]]> St. Croix Animal Welfare Center Kicks
Off National Adoptions Event with “Challenge Carnival”

Celebrate Crucian pets—join your friends at the St. Croix Animal Welfare Center (AWC) for a Challenge Carnival.

On Saturday, July 30 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. the pets and staff at the animal shelter will hold a mini carnival to honor local culture and promote adoptions as part of the ASPCA Challenge.

The event will feature food, music, a mock tramp of animal shelter pets, prize raffles. Free microchips will be offered to the first 50 pet owners who request this service. As an added bonus, adoption fees will be wiaved for approved applicants.

“A portion of the competition is community outreach and AWC staff felt that holding a mini carnival was a great way to welcome the public and highlight our local culture as part of this national competition,” said shelter coordinator, Gretchen Sherrill. “Besides, shelter pets, like all Crucians, love to fete.”

AWC is one of 49 shelters nationwide competing for $300, 000 in grant awards from the ASPCA. AWC will be judged on the number of adoptions, reunions of lost pets to owners and transfers to other rescues that takes place during the review period of Aug. 1 to Oct. 31, 2011.

Not able to adopt? Consider supporting AWC with a gift. No amount is too small. For example, $10 buys a heartworm test, $25 a microchip, $50 buys 2 bags of dog food, $100 sponsors an adoption and $250 buys an airline ticket for a pet to fly cargo to a new home via pets from paradise.

Donate via Paypal on this website or mail gifts to St. Croix Animal Welfare Center RR2 #32 Clifton Hill, Kingshill, VI 00850. AWC is a registered 501 c 3 non profit in good standing. Gifts are tax deductable.

For more information about this event or how you can donate, please contactl Gretchen Sherrill at communications@stcroixawc.org.

The year 2010 saw an unwelcome jump for the St. Croix Animal Welfare Center, as some 3,500 animals came through the [...]]]> The article below is from the St. Croix Source and can be found here.

 

Gretchen Sherrill (left) and Stephany DeJesus shows off a puppy up for adoption.

The year 2010 saw an unwelcome jump for the St. Croix Animal Welfare Center, as some 3,500 animals came through the center, about 500 above their average.

Director Gretchen Sherrill pointed out that the shelter is the only place on St. Croix where they have an open admission policy. They will accept any animal in any condition and will never turn away any animal regardless of how dangerous or ill nourished it may be.

To break down the numbers a little further, 2,000 of the animals accepted last year were strays that had been abandoned and/or were victims of abuse, criminal activity, or neglect. The remaining 1,500 were owner surrenders – either because they have too many, are moving off the island, or simply can no longer afford them. Sherrill thinks that the major factor in the increase is due to the struggling economy. Owners simply can no longer afford their pets.

She is worried the economy might also take a toll on AWC’s operations. About one-fifth of their funding comes from government contracts, but with the economic decline, these funds could also be affected.

“We as an organization need to be innovative to get ahead of the game,” she said about trying to make up the difference in case of funding cutbacks.

The shelter offers many low-cost options for animals. For example, a pet can be sprayed or neutered for $25, and adopted for a mere $100, which includes de-worming, microchip, tags, vaccines, and spay/neuter services. Furthermore, if a pet is terminally ill, severely injured, or a threat to society, they offer low-cost euthanasia.

Another positive service that AWC offers is its decade-long transfer program called Pets from Paradise, where animals can be adopted from people off-island. Over 200 were placed last year with people living abroad. One major area where adoptions take place is in New York, particularly in the Hamptons.

AWC has worked for more than 20 years with local veterinarians on St. Croix to operate their low-cost spay/neuter program. But in 2010, they began an exciting venture collaborating with the Fix It Foundation, a PetSmart Charity company, to review the AWC database that tracks trends and problem areas for stray animals to help reduce population overgrowth by providing spay/neuter services to these animals at a low cost.

Bethany Bradford, D.V.M., the director of Veterinarian Services for the Department of Agriculture, was also at the conference with other board members Liz Goggins, Karen Poates and Jennie Parrish.

“This year we have really stepped up collaboration and cooperation [with AWC],” Bradford said.

Generally, the department works with livestock and horses, but occasionally, their paths cross and the two services work together to deal with animals who are abused and neglected.

Stephany DeJesus, an adoption technician, then allowed the media for the first time ever to look at their “quarantine surgery center,” which is divided into three sections: treatment, surgical center, and an area for euthanasia. She then took out a few animals that were being housed there and had either been treated for fleas and ticks, or were awaiting adoption.

There were also youth volunteers on-hand who seemed to be loving their weekend duties. One volunteer, Kareem Murrell from Free Will Baptist Church, typically comes every Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. because he thinks it’s fun bathing and walking the animals.

“I do this because I have a passion for animals,” he said smiling.

If you would like to volunteer, or have a desire to adopt a pet, please visit www.stcroixAWC.org, or contact (340) 778-1650.

The article copied below can be found in the St. Croix Source here.

The prospect of cash prizes and an opportunity to do some research about animals brought several children together for St. Croix’s first Animal Care Exposition. [...]]]>

Volunteers Julie Case (left) and Lucille Savarino with AWC puppies Nate and Drew, who are up for adoption.

The article copied below can be found in the St. Croix Source here.

The prospect of cash prizes and an opportunity to do some research about animals brought several children together for St. Croix’s first Animal Care Exposition. On Saturday, the Department of Agriculture grounds flourished with excited children and proud parents ready to display their artful works.

Learning Networks Foundation (LWF) partnered with the Animal Welfare Center (AWC) to create the expo, where children, grades K-8, were given an opportunity to design research projects related to animals that live on or around St. Croix. The projects were divided into three divisions by grade: K-2, 3-5, and 6-8. First, second, and third-place winners were awarded cash prizes of $100, $50, $25 respectively.

Children enjoyed the fun-filled day with a number of free events including a puppet show and climbing wall. The climbing wall was the most popular, and some children scurried up more than five times. Stephen O’Dea brought St. Croix’s favorite donkey, Eeyore, who always seems to provide children with laughs.

Program coordinator Wanda Banks of LWF hoped to get more involvement from the community, but was still pleased with the turnout.

“We mostly did this to promote the importance of kindness and awareness of animals, and this gave us the opportunity to do that,” she said.

Gretchen Sherrill, shelter coordinator of the AWC, said that the Expo not only gave the shelter the opportunity to try and get some pets adopted, but it was a chance to do educational outreach to the community, one of several ways that the AWC informs individuals about humane treatment of animals.

“We have an overpopulation of animals at the shelter, and this is one of several means to get people involved, to stop that from happening,” she said.

The day ended with a small award ceremony where the children were able to collect trophies and checks for their research projects.

Award winners:

K-2 Division – All from St. Croix Montessori

• 1st Place –Makari Matthew
• 2nd Place – Zack Bozzo and Jared Doran
• 3rd Place – Yahn Velazquez

3-5 Division

• 1st Place – Sheela Rikhye, Gabby Gomez and Sophia Alvarado – Good Hope School 4-H
• 2nd Place – Alexis Matarangas-King –St. Croix Montessori
• 3rd Place – Allanise Johannes –Juanita Gardine

6-8 Division

• 1st Place –Akilah Hodge, Juan Aponte, Raquan Carter, Javan Menzies –Juanita Gardine
• 2nd Place – Shamicka Delerme and Johanna Manon –Juanita Gardine
• 3rd Place – Jadheem Donovan and Kevin Gilbert – Juanita Gardine

Thank you Corrina and Greg. They spent their cruise vacation on St. Croix volunteering to exercise dogs and flew from Lopatoong, NJ with a bag of dog and cat treats and toys. Thank you both so much for your generosity and time. You have no idea how much it means to our [...]]]>

Corrina and Greg

Thank you Corrina and Greg. They spent their cruise vacation on St. Croix volunteering to exercise dogs and flew from Lopatoong, NJ with a bag of dog and cat treats and toys. Thank you both so much for your generosity and time. You have no idea how much it means to our staff and to our pets.

Administrative Post fliers about events and/or adoption photos at different locations on island (Can email fliers to you–do not have to [...]]]> Volunteers Greatly Needed. Can you help the pets of the St. Croix Animal Welfare Center? 1 or 2 hours a week will make a huge difference. Take a look at just some of the opportunities below:

Administrative
Post fliers about events and/or adoption photos at different locations on island (Can email fliers to you–do not have to come to shelter)
Mailing help (1-2 hours per week–work at shelter facility)
Graphic design help

Flea Market
Sort clothes
Priced items
Straighten and organize
Pick up and delivery of large items
(the flea market is an important source of revenue for shelter pets. 1-2 hours per week during flea market hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.)

Adoptions
Adoptions docent (greet customers and speak about adoptable pets and adoptions policies) 4 hours per week minimum–long term commitment
Adoptions call backs–call back checks on recent adoptions
Online adoptions galleries–help keep pet info and photos up to date and help write adoption copy
Offsite adoptions–pick up pets and help us feature them at sidewalk events at local merchants
Cost U Less–this is a regular supply drive and offsite adoption that takes place the first Sat of each month Help alwasys needed

Animal care
walk dogs
bathe pets
socialize cats and puppies

Facility improvements
We have ongoing facility improvement projects–patching, painting, screening. Contact us to learn more.
Weed eating–need weekly assistance with lawn care.

Boysie was found stray by the father of our receptionist Errolyn James. He was wondering in the neighborhood, scared, very skinny and suffering hair loss from fleas.

Boysie is not feral. He was, at some time, an owned dog. Dog abandonment is illegal in the Territory. Neglect is the #1 problem seen by the St. Croix [...]]]>

Boysie

Boysie was found stray by the father of our receptionist Errolyn James. He was wondering in the neighborhood, scared, very skinny and suffering hair loss from fleas.

Boysie is not feral. He was, at some time, an owned dog. Dog abandonment is illegal in the Territory.
Neglect is the #1 problem seen by the St. Croix Animal Welfare Center, but you can help us by joining our Hearts of Hope campaign. Become a mem-ber, receive a one of a kind heart pendant designed by local artist Hope Gibson exclusively for AWC members, and raise awareness about our cause.

Please bring unwanted pets to the St. Croix Animal Welfare Center. If you lose a pet, please notify the St. Croix Animal Welfare Center.

Help us give Boysie hope for a second chance. Don’t point a finger—lend a hand. Call us 340-778-1650 or email info@stcroixawc.org.