Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
EXPLORATIONS IN TRAVEL
walk & feed abandoned pets
PUERTO RICO
There is lots to be done to make the world a better place. No one can do
everything, but each of us can do something. Find what moves you and act
on it.
—Debbie Jacobs, founder and president of Explorations in Travel
35 | Vieques, a 21-mile-long island off Puerto Rico, has a population of fewer than 10,000.
The abandoned pet population, however, has skyrocketed since the U.S. Navy gave up control
of its bombing range there and pulled out on May 1, 2003. The good news is that there is a
humane society. The bad news is that, like all humane societies, the Vieques Humane Soci-
ety is underfunded, understaffed, and under constant pressure to save the growing number of
homeless Fidos and Sparkys.
Luckily, Explorations in Travel, a travel company in Guilford, Vermont, organizes volun-
teers to help the tiny nonprofit. Debbie Jacobs, owner of Explorations in Travel, has a soft spot
for pets, and when she first visited Puerto Rico in 1994, she was horrified to see dying dogs
on the beaches, homeless kittens, and pet carcasses lying along the road. The first question she
asked in Vieques was, “Where is animal welfare?” She was directed to Penny Miller, owner of
the Seagate Hotel and a one-eyed basset hound named Jackie (as in Jacqueline Bassette). At
that time, Penny was the main volunteer at the Vieques shelter.
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