Adopt don’t shop: Adopt a dog from the animal shelter in Statia (St. Eustatius, Caribbean Netherlands). Transportation costs are covered for any off-island adoption. This includes travel to Europe or North America! There are regular posts on the Facebook page of the St. Eustatius Animal Welfare Foundation (SEAWF) to connect you to the animals and the work around the shelter. However, we want to take the opportunity to present the current dogs that are up for adoption in one spot. We, Yoeri and Nicki at Devocean Pictures, are volunteers at the animal shelter in Statia and invite you to adopt a Caribbean dog.

The adoption fee of $70 includes de-worming, two vaccinations, a microchip and spay/neuter.
Give two dogs their forever home for only $100.
You must have a securely fenced yard.
Contact: SEAWF via 318-1102 (phone or Whatsapp) or contact-us@seawf.com

SEAWF SPAY / NEUTER POLICY: Please note that ALL animals adopted from SEAWF must be spayed or neutered when they are 5 to 6 months old. Unfortunately, there are far too many unwanted dogs, cats, puppies and kittens on Statia, and we always have animals at the shelter for which we cannot find homes. Therefore, we insist that all animals adopted from us are sterilised. It does not harm the animal – we would never do anything to compromise the welfare of any animal.

St. Eustatius Animal Welfare Foundation at Facebook

If you can’t adopt an animal, volunteering is the perfect solution to express your love and devotion to animals. Contact us if you want to join the club on Statia or come by the shelter and take a look at all the dogs and cats bringing us love and affection on a daily basis. If you don’t live in Statia, look for an animal rescue centre or shelter in your neighbourhood.

Why adopt a shelter dog from Statia?

Our main message is the campaign slogan „adopt, don’t shop“. There are so many dogs around the world – shelter or rescue dogs – that are in desperate need of a loving forever home. Therefore it doesn’t make sense to purchase a dog from a breeder or puppy mill.

Puppy mills are large-scale dog breeding operations that prioritize making a profit over the care of the dogs.

Every time an animal is adopted, a space opens up in the shelter or the rescue. So when you adopt a cat or dog, not only are you saving that animal’s life, but you are also opening up a space for another animal’s life to be saved.

Green Matters: Why adopt, don’t shop

Do good and talk about it! Check if you have an animal shelter or animal rescue close by, take a look and fall in love. We don’t want to push these Caribbean sweethearts on you, but … They are well taken care of, mentally as well as physically. Volunteers at the Statia’s animal shelter walk them every day, and every once in a while even take them to the beach or a day out in a garden to roll in the grass and play. The dogs are used to walking with many different volunteers from 4 to more than 80 years old. Apart from the run for puppies and their mother, dogs can socialise in small groups in two major outdoor kennels with shelter from rain and sun.

The animal shelter in Statia: Adopt this Caribbean dog

PLEASE: For all those living on Statia, get in contact with Animal Welfare and get your animals spayed and neutered. There is a sponsored program for families with low income or many animals. In general, the price is just covering the costs of these operations.

Puppies, puppies, puppies

For more than half a year a family is helping us (Yoeri and Nicki) on our Friday afternoon shift. The three children are every time over the moon when new puppies arrive. From that point of view, March 2023 is the best month ever. In reality, we are overwhelmed with puppies.

It started off with two lovely tiny mixed breeds – brother and sister. The children named them Polar and Hershie (feel free to pick the name you want to call your furry friend by). If we could, we would adopt both of them in a heartbeat. However, we just foster-failed and adopted Smokey (see below). Keeping in mind our life as aquatic nomads, already having one dog is a huge challenge and commitment. But just look at them:

Chip: A happy puppy – just bigger

Meet Chip, he is a very happy chappy. That’s why he is called Chippie at the animal shelter. He got dropped there anonymously in 2021. Even though he gets along with all the other dogs in his kennel, basically he pays no attention to them, he is ready for his forever home.

He loves to run and play – with humans, other dogs or on his own. All he needs is some space really. Oh and he enjoys cuddles and butt scratches tremendously. When Chippie is happy to see you, he will swing his whole butt from left to ride, wagging the tail alone just won’t do it.

Maya: A lovely leader

This is Maya, the mother of Chip. They got dropped at the animal shelter anonymously in 2021. Even though she gets along with all her kennel mates, in particular her son, she is eagerly looking for a new home. She loves to run and even more to get cuddles. In return, she will keep your yard free of chicken, goats, sheep or whatever else tries to come in and eat your plants.

Not a fan of blind dates? Just come down to the shelter to meet her. After we had Maya and Chip at our house for a day out, she is totally in love and puts quite the afford into being the first one at the fence to greet us when we arrive for our weekly shift at the shelter.

Nala: Observant and playful

Meet beautiful Nala! Her sister Suki got adopted in October 2022 after 16 months of living in the shelter. When they arrived they were approximately three months old. Now Nala, a brindle/shepherd mix, believes in miracles. And you can make her dream come true: Providing her with her very own forever home!

Nala is a gentle soul with a lot of positive energy inside her athletic body. On her day out in the garden, she enjoyed playing and running with the younger dogs as well as exploring the surroundings on her own. Once she found her favourite spot under the bamboo, she kept going back to her resting place, ideally together with Hella and Laika. She is affectionate and integrates easily with other dogs.

Indi and her two puppies Jessy and Jack: Happy-go-lucky and bouncy

Look at them! Is there something wrong with these lovely puppies? 4 out of 6 brothers and sisters found their forever homes already. They were dumped at the Road to English Quarter with their mother Indi and don’t want to be left behind another time … The puppies are probably born at the end of July 2022. The one with the long hair is a female, named Jessy, and the brindle one is a male, Jack.

An update on Jessy and Jack is coming soon. They have grown into beautiful teenagers by now.

Indi is a young and loving mother. It looks like this was her first litter and instead of love and support, she got kicked out of her home with the little ones. Whenever she gets out of the puppy run she bounces with joy. They are ready to rock your life – individually or as a family.

Smokey: A love bug in recovery – adopted

This adorable lady is named Smokey. In the first three pictures is enjoying the late afternoon sun on one of her days out on our porch. She has a heart of gold, a calm character and more love to give than her wide chest can hold. If you take her into your home she wants to stay by your side as much as possible and happily greet any human visitor. She is at least two years old and recovering from some injuries at the moment (read all about this beautiful love bug in our blog entry „Take a Minute in Statia 003: Smokey in Wonderland„).

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Filmed during the peak of butterfly season in November 2022. Read Smokey’s story here.

Laika: A sister from another mother – adopted

Even though approximately three months younger, Laika is already almost as big as Athena. Together with Laika’s sister Hella, the three form the teenage gang of the shelter in one of the kennels. Laika is inquisitive and playful, passionate, but never aggressive. Big bonus, she isn’t chewing up any random household items anymore.

During one of her visits to our house, she was the first and only dog out of the gang enjoying a bath. On our first visit to the ocean, she followed Athena’s lead and started to swim. She looks up to older dogs and copies their behaviour, such as Smokey, the natural leader in their kennel, temporarily healing her wounds in our foster home. Give her a home and a good example and she’ll be the best company you can imagine.

Hella: Bundle of joy and cuddles – adopted

Hella is the smallest pup out of a nest of five dogs found in Zeelandia in mid-July 2022 without their mother. The only boy went almost straight on to his forever home on Statia. Personally, we don’t understand why Hella hasn’t been picked first. She is clearly the most affectionate. When the others were playing and fighting, all she wanted was your attention and love.

She is still like that: A bundle of joy and cuddles. She is brave too and loves to try new things like licking ice cubes or swimming in the sea to cool off. Like Laika, she is copying the behaviour of Smokey and enjoys rolling around in the grass tremendously now. When they are visiting, we train all of them not to bark at anybody passing or anything they hear in the distance. Take her and turn her into your perfect companion asap.

Daisy: Loyal and loving fighter (on hold for Canada)

Daisy is looking for you! Strong, kind, attentive and social. Daisy was dumped with her puppies at the Terminal. Completely exhausted, she cared relentlessly until all her puppies found their forever homes. After being spayed, the wound was infected with flesh-eating bacteria which almost killed her. But Daisy fought her way back to life just as she fought for her young ones to survive.

She gets along with the other dogs in her kennel, but she wouldn’t mind being the one and only. After her puppies left, she took great care of Athena and Zeus. Used to living in a home, she is easy to go for walks, listens well and will give everything to protect her new family.

Athena: The soul sister – adopted

Athena came together with her brother Bobby (formerly known as Zeus) to the animal shelter when they were appr. two months old. They are most likely born in February 2022. As brother and sister, they love each other. However, life got them separated. Zeus found his forever home and a new name in the Netherlands where he leads a happy life.

Athena loves all our volunteers at the shelter and all the other dogs – even the ones that are clearly not interested in her affection and playfulness. Athena is happy to just run around and play, with coconut husks or water bowls. In October, Athena saw the ocean for the first time and was the first dog out of the party of five to swim around.

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Last words

More pictures and videos of the happy bundle of dogs (and cats) living peacefully together at the animal shelter in Statia are added also to our own social media accounts to get more and more people to adopt a Caribbean dog (Facebook, Instagram and YouTube). Volunteers are always welcome to spread and receive lots of unconditional love in return. Free therapy session: Highly recommended!

Lastly, dogs teach us valuable life lessons like
* Enjoy the moment.
* Don’t look back in anger.
* Love unconditionally.
* Take a nap whenever you need it.
* Family isn’t defined by blood.

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