Submitted Letters

Curaçao is known for its pristine beaches, shady palm trees and tourist hospitality. Behind the clock of perfection, however, lies a big tragedy. In "Lost in Paradise: The Dogs of Curaçao", Karen Soeters visits Curaçao to see for herself what life is like for the homeless, abandoned, and neglected dogs on the island. Unfortunately, there's more to Curaçao than what you'll see from your beach towel...

“Lost in Paradise: The Dogs of Curaçao” was made by Monique van Dijk Armor and Karen Soeters and is a production of Animals Today and Cherry Blossom Productions. The documentary debuted on January 18th, 2018 at Perdu in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

​My husband and I recently spent three weeks in Curaçao​. Unfortunately, on our last day we left the country with a horrific memory...

On January 15, we were going for a walk near Piscadera Bay. We found a stray dog in terrible condition. The dog was very emaciated and had a thick nylon cord wrapped multiple times tightly around his neck and leg. His movements were incredibly limited and the cord appeared so tight that he may not have even been able to eat. It was truly a horrible thing to see and greatly disturbed both my husband and I.

We googled animal welfare departments in Curaçao and were shocked to find there does not appear to be a government organization dedicated to the protection of animal welfare. Luckily we found Curaçao Animal Rights Foundation (CARF) a non-profit organization and they were able to rescue the dog. 

For a country with one of the highest standards of living in the Caribbean, with a high-income economy, and a well developed infastructure it's unacceptable to have animals wandering the streets in such appalling condition. Since Curaçao's economy greatly relies on tourism it's in its best interest to invest in the welfare of animals. Tourists do not come to countries like Curacao and expect to see animals in such dire situations. 

If the government is not intending to institute an appropriate organization to care for homeless and abused animals, then greater funding is required to keep organizations such as CARF operating. Without such organizations, there is no alternative to care for these animals, and that is unacceptable.  

You can be assured that neither my husband nor myself would choose to spend our money in a country with such a blatant disregard for animal welfare. We have a well read travel blog and Facebook page and I must inform that the story is not going over well - people are shocked and disgusted. 

(Letter by K.T. to ​Curaçao, January 2017)

I had been visiting Curaçao in August and was blown away be the severity of the animal abuse! I left the island heart broken. Tears are in my eyes now just thinking back to what I saw...

And yes, the trash is everywhere. That was unbelievable, it truly made me never want to visit Curaçao again. When we returned and our friends asked us about our trip, I did say I would not recommend going there. Which is sad, because we met so many lovely people and the ocean life was the best we've ever seen.

We have traveled to many Caribbean islands and Curaçao was by far the dirtiest and the situation with the dogs will haunt me forever!

Submitted letter from United States of America. This is an example of the many emails and calls we receive on a daily basis. Is this the reputation our government wants for us around the globe?

Do you see this poor creature that the good Lord put on this earth? Are you seeing his ribs protruding out? Have you seen the suffering and pain in his eyes? I drove by heading to an appointment and saw him in the parking lot waiting for someone to have mercy on him, feed him, give him water, something. On the way back, I had to stop.

​What you see is him finish in up some nuggets I bought for him. The employees and passerby's looked at me like I was crazy and some has some foreign words that didn't sound too kind. I'm done holding tongue.

The Starving Dogs of Curaçao

​I have been asked by so many people, "why are you leaving Curaçao?" Believe me, there are A LOT more other reasons but the treatment, or lack thereof, of their canine/feline community disgust me. Yes, DISGUST. Any one who knows me knows animals have been part of my family since I breathed my first breath.

Witnessing horrors began since I landed. During my first week in 2014, as I drove into the parking lot of my job, I sobbed on the phone with my sister, not sure I would be able to remain in this island... just because of all the atrocities I saw happening to the dogs. She helped me gain perspective by saying: if people don't have money to keep food on the table for their family, a dog's life won't matter. If the government has other issues to worry about, canine control will come last. I get it, but enough is #@-& enough.

Don't have animals if you can't take care of them

Don't have animals if you can't take care of them. Do the right things and have them spayed and neutered. I have seen too many dead dogs and cats on the road as if normal. IT's NOT!!! Pets living chained. Dogs having litter upon litter upon litter. Puppies being starved even when they have owners. Dogs carcasses remaining on main roads for weeks on end, in the heat of this sun.

​I'm pissed. I'm annoyed. There are a few people, like the volunteers at CARF, here doing their damnedest to help these animals and trying to educate the community, but the push back is real. Lord knows I can't feed all animals, but I'm lacing up my sandals now and getting that cutie pie some real food. If anyone knows of any shelters that take international animals, please let me know. My heart hurts.

'The Starving Dogs That Give Curaçao A Bad Name', a submitted letter by: Anj.

Curaçaoan and guest blogger Stephany was born and raised on Curaçao. After living abroad for seven years she move back to the island. "I noticed nothing had changed in all these years. When I returned, I still saw struggling and starving dogs everywhere I went. It was really hard to see...”