Stray Dogs & Cats on Grand Turk

In reading the hundreds of posts here, I've come across several people mentioning the stray & starving dogs on GT and I'm wondering what it's really like? Are they everywhere? How about cats? Were there lots of those as well?

I'm wondering if anyone took food from the ship to feed the dogs and/or if there are grocery stores where we can stop and purchase dog/cat food for them? We're planning on renting a Jeep so we'll be seeing most of the island and I can't imagine not helping starving animals.

Thanks so much!

We've been there a number of times and I know I would have noticed if there were many stray animals but we did not see that.

I always notice animals in need.

There are very strict rules about taking food off ships and bringing it ashore in ports. Don't do it. You can get in a lot of trouble and there are good reasons for those rules........ ecosystems, agriculture etc

Have never read about them and have never seen them. Have never seen anyone mention this in any review I've read that included Grand Turk, either.

What you will see are horses and donkeys. They're wild. As far as I can tell, they are not starving.

Absolutely DO NOT take food off the ship. It's against regulations anywhere I've ever been.

Like any Caribbean Island we do have stray dogs, knows as "Potcakes" here on Grand Turk.

The Grand Turk Chapter of TCSPCA actively works at keeping the numbers down with spay and neuter clinics and overseas and on-island adoption programs. We are always grateful for donations to assist us with these programs. We know it is not easy to carry cases of pet food on board your cruise ship so if you would like to make a financial donation we can send you the details of where/how to find us when you're here!

We also have stray cats, not as many as you will see on some Caribbean Islands (or Greek Islands!) and we also work at finding homes and keeping their numbers down.

Thank you for asking about our 4 legged friends, we have arranged several puppy adoptions this year, if anyone is interested in doing the same. Texas, NY, Washington DC, Boston, California to name just a few of the places our affectionate pooches have flown to. ("Caicos" in NY was adopted by a cruise ship passenger who fell in love with her while diving here and we arranged to have her couriered to Long Island a couple of weeks later!)

http://www.facebook.com/GrandTurkSPCA

Thanks for that info.

While I strongly believe in shelter adoptions, my humble opinion is that one should donate to/adopt from their local shelter. We have plenty of shelter pets here who need to be adopted, and your local shelter can ALWAYS use donations.

I just can't see why anyone would spend the money to fly a shelter pet from the islands when there were probably some sitting in a local kill shelter who lost their lives because they weren't adopted. :(

"I just can't see why anyone would spend the money to fly a shelter pet from the islands when there were probably some sitting in a local kill shelter who lost their lives because they weren't adopted. :(

People adopt our Potcakes for many of the same reason they adopt shelter dogs in the US. just one being. when you fall in love with an animal, it's that animal you want in your family for years to come.

We are grateful to those who contact us after leaving the island to tell us we spurred them to adopt back home, from a shelter/ASPCA etc.

Enjoy your cruise and time on our little island!

Like any Caribbean Island we do have stray dogs, knows as "Potcakes" here on Grand Turk.

The Grand Turk Chapter of TCSPCA actively works at keeping the numbers down with spay and neuter clinics and overseas and on-island adoption programs. We are always grateful for donations to assist us with these programs. We know it is not easy to carry cases of pet food on board your cruise ship so if you would like to make a financial donation we can send you the details of where/how to find us when you're here!

We also have stray cats, not as many as you will see on some Caribbean Islands (or Greek Islands!) and we also work at finding homes and keeping their numbers down.

Thank you for asking about our 4 legged friends, we have arranged several puppy adoptions this year, if anyone is interested in doing the same. Texas, NY, Washington DC, Boston, California to name just a few of the places our affectionate pooches have flown to. ("Caicos" in NY was adopted by a cruise ship passenger who fell in love with her while diving here and we arranged to have her couriered to Long Island a couple of weeks later!)

http://www.facebook.com/GrandTurkSPCA

I can't tell you how thrilled I am that you're working to assist the homeless dogs and cats on the island. My husband and I work w/our local shelters and rescues and we know how difficult, frustrating, and emotionally draining the work can be.

We will definitely make a donation because we believe that animals everywhere deserve a chance. Do you have a physical facility on GT that we could visit while there? We make it a point to visit as many groups helping animals as possible and have done so in numerous ports including San Juan and Magen's Bay among others.

This makes me feel so much better about visiting GT. Thank you again for the link and for everything that you do.

"I just can't see why anyone would spend the money to fly a shelter pet from the islands when there were probably some sitting in a local kill shelter who lost their lives because they weren't adopted. :(

People adopt our Potcakes for many of the same reason they adopt shelter dogs in the US. just one being. when you fall in love with an animal, it's that animal you want in your family for years to come.

We are grateful to those who contact us after leaving the island to tell us we spurred them to adopt back home, from a shelter/ASPCA etc.

Enjoy your cruise and time on our little island!

We've had the pleasure of hosting a potcake at our dog boarding facility this past summer. DH and I were amazed at what a great breed of dog -- easy going, plays well with others, likes attention but doesn't demand it. If it weren't for having to fly them off the island, we'd adopt one in a heartbeat. (My brother works in cargo for a major airline, and I've heard too many stories about animals in cargo to subject one to it on my behalf. Just MHO)

A thought -- I know in some other ports you can volunteer at local NFP/NGO's (soup kitchens, etc): would that be something the GT SPCA offers?

I have not seen this problem on Grand Turk and foods should not be taken off the ship.

Keith

I have not seen this problem on Grand Turk and foods should not be taken off the ship.

 

Keith

I believe she/he mentioned that they would buy the food at a store on grand Turk.

I believe she/he mentioned that they would buy the food at a store on grand Turk.

This is what she said. "I'm wondering if anyone took food from the ship to feed the dogs and/or if there are grocery stores where we can stop and purchase dog/cat food for them?"

The question did include the option of taking food off the ship and that is what I responded to.

Keith

We were in Grand Turk this past Friday and saw many potcakes during our island tour. I'm surprised to see so many on this thread say that they didn't notice them. There was a pack of 2 running side by side when we first hit the beach, then 3, then the pack became 4. They seemed happy and were frolicking along the water.

The owner of Island Tram tour company told us about the Potcake Foundation, and as we toured the island we saw MANY potcakes (no cats) throughout the island, laying in driveways, under trees, or just wandering about. When we returned to Island Village, we spent a couple of hours at the restaurant/bar there. I didn't finish my meal, so I fed it to the potcakes. Honestly, they only wanted my leftover fries!

My husband and I have only adopted rescues, and will continue to promote rescue adoption whether back at home or whether on a Caribbean island where an animal steals your heart.

We were just there in September. There were 2 dogs on the beach by the chairs at the Local Village Bar, but they didn't seem hungry and were not begging for food. The just laid under the umbrellas in the shade. We saw a few in town, but again they were not begging for food.

We were just there in September. There were 2 dogs on the beach by the chairs at the Local Village Bar, but they didn't seem hungry and were not begging for food. The just laid under the umbrellas in the shade. We saw a few in town, but again they were not begging for food.

Agree. We have seen a couple here and there our three previous trips to Grand Turk. Laying under umbrellas, not begging for food. But let me tell you this one smart fella knew to come to our table at Margaritaville and he enjoyed the fish tacos and jerked chicken. A little rubbing behind the ears and he was gone.

We saw dogs and cats while we were there. Not a nuisance at all, one dog swam with us and followed us on the beach, he was adorable:D. Saw some cats at Margaritaville we shared our lunch with them, the waiter said the staff looks out for them. Glad to know that we can make a donation when we visit next month.

Hi there,

As many cruise passengers only stay in the tourist areas, they don't necessarily see all the strays roaming the streets. Every day, hundreds of unwanted new litters are being born.

As an avid animal lover and having travelled the Caribbean extensively, we felt the need to reach out and lend a helping hand by doing spay and neuter project to keep the pet overpopulation under control.

Please join us on Facebook to see what our mission is:

https://www.facebook.com/CaribbeanSpayNeuter?ref=hl and see how YOU can make a difference in the lives of so many animals.

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/caribbean-spay-neuter/x/4025213#share

Potcakes-that is such a cute sounding name-much better than saying strays or ferals. I wonder if dog and cat treats are okay to bring along and take off the ship? I read that the Dominican Republic has a lot too and was thinking of bringing treats to hand out. I know San Juan does not want you feeding the cats though-they are on a feeding schedule. I have a friend who brought a cat back to the US from Kenya. You can't choose who you fall in love with :)

"Potcake" is the Bahamian term for the thick, leftover food that remains in the bottom of a pot of peas 'n rice after several reheatings. Traditionally, Bahamians fed potcake to the outdoor, indigenous dogs that freely populated the Bahamas. Hence the dogs have come to be known as Potcake...

"Potcake" is the Bahamian term for the thick, leftover food that remains in the bottom of a pot of peas 'n rice after several reheatings. Traditionally, Bahamians fed potcake to the outdoor, indigenous dogs that freely populated the Bahamas. Hence the dogs have come to be known as Potcake...

Love it!

We had one adopt us when we were there last - cutest little guy ever! And he definitely wasn't suffering as the tourists were lavishing attention and treats on him.

I will, however, try to make a point of making a donation to the shelter when we are there next. I have a soft heart for dogs.

We just got back from Grand Turk a couple days ago. Around the port area, my husband and I noticed a very skinny starving brown dog who was obviously nursing. I asked a local about her and he said she was nursing 7 pups.. It broke my heart because this dog was very much starving and looking for food. When I went back to the ship to eat lunch, I saved my left-overs and took them to her when I returned to port (she likes chicken a lot;). She is very gentle, but afraid to be touched, but a very sweet dog. For all dog-lovers going to Grand Turk, you might save your left-overs to feed this little sweetie as you can see her ribs and I can't imagine how she is nursing 7 pups. I wanted to take her with us, but the ship looks down on bringing dogs aboard;) She hangs around the port area and pool, light brown, and VERY skinny. Thanks!

I just came back from Grand Turk two weeks ago now and while the island's waters are amazingly beautiful, the island itself is very poor, dirty, trashy, and the starving horses and donkeys broke my heart. The tour guide told us that the horses and donkeys are free-roaming and "wild." While their British government does periodically send a vet out to assess the horses and donkeys and give them vaccinations, not all are taken care of. The island is essentially a "desert" and this year (2015) they are also in drought conditions, therefore, the animals are having an even more difficult time finding grasses to eat. Then, if they have "worms," the worms will take all of the nutrients the animal would get, so the horse or donkey gradually starves to death. During the tour, he would point out a horse here or there and say something like, "See, that horse has been dewormed as you can't see his ribs." And then the next horse would have his ribs and hip bones poking out and the guide would say, "That horse has worms." Being a lover of all animals, this seriously upset me, his nonchalant manner of addressing the situation. I'm not blaming him, per se, but it's just a horrible injustice to these innocent creatures struggling to survive. You'd think the British monarchy could sell a jewel or something and take care of the situation, eh? What a horrible, sad island to be surrounded by such amazing beauty.

Just got off the ship this AM and I can't stop thinking about how beautiful the water was in Grand Turk.....but that quickly changed to heartache for me. I was near tears (still am) over the homeless, starving dogs on the beach. The little brown dog that the woman posted about was still there. She definitely had another litter. I had to do something. I couldn't just sit there and enjoy the sunshine. So I went and bought hotdogs and water to give to them. They were so sweet and gentle as I fed them. There were 2 of them that stole my heart. Both were nursing moms. I need to find a way to help this poor island with their homeless pet population. I need to win the lottery.💔

While there last week, I noticed MANY dogs who had just had puppies but I saw no evidence of puppies. (You know, sagging belly, suckled breasts, tired looking) -- however, I saw NO CATS whatsoever, so much a noticed missing feature of everywhere that I mentioned it to my husband while walking around. Donkeys are allowed to roam free over the island and they all looked to be nourished and healthy, but the dogs were plentiful. I just thought it weird that the puppies were missing from the roaming dogs. I thought it even stranger that there were NO CATS. We did NOT eat anything on that island but went back to the ship to eat. The absence of cats concerned me in that regard.

J I need to find a way to help this poor island with their homeless pet population. 💔

If you Google Pot Cake Rescue Turks and Caicos, there are several rescue organizations, I'm sure they would accept donations.