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Now, who came up with the best idea ever?
The organization founder, English native Jane Parker-Rauw, first moved to the island for a totally different reason. A job. Once there she noticed the extreme overpopulation of puppies known as "potcakes". She saw how they were treated and simply couldn't ignore it.
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She explained how she got started was..
"I started getting into rescue unofficially, by picking them up and adopting them out, and it snowballed," she recalls. "I thought, there has to be a better way. If we can start doing some spaying and neutering, [providing] education and adopting the puppies out, we're going to see a difference."
Potcake Place , which she registered as a charity in 2004, runs entirely by volunteer staff. The adoption center serves as the home base for a network of foster homes and daily puppy playdates for travelers on the island. No surprise, tourists immediately began falling for the dogs' loving eyes and sweet demeanors.
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How can this get any better?
Many think its just for tourist, but in fact its a great way to help locals as well. it's not just about placing the animals in "fur-ever" homes off-island. It's also about showing local residents how to make these dogs their own pets.
Jane, saw that the education she was giving about these puppies was working. As she explained to Women's Day "two young boys walked several miles to the adoption center from that same neighborhood, each carrying a puppy in his backpack. The boys were excited to introduce their canine companions; they said, as Jane recalls, "We remember when we were little, you were talking to our brothers about how dogs needed names and vaccinations and they need to be treated well. This is Horatio, and we saved up money to get him vaccinated."
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Jane also set out to create more than just a tourist spot, and shelter. She set out to develop a sustainable spay and neuter program on the island too.
Jane's efforts and accomplishments are seen throughout the island.
It's more than just a puppy island, it's a program to help puppies, dogs and people.
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All the puppies are up for adoption, but if you don't have room for your furry friend, you can still visit and play with them.
If you needed another excuse to visit the Turks and Caicos, we'd say this is all the convincing you need.
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