Due to the uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, and in accordance with national animal health and welfare organizations’ recommendations that shelters reduce the number of animals in our care, effective immediately, the Humane Society of St. Thomas is limiting intake of both owned and stray animals until at least the end of March. It will continue to serve the people and pets of St. Thomas through adoptions, fostering, transports and other services.
To maximize its ability to save lives, the Humane Society is urgently asking for help from the St. Thomas community:
- For the safety of our staff and the public, we are limiting public access to our campus. While we rely on volunteers to care for our animals, volunteer hours must be scheduled ahead of time. At this time, all volunteers must be 18 years or older. All visitors and volunteers to the campus must sign in. Access to our kennel areas is restricted to staff only. Please do not visit the Humane Society if you have any symptoms of illness. To better accommodate and protect staffing and clients, the Humane Society will be adjusting hours to Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. to allow additional appointments for adoptions. It will be closed to the public on Sundays until further notice.
- All owner surrender and stray intakes will be by appointment only. Appointments must be made in advance by calling 775-0599. The Humane Society will accept only limited numbers of animals on a case-by-case basis.
- Foster, volunteer and advocate. If you are interested in volunteering or fostering, please contact the shelter ASAP. The society needs foster homes to help immediately reduce our shelter population. Schedule a shift as a dog walker. Tech savvy people can help promote our animals online with videos and pictures. Please contact the shelter for more information on how to help.
- If you see a healthy-looking adult stray dog, please do not pick it up and bring it to the shelter. Currently, there is no capacity to care for these animals. The community is encouraged to feed stray dogs where they are for now. If a stray animal is injured, very young or otherwise in distress, please call the Humane Society before bringing the animal to the shelter.
- Adoptions are free for animals that have been in our care for 6 months or longer. Look at the Humane Society of St. Thomas Facebook page for photos and information about all the adoptable dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens. Call the shelter to make an appointment to meet an animal at 775-0599.
- Donations are always appreciated. The Humane Society is in great need of Purina Cat Chow Complete, cat litter, Purina Puppy Chow, Purina Dog Chow, newspapers, liquid hand soap, bleach, Odo-Ban, black heavy-duty contractor bags, airline approved soft carrier travel bags, and 400 series airline approved hard dog kennels.
So far, there are no cases of dogs or cats becoming sick from the new coronavirus. There is also no evidence of people catching the virus from dogs or cats. However, it is always a good idea to practice basic hygiene when interacting with animals, and to wash your hands frequently. Don’t forget to stock up on pet food supplies for your pets.
The Humane Society of St. Thomas is not able to board owned pets. Businesses on St. Thomas that may be able to board animals include Canines, Cats, and Critters (693-7780), Veterinary Centers of the VI (777-7788) and The Kennel Club (777-2582).
This is a time of uncertainty for us all. If you have questions or concerns please email Annette T Zachman and Dr. Heidi Stout at HSSTT.BOD@GMAIL.COM or call (473-7278).
Now, more than ever, the Humane Society and animals need your support. Donations can be made online at https://www.classy.org/give/212529/#!/donation/checkout
