As a visitor to our island you have the chance to help save an animal’s life through an exciting program called Pets-From-Paradise. This program began in September 2002, over 800 animals have been placed on safe and loving new homes in the states through the program. This is a an impressive start, but with your help, we can increase that amount even more.

Until we can make pet overpopulation non-existent on St. Croix, until we no longer have more pets in need of home than homes in need of pets, our off island adoption program will help save lives. This animal transfer program is a creative way to find homes and save the lives of our overpopulation of healthy, loveable, small breed dogs in need of good homes.

How does the program work?
SCAWC works with stateside sister shelters to match animals with loving families who want to adopt them. The shelter makes all the arrangements and through donations from the St. Croix community, the cost to transport the dogs from St. Croix to the receiving shelter is covered. The pets are then adopted out to good homes.

A shelter staff member will meet you at the St. Croix airport with the animal. Someone from a sister shelter will meet you at your destination airport to recieve the animal. Volunteers don’t have any obligation beyond safely getting the dog from the St. Croix airport to the authorized person in the states. The animal is kept in a carrier and all the necessary paperwork is provided to the volunteer.

These cute terrier mix puppies just got a bath and are ready to go home!

How Do I Volunteer?
Travel Partner Volunteers (that’s you!) can call or email the St. Croix Shelter in advance to let them know you are interested in escorting an animal back to the states. A little time is needed to ensure the animal has been properly vaccinated and spayed or neutered and to notify the airline that an animal will be traveling on a flight.

Volunteers don’t have any obligation beyond safely getting the dog from the St. Croix airport to the authorized person in the states. The volunteer pays nothing. Again, costs are covered through donations and fees are sometimes waived by participating airlines.

Janess Chapelle, a St. Croix resident and Pets-From-Paradise volunteer, recently took 2 shelter dogs back to Boston to be adopted. We asked her about her experience and she said, “It was a piece of cake. I’d do it again in a heart beat!”

Why Should I Volunteer During My Vacation?
It’s a win/win situation. You help save a life that would otherwise be lost, the stateside shelter satisfies the needs of its community and discourages irresponsible pet breeding and best of all, a loving family gets a great new pet! What a wonderful way end your visit to St. Croix. The community and SCAWS is so appreciative of the opportunities created when island visitors are willing to get involved. Email them today to volunteer for Pets-From-Paradise.

What is a Sister Shelter?
Sister shelters are participating animal shelters in the U.S. that help us place our animals in loving homes. Relationships with shelters have already been established in:

• New York (including Manhattan & Long Island)
• Philadelphia
• Pittsburgh
• Vermont
• Boston
• Hartford
• Minneapolis/ St. Paul, Maine,
• Portland, Maine
• Stowe & Rutland Vermont
• Washing DC
• San Francisco Bay Area (Oakland, San Jose, Sacremento)
• Miami/Key West

What else can I do to help?
If you are not going to be on St. Croix anytime soon, but would still like to help, you can sponsor a pet. Health checks, vaccinations and airline fees range between $50 and $100. Your entire donation goes directly toward saving an animal’s life.

To be a Travel Partner or for more information, please contact Kriss Burgard at the St. Croix Animal Welfare Center. She has helped save many animals lives and can answer any questions you might have. Give her a call at 340-778-1650 or 340-719-4190.

GoToStCroix.com staffers are loyal supporters of animal shelters. We have two pound puppies who are wonderful pets. We want to promote this program to you – our visiting guests who can help make a tremendous difference in improving the quality of life for St. Croix’s animals.

Wendy & Anna of GoToStCroix.com, with Lucy and Georgia, their pound puppies.

For more information, please contact:

Pets From Paradise
St. Croix Animal Welfare Center
Rural Route #2
Kingshill, VI 00850

Tel: 340-778-1650
email us SCAWC
go to our website