The Dogs of Turks and Caicos

This is a story about potcakes. Although it may sound like the beginnings of a recipe, it's the start of a new life for one puppy.

A potcake is the name given to the dogs found on Turks and Caicos Island (TCI), British West Indies and Bahamas. The name has its origins in earlier island days when residents mixed together what was left over in pots from various meals of fish, rice, and vegetables, and fed it to the dogs. The name potcake came to mean these loveable dogs of mingled and untraceable heritage.

Our story takes place in the town of Providenciales, TCI. Providenciales is the most populated of the Caicos Islands with 23,000 people over 47 square miles. It is also home to a dog rescue charity called Potcake Place - an organization my husband Jim, son, and I stumbled across one rainy weekend in October 2013.

Jim and I had travelled to TCI over the years both before and after kids. The beaches are unsurpassed, the food is excellent, and there are direct, three-hour flights from Boston. For a fast getaway, we booked our flights for Columbus Day weekend.

The weather during the fall months in the Caribbean can be tricky since it is the start of the rainy season and our trip was no exception. The rain fell for half the weekend we were there. On a whim and boredom, we drove to the local shops to look for souvenirs at one of the modest strip malls. Tucked in among the tourist shops we discovered the dog rescue group Potcake Place.

This nonprofit group is entirely run by volunteers. There is no animal shelter on the island, and while their goal is to reduce the number of homeless potcakes on the island, it is an ongoing challenge working with the government and local community. For now, they continue to provide homes and veterinary care to the potcake pups found on the island.

Potcake Place facilitates adoptions of these puppies across the United States and Canada. If an adoption goes ahead, they help book the dog on the plane, and meet the families at the TCI airport with their new puppy. They also spend time finding volunteers (aka couriers) to transport the pup if the adoptees are not visiting the island.

I should stop here and tell you that I'm a cat person. Adopting a dog always sounded appealing in theory, however going out and doing it just wasn't a big item on my list. Until we saw these dogs and the need for them to find forever homes-we just knew this was meant to be.

When we returned from our weekend stay, I submitted an adoption application. My plan was to return to TCI in five weeks and meet the puppies available for adoption. At the time, Potcake Place had nearly 50 puppies in foster homes and they expected to have at least 3 litters available during my visit.

I arrived at Providenciales airport on a Friday afternoon and went straight to Potcake Place. The founder and director of Potcake Place, Jane Parker-Rauw, had already agreed to meet me to provide insight on the puppies in their care.

I spent nearly 5 hours with 16 puppies that day and chose a 9-week old female we named Lexy. Jane had the health certificates stamped and ready for my next day's travel. JetBlue allows for a carry-on pet provided the animal and carrier weigh less than 20 pounds and meet certain dimensions. A nine-week old puppy met the airline's criteria easily.

Meeting me at the airport, Jane had Lexy in a soft-sided pet carrier (which I supplied).  She hugged us both and looking at Lexy, told her, "Remember where you came from little potcake. Make us proud."  I held back tears and headed to the ticket counter to fly home.

There have been no known cases of rabies on TCI so there are no quarantine restrictions to bringing potcakes to the U.S. I had no issue going through customs in TCI and I was stopped only as a matter of routine at U.S. Customs in Boston. Lexy slept in her carry-on under the seat and the woman seated next to me was genuinely startled to see a puppy when we landed at Logan Airport.

Lexy turned one year old this past September. She has the potcake traits of a smooth coat and long face, and is on the smaller size at 33 pounds. She wears her heart in her eyes, right where you can see them with no hidden agenda - what you see is what you get. We are very lucky our little potcake has chosen us.

Debbie Richard lives in Arlington with her husband, 9 year old son, wonder cat Lulu, and Lexy. For more information about Potcake Place, please visit  their website or find them on Facebook.

by Amanda Kennedy, Arlington's Animal Control Officer 

Incredibly, there are an estimated 8,000 dogs in the Town of Arlington. Fewer than 1,800 of them are licensed at this time.  For a community that has shown their devotion to their dogs this is surprising and we can do better!

Here are five reasons why that situation should change:

1. If your dog gets lost, a license tag on your dog's collar is the fastest way to find you when your dog is found. Even if your dog is microchipped, a license tag is immediately visible and doesn't require a scanning device to read it, like a microchip does. In addition often times people forget to update the microchip information to reflect moves and change of phone number.

2. Licensing lets people know that your canine companion has received required vaccinations that protect your dog from rabies.

3. The number of licensed dogs is an official count of the number of dogs in our community.  How can the Animal Control Department advocate for parks, off-leash areas and other positive resources when it seems we have less than 1,800 dogs. If we can show the 8,000 dogs living here think how much could be accomplished.

4. Your dog's license shows that you are a responsible dog caregiver. When you walk your dog or let your dog run in designated areas, people will notice the license on your dog's collar and know that you really care about your dog's welfare. Dogs without licenses carry a stigma of owner neglect.

5. It's the law. You can be fined $50. Good citizens that care about the community get their dogs licensed.

Don't worry there is no drivers education or road test required!

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*A-DOG will repeat our successful Arlington Dog Licensing Contest for 2015!  Details in the February Wags and Tags!  Hint:  to be eligible for a prize, make sure your dog license is renewed by March 1, 2015.  (Which is already late, it is due January 1..... ;-)

Art by Shunsuke Yamaguchi, commissioned by A-DOG and donated by Joan and Dana Black.