The animal sanctuaries of Dogs and Cats of the Dominican Republic
A SAFE HAVEN OFF THE STREETS FOR THOSE IN NEED
COCONUT HOUND HAVEN LUPERON
Dogs and Cats of the Dominican Republic was gifted 15 acres of land by a very generous donor near the town of Luperon on the north coast of the island near Puerto Plata with the stipulation that it be used for the benefit of the animals of the island. The land also contained a couple of basic buildings, solar panels, a cistern, battery backup and inverter, as well as a generator. Enough to get us started. After a lot of discussion on the best use for the land, DCDR decided that we would create a first of its kind animal sanctuary on the land. The plan was to create a model that could be duplicated on other parts of the island and even throughout the Caribbean for animals in need.
The goal of the planning group was to have animals at the sanctuary not be kept isolated in small cages or small runs, but rather that they be allowed to live in family units in expansive areas that provide lots of room for running, playing, and interacting. Experience has shown us that the best therapy for many Dominican dogs is being with other dogs. Although Coconut Hound Haven is intended to be a place to temporarily home animals until they can find their fur-ever homes, Dogs and Cats of the Dominican Republic’s vision is to also eventually have an area that will allow some animals that are not adoptable to live out their lives in comfort and with companionship.
The first project at CHH was to build a facility to shelter dogs, but one that would also include areas for food storage, washing, exams, grooming and housing vets or volunteers. Through the help of the community, volunteers, and our wonderful donors we were able to construct our first building on the site with 8 large areas for dogs and everything else we needed to get started. We had our grand opening in January of 2019 and it is now fully operational helping dozens of animals in need.
Entrance to Coconut Hound Haven Luperon
With our facility open and helping animals throughout the area we looked to add a multi-purpose facility so we could help even more animals. Our multipurpose building was dedicated in December of 2020 and will help us help more Coconut Hounds and Coconut Cats as well as provide an increased level of care for animals needing extended medical treatment.
Our new multipurpose building has space for isolating animals upon arrival until we know they are healthy, space to quarantine sick animals, a full clinic, a grooming room, a laundry, a small animal holding area, shower and lockers, and additional storage.
Remodeled original structure that was on the property when donated to us. It is now used for spay/neuter clinics, storage, and emergency space for animals.
What Is Next For Coconut Hound Haven Luperon?
With 15 acres of land available to develop a sanctuary to help the animals of the island we have a lot more potential for Coconut Hound Haven. Our priority project for 2021 will be to build a cat sanctuary on the site that we will be calling Coconut Cat Country Club. This will be a large area for us to keep cats and kittens until they are adopted. It will also be used to house cats that are unadoptable due to medical or other issues for all of their lives. It will be a spot for them to live out their lives in comfort and with companionship.
We also hope this year to roll out the first of our homes in what we will be calling Coconut Hound Village. These will be individual houses and large runs for dogs that are not adoptable and not suitable to be in our general facility. We will allow these dogs to live out their lives with dignity and with compassion and companionship.
A two bedroom home on the site needs a lot of work, but we hope to turn into 2 separate housing units to provide space for vets and volunteers who would like to come to CHH to help out. We are also considering it as a possible spot for voluntourism, for people to come and help out on their vacations.