Happy Tales

Bili came to VHS when his elderly owner was unable to care for him anymore, because of her declining health.

He was an extraordinarily sweet boy but very nervous and shy around new people. He must have felt depressed and confused to lose his owner and just wasn’t thriving at the shelter – despite lots of enrichment and love from staff.

A kind family came to the shelter looking to foster a dog while they spent a few months in Vieques before returning to England. We encouraged them to give Bili a chance.

Bili was still very fearful when he arrived at their house. They took him everywhere: to the beach, on walks, to run errands in town. Before long, he bonded with their three young sons. He followed them everywhere, and slept in bed with them. Best of all – he found happiness and love again, and his fear melted away!

The time came for the family to return home to London, and they knew they couldn’t leave without Bili. They had all fallen in love with each other. Bili is headed to his new home all the way across the Atlantic (maybe a record distance for a Vieques sato!?). None of this would be possible without your support. Thank you for always “going the distance!”

Can you imagine how frightening it must be for a tiny creature born in the wild to see a human for the first time? That’s how little baby Lynda came to us – feral and absolutely terrified of people.

No matter how difficult the case, our supporters ensure that we never have to turn an animal away. We let Lynda settle in at VHS. She got all her shots, de-wormers, preventatives, and a comfy bed in a box staff specially made so she could hide in her kennel to reduce her stress.

Next step: going to one of our amazing kitten foster families. Ten-year-old Sky is our very own VHS volunteer kitten whisperer. She kept Lynda safely snuggled with her at all times – including tucked into her overalls! It took some time, but patience paid off and Lynda became an outgoing, playful, social kitten ready to find her forever home. She came back to the shelter when she was old enough for her spay surgery. Soon after, we transported her to one of our partner shelters in New York. She was adopted the very next day! Because of you, Lynda will spend her life in a loving forever home instead of on the streets of Vieques.

We recently received a call for help from Ana—her dog, Blackie had been kicked by a horse. Ana loves Blackie and was so worried about him; we could hear the fear and worry in her voice when she told us she didn’t have enough money to pay for vet services and no car to drive Blackie to the VHS clinic. (Did you know that almost 40% of Vieques’s population live in poverty?)

We knew we couldn’t let any dog suffer. Thanks to a grant from PetSmart Charities, we were able to offer Ana all the care Blackie needed.

Shelter staff drove to Ana’s house and picked up the injured dog. Not only were we able to treat Blackie for his wounds, we also gave him a complete wellness check and all of his vaccines. We showed Ana the bill (over $100), and told her it was covered thanks to PetSmart Charities. She was so relieved that she said she would like to “pay it forward” when she could. A few weeks later, Ana called us asking if we could “put to sleep” one of her other dogs who was elderly and sick. Once again, VHS staff drove to her house to pick up the dog. This time, she was able to pay the bill and also “paid it forward” with an additional $60 donation so VHS could help the next family in need!

VHS is committed to ensuring no animal suffers and always has access to all the care it needs. None of this would be possible without our generous and devoted supporters. Thank you.

it’s a vieques thing

Sometimes you have to go above and beyond the call of duty! This baby goat kid was brought to the VHS gate by her distraught owner. The kid was dehydrated, bloated, and mournfully groaning. Yes, cats and dogs are our specialty, but she looked so pitiful that we just couldn’t turn her away. Our caring vet team stabilized her with an adjusted diet and fluids. It was pretty cute to watch her recuperate among our shelter animals for a few days.

Afterward, our island community was so generous with their praise: “Fantastic help to all the critters!” “You guys are wonderful.” “Rock Stars!” “Awesome!” But, really, this praise belongs to you—our supporters. You make it possible for VHS to proudly serve our community in every way we can!!

Lily was surrendered to VHS with her two dog siblings when her elderly owner was forced to leave the island due to COVID. Fast forward one month. Caribbean islands started hitting a crisis point of shelter crowding due to restrictions on pet travel. Tara Lordi, owner of Weedoo Boats in Florida, generously stepped up to sponsor a flight to help Vieques and shelters on three other Caribbean islands. She flew down to St. Thomas, the rendezvous point for all the island animals, to help with the transport. Nearly 200 dogs and cats (including 25 from VHS) made that flight and one lucky pooch was adopted before the plane even landed in Florida - Lily. Tara fell in love with her somewhere over the Bahamas. Tara reports, “Miss Lily is the sweetest dog and is spoiled rotten. She lives in Palm Beach Polo, goes to dinner parties, gets her hair done, and has blueberry facials! My dear friend and neighbor is co-adopting with me. So many arms around her!” Because of you, VHS has been able to save, shelter and find forever homes during the pandemic. Thank YOU!