IN DOGGED PURSUIT OF BETTER LIVES

By Jody Rathgeb

              

   Animal lovers who travel know the heartache of seeing lost, abandoned or feral dogs and cats, starving and obviously in poor health. The travelers want to help in some way, but feel powerless and ignorant about what they can do.

              

  How about buying a T-shirt or necklace?

              

  That unusual solution is what’s behind The Potcake Foundation in the Turks and Caicos Islands, a nonprofit organization that raises funds to help the islands’ “potcakes” – the local name for island dogs, derived from the habit of feeding them the caked remains of rice or grits in the cooking pot.

           

   Established in 2001, The Potcake Foundation works with the Turks and Caicos Society for the Prevention of Cruelty for Animals and Potcake Place, another nonprofit, to find homes for puppies, conduct spay/neuter programs and help visitors who want to adopt the dogs with travel arrangements and paperwork.

   Heather Forbes, chairman of the foundation, says she saw the need for such help on her very first visit to the islands. “There were too many dogs and nobody doing anything,” she relates. “I said, ‘OK, I can do something.” As a dog lover, however, she knew that it wouldn’t work for her to try to foster the animals. “I’d just end up keeping them. Raising money is easier for me.”

              

  The Potcake Foundation is thus a sales center and clearinghouse for items that might appeal to tourists: beaded jewelry, T-shirts, beach bags and small items such as bottle openers and pens, many of which are dog-themed with bones and paw-print logos. The group has opened “pawtiques” at a number of places throughout the islands, including restaurants, hotels, and a craft co-op. The Potcake Foundation also occasionally sponsors events such as casino nights to raise additional funds.

 

   Proceeds go to the spay-neuter programs of the TCSPCA and to Potcake Place, founded by Jane Rauw to help people adopt potcake puppies. Potcake Place makes sure that strays get vaccinations, keep them until permanent homes are found, then helps to organize health certificates for the animals’ travel abroad. It has placed more than 400 puppies. Much of its funding comes from the foundation.

 

   Forbes notes that The Potcake Foundation relies primarily on tourist purchases and donations, although the local people do support the large events. It is a common statement in the islands that the locals don’t care about potcakes, but that, too is changing … starting with Heather’s own husband, Lovey Forbes. In his own way, the native TC Islander lends support to the cause. A musician, he recently added a song titled “Who Will Love the Potcake by the Roadside?”  to his latest CD release “Combina Time.”

 

   Heather Forbes acknowledges that hers is a small effort, but it is making a difference in the Turks and Caicos. As The Potcake Foundation’s motto goes, “Saving one dog does not change the world. But it does change the world of that one dog.”

 

   For more information, visit www.potcakefoundation.com or www.potcakeplace.com