24
Trinidad & Tobago Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
(TTSPCA)
Society was started in
south Trinidad in 1895 by a group
of expatriates who were working
with the oil companies. Objectives
(as stated in the constitution) are to
promote kindness and to prevent or
suppress cruelty to animals and to
do all such lawful acts as the society
may consider conducive or incidental
to those objectives. The Shelters are
governed by an Executive Council and
there are currently three Shelters Port
of Spain (POS), South (currently closed
for renovations and restructuring)
and Tobago, the largest being POS
at Mucurapo Lands, St James, Port of
Spain.
The largest of our shelters - Port
of Spain (North) Shelter offers the
following services: low cost in-house
spay/ neuter clinic, boarding for cats
and dogs, transport, in-house pet shop
and re-homing of unwanted/rescued
animals. This shelter has initiated
foster programmes and holds adoption
days with help from our large group of
volunteers (the TTSPCA – POS/ North
Shelter has over 150 volunteers). Every
the shelter has a mandatory spay/
neuter policy of all adopted animals;
and promotes the inhouse surgical
procedure to persons wanting to give
up pets because of unwanted litters.
Note: The TTSPCA offers senior
citizens a discounted price on all
services offered by the shelter.
Volunteer Programme:
The TTSPCA
runs a volunteer program handled by a
Coordinator that works with members
of the public (the TTSPCA – POS/ North
Shelter has over 150 volunteers on
their list), they assign specific duties
to volunteers and set out guidelines
to work at the shelter (Volunteers
attend training sessions that enhance
their usefulness to the shelter, such
as walking/ bathing dogs, providing
enrichment for both dogs and cats
through play/ socialization, as well as
helping with home-checks for dogs
with potential adopters).
Volunteers also work with the TTSPCA
by holding events that highlight animal
welfare in the country, they set up
booths in malls and inform the public
on a range of topics such as spay /
neuter, shelter adoption and animal
cruelty.
Trinidad & Tobago Society
for the Prevention of Cruelty
to Animals (TTSPCA)
year this shelter receives approx. 6000
animals into its facility, either brought
in by owners, rescued from the streets,
or removed from situations of neglect
or cruelty.
In addition, the TTSPCA – POS/ North
Shelter works with four municipal
corporations. The largest shelter of the
TTSPCA has kennels for about 100
dogs and 16 cattery cages for cats.
Note: The TTSPCA receives no
government funding.
Animal Advocates:
At the 2010
Humane Society of the United States
(HSUS) Expo, the TTSPCA was
presented with an award, naming
them a “Humane Society International
Animal Advocate”. This is a great
honour for the organization as it is
given in recognition for their work in
animal welfare in Trinidad & Tobago
and as such shows the support given to
them by HSI.
In-house spay/ neuter clinic:
The POS/
North Shelter of the TTSPCA has a low
cost clinic based at shelter which only
concentrates on spay/ neuter surgeries,
