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Charlotte Amalie
Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesNot for Profit: Healing Paws Sanctuary

Not for Profit: Healing Paws Sanctuary

Michael Dance, left, and Edmund Davies work on the roof of the HPS great house in Estate Pearl.Animal lovers involved with the Healing Paws Sanctuary in Estate Pearl feel as though animal welfare on St. Croix is entering a golden era.

“We are entering the biggest growth spurt in animal welfare on St. Croix,” Edmund Davys said with real excitement in his voice. Davys is vice president of HPS and board member of the St. Croix Animal Welfare Center. “This is exciting getting a sanctuary open and we want to get excitement out there. I believe genuine excitement is contagious.”

The organizers plan to prepare homeless animals for adoption, but if an animal is never adopted it will have a safe haven for life. Board members agree that the Animal Welfare Center has done a heroic job with animals, but they still need help sheltering the large number of homeless animals on St. Croix.

“The overpopulation here just is heartbreaking,” Davys said. “If a sanctuary is needed it’s definitely St. Croix.”

Davys said exciting, positive changes are happening at AWC, and HPS supports what they are doing. The members of both boards are dedicated to mutual support in all levels of animal welfare and are working on a memorandum of understanding.

There is still a ton of work to be done before they can open the sanctuary and public help is needed. He hopes the public gets excited and helps out volunteering or donating.

“We need to raise seed money,” Davys said. “And find sister shelters to network with to make donations.”

Michael Dance, president of HPS and co-founder, said their focus is to get primary funding from off island and not compete at all with AWC for local money. He said ideally AWC will still be the main source for rescue.

The Great house and serenity garden at Healing Paws Sanctuary.“We’ll be an additional resource for extra care and overflow,” Dance said.

Terry Chretien, a co-founder and treasurer, said the name “Healing Paws” was chosen as the sanctuary will offer a safe haven for animals to heal after trauma – physical or emotional – and to offer a pause for people, through humane interaction, to learn from and be inspired by these genuine beings. Dance said the like-minded animal lovers and advocates organized last September.

Dance said they will be able to take in as many as 50 dogs. They plan to have large, humane enclosures to allow multiple dogs to be together in a setting where they can move around and run and play rather than being stuck in a small cage for most of the day. The cats and dogs will get physical and emotional attention and care from volunteers and the caretaker that will reside in the great house.

Chretien said they have been inspired by Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab, Utah, and are modeling HPS after that group.

Dance said they are pleased a generous benefactor, who is an advocate for animals, has allowed them to use the nine acres and the great house as a sanctuary.

The driveway to the great house is lined with beautiful, mature sweet lime hedges. There is a serenity garden where they will offer memorial walkway bricks that can be inscribed for a donation. They have plans to clear the bush and make walking trails. There is a peaceful little area Chretien suspects was a pet cemetery which they might utilize. The huge open air aviary attached to the kitchen will be used to house cats.

Dance said they have spoken to local veterinarians and they all are receptive to the idea of the sanctuary, some have offered to assist.

Chretien is heading up the Save Our Sanctuary fundraiser at local restaurants. Duggans Reef and Blue Water Terrace are donating a portion of their proceeds on certain days. Davys said they are planning a big fundraiser, similar to Reef Jam, with all local animal agencies taking part in the fall.

People can visit www.healingpawssanctuary.org to get more information about volunteering or to donate.

Chretien wrote in an email, “There are many reasons we decided to start HPS. We are not getting any younger and may soon get to an age where it is not fair to adopt an animal who may outlive us. A couple of years ago, we were informed of a situation where a husband and wife died within months of each other, leaving three dogs and two cats with no provisions for their care. We ended up adopting them all, but it made us stop and think of what would happen to our animals if we died prematurely. HPS will give pet owners an option besides euthanasia. We hope that if they wish their pets to come to HPS after their deaths, that they create a fund to help us care for them.”

“Over the years," she added, "we have fostered numerous wonderful animals that the AWC could not hold until transport to the states, and we want to be able to give more of them a chance at a fur-ever home in this way. I fall in love with furry little faces easily and have a hard time letting go of them which makes me a bad choice for a foster parent."

Right now, Dance and Chretien care for 20 animals at their home. She said it’s a lot of work to keep them fed and healthy, but they do it for love.

Chretien said they are fortunate to have an enthusiastic board of directors and a few super volunteers to help.

“Helping those who cannot help themselves is not only our passion, but it’s a matter of life and death for many furry little ones,” Chretien said.

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