Programs and Facilities
AARF maintains a shelter and has several ongoing programs, including Adoptions, Education, Spay and Neuter Surgery and Trap, Neuter and Release (TNR) programs.
All are geared towards putting adopted dogs, cats, puppies and kittens into caring forever homes, keeping the population of unwanted animals down and providing education covering critical subjects such as animal care, the need for spay/neuter, emergency preparation and safety tips.
In some cases, special funds have been set up to handle specific instances of programs and to perform specific functions.
There are many ways to help us with these programs.
Shelter
The AARF Shelter is located inside Morlens Veterinary Clinic, which is staffed by volunteers during many of the Clinic's open hours.
There is an office just off the lobby with pet products such as collars and leashes, crates and containers, AARF branded products and more.
The Shelter also has two rooms for animals; these house dogs, puppies, cats and kittens awaiting adoption. Anyone can come by the shelter to see available adoptees and to talk with an AARF volunteer.
Adoptions
AARF's main focus is on putting adoptable dogs and cats (young and old) into deserving forever homes. While spay and neuter education is a high priority through our education programs, we encourage surrender of unwanted and found animals to the AARF Shelter. There, surrendered animals are checked by the attending veterinarian, de–wormed and treated as necessary. Vaccinations are given, and attempts to find a home are made via local notices to the media, flyers, etc. When a home is found, an adoption agreement sends the new pet to a good home, with a signed promise to spay/neuter the pet when the right age is reached.
The exams, first vaccinations and medications and the spay or neuter surgery is covered in the low adoption fee. To encourage full vaccination (typically for a puppy and kitten, three sets of vaccinations about 3–4 weeks apart are needed), a discount coupon for later vaccinations is supplied.
At this point, the new pet is transferred (paperwork–wise) to the Morlens Vet Clinic.
AARF maintains a “call list” for anyone who has special criteria for a dog or cat.
Spay and Neuter Program
Anguilla is small, with weather that encourages dog and cat reproduction. Many animals are free to roam about. Because of this, many unwanted puppies and kittens are born during the year. Being an island, the water boundaries mean the animals are locked into a fixed land mass.
AARF makes spay and neuter education a very high priority. All animals adopted through AARF must be neutered, per a signed adoption agreement. In addition, education programs through the schools and media emphasize this vital need.
TNR
A Trap, Neuter and Release program is run on a smaller scale, targeted to certain regions and for special cases.
Education
AARF has an Education Committee that designs presentations to children in the local schools, which it conducts several times a year. The presentation provides a friendly dog, so that the children can get a hands on experience, and to allay fear of dogs.
Key concepts for dog and cat care are presented. For instance with dogs, the children are instructed how to read a dog's appearance and disposition so as to learn when and how to approach a dog, they are taught how to keep a dog in a humane way, their need for water, food, shade and shelter, the rewards of having a loving relationship with a pet, the critical need for sterilization, and more. We covered a recent set of trips to schools in a past newsletter article.
Funding
AARF's budget comes from direct donations, fundraising events such as Bingo nights and yard sales and memberships. These efforts fill the General Fund, which is used for the animal care in the Shelter, adoptions, spay and neuter, costs needed to support holding events, etc.
In addition to the General Fund, special funds have been established. Some exist to accomplish specific tasks; some have been founded in memory of a loved one.
Rubin Rainbow Fund
Established late in 2007, this fund is dedicated to offer selective financial assistance to provide care for puppies, dogs, kittens or cats that are in need in the West End. It is specific to dogs, cats and people in the West End.
Care given includes vaccinations, de–worming, and spay/neuter surgery.
The fund also supplies additional care that might be needed, including food, leashes, collars, flea and tick medications and heartworm pills for families in the West End that may not be able to pay these additional needed expenses.
Provision is also made to fund a feral cat Trap, Neuter and Release (TNR) program in targeted West End locations.
Activities are administered using the discretion of AARF and the founder of the fund. If you would like to donate to this fund, please mail it to AARF and specify that the donation is to be earmarked for the Rubin Rainbow Fund.
Lehigh Fund in Memory of David Johnson
David Johnson was a kind and generous man, who, with his partner Frank Costin were wonderful “Foster Dads” to many of AARF’s puppies awaiting adoption.
David passed away in July of 2005 and Frank requested that anyone wishing to send a gift in David’s memory do so via a contribution to AARF in the name of David’s beloved cocker spaniel, Lehigh.
Lehigh was diagnosed with an inoperable cancer when she was eleven. David brought her down to Anguilla from Canada where she had lived part of the year so she could be warm and they could give her constant care until the end of her life. AARF made a bequest in David’s memory and established this fund in memoriam.
This fund has been set up as a tribute to David and Frank's love of all creatures, great and small and especially Lehigh.
The purpose of The Lehigh Memorial Fund is to assist pet owners in paying for either emergency care or other medical treatment for their pets that they may not be able to afford.
A decision to invoke the use of this fund involves the diagnosis made by the examining veterinarian and the AARF Shelter Management Committee.
In addition to donations made to the fund, several collection boxes have been placed around the island, and all proceeds from these boxes go into the fund.
We hope that this fund will continue to grow in the years to come, not only to help the many needy dogs and cats of Anguilla, but also as a continuing tribute to David and to his love for animals and all that he has done for AARF.
To donate to this fund, please earmark the donation to be for the David Johnson Fund or the Lehigh fund.
Whiskey Fund
In early 2011, a new AARF Fund was established in memory of "Whiskey", the well–known Sandy Ground Dog.
Many visitors and locals fondly remember Whiskey, who lived on Sandy Ground all of his life. He was regularly taken care of by Anguillian residents and visitors, who even arranged to have him neutered. Sadly, he passed away late last year.
Some of Whiskey's devotees started a fund in remembrance of him to be used for animals or situations in need in Sandy Ground. Already in fact, Leo and Judy R. have left a donation to help a dog, the first identified needy animal.
To contribute to this fund, simply earmark your donation as going to the Whiskey Memorial Fund.
Whiskey appears twice in past newsletters, in 2005 and again in 2008.