Hello animal lovers! My name is Hannah Smith and I currently live in the Caribbean island of Antigua. I am from the United States, specifically Abilene, Texas. My fiancé, our handsome dog Maverick, and I temporarily moved to Antigua because my fiancé is attending medical school here. We love the beach (especially Maverick), the views are breathtaking, and the sun is always shining! With that said, things are still much different here. Since moving to Antigua, the one thing that has really tugged on my heart is the way dogs and cats are so mistreated. There are minimal animal laws in Antigua. As a result, there are literally ten thousand (actual statistic) helpless stray animals living on the streets in some of the worst conditions imaginable. Dogs and cats are starving, have deathly diseases and/or diseases which prevent them from being adopted, get abused and neglected, and many get ran over or killed in other inhumane ways. The animals are abused, forced to engage in dog fighting as entertainment, and are gruesomely tortured for absolutely no reason. In the U.S. most of us view our animals as family members. In Antigua, animals are dumped on the street (and even in trash cans) to fend for themselves and only a few people care enough to make a difference. I witness this every single day and it is incredibly sad for me to see. Every evening my fiancé and I fill zip lock bags with dog food and go out and feed as many stray animals as we can... As many dogs as we feed, the outcome is so small-scale compared to what needs to be done for these poor animals. I really feel the urge to do more for these animals which is why I have decided to create this fundraiser. 

There are three wonderful animal organizations located in Antigua, all of which contribute through their own unique ways to try and make a difference in these animals' lives. The organizations provide homes for strays while feeding them and nursing them back to good health, vaccinations, rehome the animals, spay & neuter at a reduced cost for low income families to try and reduce the amount of strays on the streets, and raise awareness for abused and neglected animals. Unfortunately there are only a handful of locals who are able to help which is why it is very important for the expats and tourists and anyone else for that matter to get involved. Thyer and I want to help get as many strays as possible off the street, vaccinated, rehomed, fed, and most importantly, loved. Each organization solely relies on donations, without our support they cannot continue to help the animals.

We are asking that you help us by donating or sharing this post because any amount of money and awareness helps. You can check out each of the organizations on Facebook and the details of how each one contributes by looking them up by name or messaging me directly for more information; 1. PAAWS Antigua (the only shelter), 2. Spay and Neuter Clinic Antigua, and 3. Dogs and Cats of Antigua. If you would like to donate and prefer one program over another, please feel free to include the name with your donation. Again, any amount helps! We greatly appreciate it, as will the dogs and cats of Antigua! It would be a great Christmas present to the Antiguan animals :)