moving to red hook area, need safe, mellow place any advice

Presumably you haven't done a pre-move visit and are coming cold?

You really need to be here before looking for a place to live as that's an almost impossible task to deal with from off-island. Your handicap is going to be the dog. Condos don't allow pets and neither do many private landlords.

Probably your best bet (if you're not planning a PMV) is to make arrangements to find temporary housing for yourselves and make advance arrangements to temporarily house your pooch with one of the local veterinarians. I know that both Dr. Andrew Williamson in Frenchman's Bay (340-775-3240) and the Tutu Veterinary Hospital (777-7788) offer kennelling. The latter is closer to the Red Hook area and is run by Drs.Moore and Moore who also have the vet clinic in Red Hook (775-6623) but I don't know if they offer kennelling at that facility.

Alternatively, leave the dog behind with friends or family and have him shipped out when you're settled.

Hope this helps and good luck!

IMHO, do NOT use Williamson, as I used to use his vet services until my dog got tick fever. My dog survived, but a couple weeks later I used him to board my dog while I was off island and when I brought my dog home he had 22 ticks on him! 22! And this is a dog that almost died from ticks!! Williamson used to be regarded as a great vet, but not so in the last few years. And, even tho he is still good with animals, his human skills leave much to be desired.

Dr. Trip Stewart at Imperial is now considered the beston island. And I agree.

I am hoping to move to St. Croix next summer and will be bringing my 75# lab. I have read in various places that many islanders are not "animal-lovers". In fact, that many animals are poisoned. Is this a real concern? Also, I have checked out St. Croix's animal shelter website- which side of the island is it on and does anyone know of anyone who works there? I am a huge animal lover and would really enjoy working at the shelter- I'm looking forward to checking it out this summer on my pre-move visit.

To offer an alternative opinion regarding Dr. Williamson, I know people who still swear by him and would never consider utilizing the services of another vet. I think a lot of it has to do with loyalty (he's been servicing St Thomas for YEARS) and location (he's in Frenchman's Bay). As far as human skills, yes, he can be a tad gruff, but his heart is absolutely in the right place.

One last thing to consider concerning kenneling: Imperial has a weight restriction on dogs, so, if your dog is over 50 pounds (I think), they may not be willing to board him.

Great thing about opinions...everyone can have their own and be happy. I know many people who share the opinion that he was a great vet (was being the operative word), and many who still think the world of him. But my opinion is based on the fact that my dog came home with 22 ticks on him while being boarded there for 2 days...and this is after spending $3,000 to save his life from ehrlichiosis (sp?), or 'tick fever'!! You'd think a truly caring/competent vet would be sure to make his kennel tick-free for a dog suffering from ehrlichiosis.

Regarding Imperial and boarding: I didn't even know they boarded them! haha! I was suggesting asking him for a recommendation.

I just moved here from ashland oregon.

Definately find a short term place to stay. Maybe the villa fairview or something of the like so you can look around.

When are you moving?

CristyMarie,
The Shelter needs all the help they can get, I am sure they would love to have you. There are a lot of animal lovers here but in general animals aren’t embraced like members of the family like they are in the states. If you’ve been here you’ve seen the stray animal problem, which in my opinion is a reflection of the attitude toward animals here.

We brought our two large dogs (86# & 77#) and they love it here. When we can find a deserted beach we take them to play in the water, which they love. I have worked with the vets at Island Animal Clinic and would highly recommend them if you need a vet when you get here.

Lauren

Lauren,

Thank you so much for your response. I am very interested in working at the Shelter if my pre-move visit goes as expected. I am excited about the possiblility of moving- my pre-move visit is to ensure that I love the island- I'm guessing who wouldn't?? Do you know if they have any educational outreach programs like spay/neuter assistance or general animal education programs??

Also, where did you move from? If I do end up moving, I'm having a hard time finding a one-way, non-stop flight from Houston to St. Croix. Unfortunately, my female lab is a bit of a strange case. She has been diagnosed with separation anxiety and I have diagnosed her with OCD. She has a fear of strangers as well, so I'm hoping my vet can prescribe some sedatives. I'm very concerned about how she will handle the flight. I guess my question is, how did your guys handle the flight and did you find a one-way non-stop??

The shelter does do out reach, they have a dog that was burned during a domestic violence incident that visits schools to teach kids about the consequence of domestic violence. I’m not sure what other out reach they do besides that.

We moved from Portland, Oregon we drove to Fl to ship the truck so we flew out of Fl. One of my dogs is insane and loses her mind when she’s in a crate so we had to sedate her. Get the medication well in advance and give her a test dose before flying. This way you’ll know if you’re giving her too much and she becomes unconscious or not enough and it doesn’t sedate her adequately. There are few direct flights to St Croix form the mainland, most airlines connect in San Juan. I would not recommend connecting in San Juan though (in fact with a large dog you can’t, because the planes coming over can’t accommodate the larger crates). American Airlines has non- stop from Miami to St Croix daily and US Airways has a direct flight from Charlotte on Saturdays. Delta is supposed to start direct flights here but I don’t know where they’ll be coming from, probably Atlanta.

So I think your best bet would be to make a connection in Miami via American, I don’t know if American has flights from Houston to Miami I do know they have flights from Dallas to Miami. Anyway that’s probably too much info. Good luck let mek now if you have more questions.

Lauren