The country’s longest-running rescue shelter for dogs and cats has announced it is to suspend operations after almost 30 years.

PAAWS says it has been left with no alternative but to close its doors to all new intakes due to dire financial straits.

The care of animals at its Parham shelter will fall entirely to volunteers from September 1 while the charity battles to rehome its remaining 30 dogs and 14 cats.

The facility is open to visitors Tuesdays to Saturdays from 10am-4pm.

“Please do call in and meet our four-legged residents, all of whom are in desperate need of a permanent home,” said PAAWS’ PRO Gemma Handy.

“People often ask how we can have no money again,” she continued. “They see us doing large scale fundraisers – the last Antigua’s Got Talent show raised more than EC$50,000 alone – and they see donors offering to help.

“What they tend not to realise is quite how quickly that money is spent. The cost of pet food continues to soar, we have ongoing vet bills that rack up quickly when you have dozens of animals to care for, many of whom arrive in need of a lot of attention, and on top of that we have had staff wages, utilities and general maintenance costs to meet. It all adds up to thousands of dollars a week.

“Our board of volunteers, which includes myself, has also dwindled in recent years, adding increased pressure.”

The donation-dependent charity said it was “eternally grateful” to its supporters who had helped keep it going since March 1996.

“This is not the end – yet,” Handy said. “We are asking for continued support while we assess our finances and determine our next steps.

“Since announcing our suspension on social media last week, we have been blown away by the response from members of the public who recognise the value of the work we do. Every single cent will be used to care for our dogs and cats while we work to place them with loving owners.”

PAAWS has rescued and rehomed more than 4,000 abandoned, abused, sick and injured dogs and cats over the last three decades.

“Some people have asked us how they can help going forward. The stray dog situation affects us all, not least due to the impact on tourism,” Handy said.

“Before Covid, we had enough regular monthly donations to get by – just about. Sadly, those donations have never picked up again since the pandemic.

“Monthly donations allow us to plan ahead, fix pens when they need maintenance, accept new intakes in desperate need of veterinary care, and pay our hard-working staff.”

From September 1, PAAWS will also be in need of more volunteers to help run the shelter – including manning the office, walking and bathing the dogs, cleaning pens, and helping socialise the animals to improve their chances of finding a home – along with fundraising.

“We don’t know what the future holds for PAAWS right now. We are preparing for the worst while hoping for a miracle,” Handy added.

Email paaws.antigua@gmail.com or call 561-1484 or 784-5151 for more information on how to help.