Luxury Locations issue 26

FEATURE

Puppy love: The charity working to reduce the nation’s strays This autumn will mark a decade since the Antigua Spay and Neuter Clinic launched operations

W hether you call them potcakes, Dadli Dogs – or the slightly less inspiring NAD (National Antiguan Dog) – roaming canines are a familiar sight across the island. Dozens of them – some owned, many not – wander city streets, residential communities and main roads on the daily hunt for food. Antigua is not always the easiest place to be an animal lover. The sight of hungry, sick and injured pups wrenches at the heartstrings. And in a country where many people live below the poverty line, they’re not necessarily a priority. One charity is working hard to tackle the issue at its roots. This autumn will mark a decade since the Antigua Spay and Neuter Clinic launched operations. It has since ‘fixed’ an incredible 6,000 dogs and cats – preventing many more thousands from being born. The venture arose from the ardent efforts of a trio of kind- hearted souls who had been volunteering their time rescuing animals in particular need. “We soon realised that picking them up and homing them was only half of the problem; what we really needed to do was prevent them,” explains the clinic’s President Rachel Wood. St John’s-based veterinary practice The Ark – run by British vet Dr Fiona Francis – agreed to give the charity space each Wednesday to provide free or discounted spay and neuter

services for the pets of low-income residents. The charity was soon performing up to 20 procedures a week. Changing attitudes was initially one of the biggest obstacles, Rachel recalls. “We go village to village, knocking on doors, explaining what we are doing and why. To begin with, people either didn’t understand the point or didn’t want it doing. Now most of the time I offer, hardly anyone says no. “Repeat visitors to Antigua tell me they notice a difference on the streets. For me personally, I notice a difference in attitude,” she adds. Last May, the donation-dependent entity celebrated a tremendous feat when it opened its own dedicated, purpose-built facility – a first for the country. The new clinic, located off Sir Vivian Richards Street in St John’s, allows the charity to carry out procedures five days a week, instead of one. A joint venture with The Ark, the facility took two years to build through donations and fundraising. Staffed by The Ark’s vets, it has two operating tables, two anaesthetic machines, and eight robust holding kennels. The charity was recently able to purchase a sturdy offroad truck too, enabling Rachel and her team to better access rural areas.

The clinic is located off Sir Vivian Richards Street in St John’s

Antigua Spay and Neuter Clinic President Rachel Wood

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