I stopped by the Vieques Humane Society this afternoon to see
my buddy Dr. Pedro Watlington, our San Juan based veterinarian
who comes over to the island once a week. Our local Humane
Society is one of the best examples of a bunch of people doing
so much with so little. And currently, they’re overrun with
puppies like Aleida, the little four-month old, blue-eyed girl
pictured here.
Every dog at the Vieques Humane Society is a sato, which is the
Puerto Rican word for mutt. As far as I’m concerned, there is no
sweeter animal on the face of the Earth. Three years ago Amanda
an I found our dog Maggie down there, and I‘ve written about her
quite a lot. She is more beautiful, clever, and loyal
than
any expensive purebred could ever hope to be, and I can’t even
imagine life without her. Right now there are a couple dozen
dogs just like our Maggie at the Vieques Humane Society and you
folks coming down for a visit need to stop by and take a look.
The Vieques Humane Society exists on a shoestring budget. They
care for all the lost, abused, and injured animals of this
island that are lucky enough to be found in time. They also
spay, neuter, and vaccinate every animal that comes to their
door. A lot of cats and even some horses find shelter here, too.
A couple times a year some folks on the island will hold
benefits like art auctions or the chili cook-off and I always
donate a fishing trip as a prize. Since the shelter is in a
tough spot right now I‘m going to make that an open ended offer.
If you come down to the island and take a dog home with you I’ll
throw in a free half day bonefishing trip for two.
I normally charge $300 for this. If you ask me, this is the
ultimate win/win/win situation. You get a great dog and free
fishing trip, the dog gets a loving new home, and I get to spend
time on my boat with someone nice enough to come down and adopt
one of our shelter’s homeless dogs.
Not much of an angler? No problem. I’ll still take two of you
out for a great half-day sightseeing, snorkeling, and
beachcombing tour. Some of the most stunning parts of Vieques,
like the bay and reefs of Ensenada Honda, are only accessible by
boat, and I can easily get you to all of them with my bonefish
skiff.
I’m fully aware that adopting a dog is, and should be, a major
undertaking. You‘re basically adding a member to your family.
Some of you reading this may want to help but simply have no
room for a new dog. I understand and appreciate this, and you
folks can get a fishing trip, too. Write them a check for $500
to the Vieques Humane Society and you’ll get the same free
half-day offer. That $500 will go farther than you’ll ever know
and it’s also tax-deductible.
Yes, I know that with the recession $500 is a lot of money these
days, but maybe Bill Gates is reading this. Open your checkbooks
and help these animals out a little bit. Let’s face some facts
here; no matter how bad things might seem, no one is going to go
hungry, in both the States and here on Vieques. There are piles
of money available for people from the government, but these
animals will suffer without our help.
We humans created the domestic dog for our own purposes;
security, labor, companionship, and pure enjoyment. They do so
much for us and all that we owe them in return is a loving home.
So right now, Vieques is full of great dogs in need of a loving
home. I already have one and will probably take a second pup
back to the States later this spring. Do yourselves a favor and
stop by the Vieques Humane Society while you’re down here. Say
Hi to Dr. Pedro, Emily, or Aleida and try to come up with a
reason not to take one of those dogs home with you.
You can also go to their website at
www.viequeshs.org and
donate right there.
Capt. Gregg McKee,
WildFly Charters
