Deborah Dowling and her Aunt, Ruth Braren

My Aunt Ruth and I were vacationing at my timeshare in Antigua in the Caribbean in 2016 when one night we heard meowing cries in the adjacent parking lot. I ran down to find this little 4-6 week-old kitten all alone. Not seeing a mother around, I scooped the little one up and brought her back to our room. I took her to the vet the very next day. Luckily, she was in pretty good health. I proceeded to take care of her during the rest of our vacation and we named her Lucy after my Mom, Lucy Elizabeth Hunter, who was also a friend of Bideawee. Mom and I spent many a Christmas and New Year's holiday in Antigua and throughout the years befriended many kitties there during our stays. Sadly, mom passed away in 2014.

Before we left the island, I contacted Antigua PAAWS, a no kill animal shelter, similar to Bideawee, that I knew very well as a result of coming to Antigua all these years and they agreed to foster the Lucy. They also convinced me into coming back a couple of months later when Lucy was old enough, to adopt her and bring her back to the States. Since Antigua is a rabies and distemper free country, going through US customs was easy and did not require any quarantine, only a vet exam giving her a clean bill of health, a health card providing evidence of all vaccinations, and proof that she was microchipped. Today little Lucy is not so little anymore, and is a happy, healthy 2-year-old living a very comfortable life with me and my husband!

Everyone in our family are animal people. My Aunt Ruth had a beautiful and beloved German Shepard named Blitzen who now is buried in the Bideawee cemetery, and my mom and I have had many cats, of which two of my most precious, Boo and Dahli, were adopted from Bideawee. It is so important to support the wonderful work done here at Bideawee. The moment I heard about the Kibbe Society, I knew that I wanted to support Bideawee for years to come by including them in my estate plans. Being members of the Kibbe Society is one of the ways we can be supportive of Bideawee, provide some peace of mind for the communities served, and ensure that Bideawee will be around for many more years to come! Learn more about how you can ensure the future of animals in need by becoming a Kibbe member .