Voice for the Voiceless

In mid-August of 2020, Big Dog Ranch Rescue received a heartbreaking call. Rescues in the Virgin Islands, St. Thomas, St. John, Tortola, and Vieques, were facing hard decisions. COVID and a very unpredictable hurricane season were presenting new challenges to their small but mighty rescue facilities. With tourism to the island closed, donors, adopters, and potential transporters went from thousands during the busy season to a screeching halt of zero.

When we received the call that some of these shelters were going to have to euthanize for space we could not stand by and allow that to happen. Big Dog Ranch Rescue along with some very key partners jumped into action to mobilize and bring these dogs stateside. Tara Lordi of Weedoo Boats came forward to fund an entire cargo flight dedicated to getting condemned animals off the islands and brought stateside where they could be adopted.

Rescues on the island face specific challenges. There are less opportunities for adoptions, space is limited, and they are very vulnerable during hurricane season.

This rescue gained coverage in a dozen publications, including People magazine.

https://people.com/pets/st-john-rescue-rasising-money-flight-for-caribbean-shelter-pets/