About Us
Established in 1998, the TCSPCA is dedicated to promoting kindness, and responsible pet ownership. Through rescue operations we alleviate the suffering of hundreds of animals each year. Our education, foster and adoption programs, spay and neuter clinics have radically reduced cases of abuse and neglect and have prevented the birth of literally thousands of unwanted animals across the TCI. Our small team of dedicated volunteers has been led in all these efforts, by Director Susan Blehr, since 2001.
Saving, supporting and protecting animals, one life at a time.
Our Mission
The Turks & Caicos Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (TCSPCA) is registered charity in the TCI that relies completely on the generosity of donors like you to ensure that all animals in the TCI are owned, controlled, cared for and free from abuse.
Every donation made to the TCSPCA saves countless lives and prevents the birth of unwanted animals.
Our Goal
One of our major priorities is to ensure 'Spay & Neuter Clinics', in tandem with 'Wellness Clinics', are run on every inhabited island that makes up the TCI. Since 2001 we have run regular clinics in Provo and all of the family islands including Grand Turk, South, North, Middle Caicos and Salt Cay.
To date, in conjunction with our International Animal Welfare Partners, we are extremely proud to have performed more than 7000 spay and neuter surgeries throughout the Turks and Caicos Islands.
WHAT WE DO
Ongoing Projects
SPAY & NEUTER
We hold spay/neuter/wellness clinics on each of the islands twice a year, and more often on Providenciales. We co-ordinate with volunteer vet teams, from either Canada or the USA, and fly them to the TCI for week long clinics. During that week we strive to complete as many surgeries as possible, which could be as many as 70-90 in a week. For clinics on our sister islands, Grand Turk, North and South Caicos, the Animal Bus is packed up and barged across with everything we need, including traps to capture animals that are not used to being handled. Each animal we perform surgery on also receives core vaccinations, and a collar to indicate that it is an owned pet. These clinics have greatly reduced the unwanted animal population across the TCI and helped owners better understand how to care for their pets.
To date, more than 7000 spay/neuter surgeries have been performed at TCSPCA Clinics across the Turks & Caicos.
To book an appointment for your pets’ surgery, please fill in this form.
ANIMAL RESCUE
All too often we receive calls about injured and debilitated animals. Our volunteers tramp through bush, crawl under buildings, brave strange dogs in yards, and risk the daunting traffic on Leeward Highway to pick up animals in need of veterinary help.
We also take in animals from the sister islands that are in distress, collecting them from either the ferry or the airport.
The injured or sick are given immediate medical attention and placed in foster homes or at Pampered Paws to recuperate from broken bones, embedded collars, car accidents, appalling mange, animal attacks, advanced heartworm disease, and many other conditions.
Many of these animals are not owned. Thankfully a lot of the injuries we see are due to a lack of education and neglect rather than outright cruelty. When these animals are well we adopt them out to loving homes either here or abroad.
FUND RAISING
The TCSPCA is totally dependent upon fundraising and donations.
Annually we host several events to raise much needed funds for our day to day running costs, programs, projects and rescues.
The Beach BBQ in July, hosted by Bay Bistro, and The Dog Show in November, hosted by Turtle Cove Marina, are our biggest fundraisers each year.
We hold Silent Auctions and Raffles to raise money. Smaller events include the Pub Quiz (new for 2019!), and Christmas Fair, which bring together the community for a little bit of fun and to raise awareness of our organization. Annually we create a calendar which features animals rescued in the Turks and Caicos.
All other sources of revenue come from private donations of either money, or items that we can sell in our retail store, including leashes, collars, cat treats, bowls etc.”
Check out our Amazon Wishlist!
TNR (TRAP NEUTER RETURN)
Many hotels and restaurants in Provo have resident cats, and at times these can cause issues. Some rambunctious cats who like to dine with the guests can quickly become a problem!
We work with the hotels and restaurants to ensure that their cat populations are managed in a sensitive manner. Removing the cats completely does not solve the issue, as other cats will fill the gaps they left. This is a phenomenon known as The Vacuum Effect.
The TCSPCA will trap the cats, bring them in for sterilization surgery, notch their ears, and return them to the property. In doing so the feline population is kept in check, and healthy, and helps control any vermin on site. We will also set traps at private residences/villas where the cat population is becoming a problem.
ANIMAL CARE
We work with the Turks & Caicos Government (TCIG) to deal with issues such as stray animals, dog registration, cruelty, and the enforcement of the Dog Control Ordinance.
We are also lobbying government to put the proper procedures and policies in place to qualify the country for the Pet Passport Scheme.
We often pick up kittens and pups on resort properties, foster them and find good homes for them on-island or in the United States and Canada.
EDUCATION
Whenever possible we visit schools to talk about responsible pet ownership to the children. We have often found that this kind of information filters up in a family, from the children to the adults!
Our costumed mascot “Lucky the Potcake” accompanies us to show children how to handle and care for dogs, as well as providing valuable information about how to approach animals, or who to call if you see an animal in distress.
In addition to this, upon visiting our office, we can provide informational fact sheets on subjects such as Parvovirus in English, Spanish and Creole.
We also give guest lectures about animal issues to various organizations such as Rotary, Kiwanis and the Hotel Association.