Pet overpopulation on St. Croix is a disease that Dr. Stacia Boswell, a veterinarian, and Anna Loizeaux, a veterinary technician, feel can be cured with low-cost, high-volume spay and neuter procedures.
In their mission to end overpopulation, Boswell and Loizeaux, who are passionate about solving the problem, founded the Sunshine Foundation.
“Anna and I want to change the pattern of this vicious cycle,” Boswell says.
On Feb. 24 they performed their first procedure, and since then they have spayed and neutered 164 dogs and 104 cats. The cost of the procedure is only $25.
“The public is very appreciative of what we do,” Boswell said. “People break down and cry, saying they couldn’t afford to do the procedure any other way.”
Pet overpopulation stems from dogs and cats reproducing and multiplying exponentially, Boswell says. There just aren’t enough homes for all of the homeless animals on St. Croix, she says.
“We want to do everything we can to stop overpopulation, which leads to homeless dogs and cats being put to sleep,” Boswell says. “Spaying and neutering is the number one proactive way to make a difference.”
Boswell and Loizeaux initiated and ran a low cost spay/neuter program at the St. Croix Animal Welfare Center, doing more than 3,000 procedures in a year and a half.
Boswell did not want to undermine what the center does for stray and abandoned animals, but she said that while she was at the center, approximately 3,300 animals a year were euthanized.
Raising awareness and educating the public about what they can do to help stop overpopulation is a goal of the foundation.
“Overpopulation is something the whole community needs to be aware of,” Boswell says. “People really care when they know the facts. They want to participate and make a difference.”
They have had unique promotions, such as a Mother’s Day celebration for the entire month of May where mama dogs and cats could be spayed and their whole litters spayed/neutered free. They had the same special offered for daddies for the month of June in celebration of Fathers Day.
To control the feral-cat population, the foundation has partnered with St Croix hotels in the Feral Cafe to address feral cats located on these properties. For those managing a feral colony they offer the Feral Cat-sNip program that consists of the spay/neuter surgery, blood test, vaccines and ear tip (identification for spay/neuter). Traps may be rented from the St. Croix Animal Welfare Center.
“I am really excited about the foundation and what they are doing,” said Christina Gasperi of ARTfarm, also known as South Gate Farm. “It is heartbreaking and frustrating when framers go out in the morning and find a flock destroyed by feral dogs. It is so important to reduce the feral population.”
Gasperi and her husband, Luca Gasperi, were attending a fundraising fish fry Saturday put on by the foundation and sponsored by Fort Christian Brew Pub, Polly’s at the Pier, and Junie and the Jungle.
Loizeaux rides the Neuter Scooter, a cute vehicle to spread the word about spaying and neutering. Local artist Isabelle Picard painted a whimsical cat face on the front of a black Kymco scooter that Loizeaux rides to schools and events to educate the public about Operation: End Overpopulation.
“The scooter is a real conversation piece, and we interact with a lot of people,” Loizeaux says. “The best way to spread the word is to be honest and tell people what happens if their pets aren’t spayed and neutered.”
The procedures are performed Tuesdays and Thursdays in the sugar mill at the Sugar Mill Veterinary Center in La Grande Princess. The private, non-profit foundation actually rents space from the center and is totally separate from her veterinary practice, Boswell says.
“Our goal is to put ourselves out of business by solving the problem and putting an end to pet overpopulation,” Boswell says.
For more information or to make a donation, call 690-3335 or go to sunshinefoundationstx.org.
