Meet Brody. He's one of a number of pets currently stuck in St. Kitts looking for transport back to the States... View the GoFundMe here: https://gofund.me/d6af2d4c or continue reading to learn more.
Brody was found and rescued by his parents in St. Kitts just as quarantine began. At .8kg, the runt of a 6 week old litter that had been rejected by their mother, he was very likely not going to make it. Luckily, after an emergency blood transfusion and a couple of worrisome nights, they found themselves with a loving, energetic little dude whose passions involve chasing lizards, watching the office and surfing the Roomba.
Brody is one of around 50 dogs and cats (and one turtle) currently with parents at the Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine in St. Kitts who at the end of this semester, will travel back to the United States to complete their clinical year at an AVMA affiliate university. A large portion of these pets were brought down by students about two years ago. The rest come from the majority of students who end up adopting street dogs and cats from local shelters, the school kennel program, student rescue organizations, or in Brody's parents case – being a failed foster of a medical emergency.
But Brody is in danger of being stuck on St. Kitts due to ongoing COVID regulations and a lack of funding for alternate transport. We talked to his parents about the situation:
"Due to current COVID-19 restrictions, Commercial Airlines are no longer allowing animals to be transported in cargo from St. Kitts, and only those that can fit under the seat in a carrier can fly in-cabin on a first-come-first-serve basis.
As of this moment, our only option to bring our pets with us are small private charters... We are more than willing to pay, but most of us lack the funds. The cost of a larger private airliner would be affordable as well, but as students, unfortunately none of us has the financial or legal backing to take on the liability contract.
We would not survive the mental, physical and emotional exhaustion of veterinary school without our animals. They make sure we get sunshine, exercise, study breaks, guaranteed emotional support and laughter. Most importantly, they are a constant reminder of why we are working so hard.
We are reaching out asking for any advice or assistance in helping us organize passage home around the weekend of August 20. If you are able to help or have any experience or knowledge of affordable international pet-friendly transportation."
The students have also arranged for a GoFundMe, which you can support through this link here:
At N-GAGE we believe in the mental and physical health benefits that come from spending more time with our pets and we're planning to help and support these guys as much as we can, but we'd also ask that you step up and help if you have the ability to as well. Thanks! #sharethefetch
