A WEEK IN THE LIFE OF BHS
Ginger the wonder dog
Sheila the survivor
Dan the man and a baby bird too!
What follows is a very small sampling of a week in the life of the Bahamas Humane Society:
We received a call from a tourist at Viva Wyndham Fortuna a week ago Friday at 5:30 p.m. about a skinny, sick dog. We dispatched a Field Officer who brought us Ginger. She was emaciated, terrified and had an oozing eye ailment. Saturday morning we sent her over to the vet to have the eye looked at.
In what can only be called a tragic series of errors, she ended up escaping from the vet's office on Queen's Highway. What ensued for the next three days was a massive dog hunt, involving both the tourist who found her and several BHS staff who spent many hours that weekend searching for her, and setting/checking traps in last known sighting locations, etc. The kind tourist was scheduled to leave the island on Monday; she left with a heavy heart, as she had hoped to adopt this dog.
We continued our search on Monday to no avail but as always received the normal volume of calls that day and dispatched our Field Officers as usual. One of them had been dispatched to a call on East Sunrise about a starving stray dog on the property of Deloitte and Touche. Field Officer Lavarre Thompson called the shelter to say he thought the dog was Ginger and could a woman come out because she seemed to be afraid of men. Operations Manager Lisa Lockhart took off to the scene and secured the dog, who indeed, was Ginger!
So - amazingly - some six miles from where she was lost; she was found, evidently in an attempt to return to her familiar turf at Viva Wyndham Fortuna. She was even skinnier, but otherwise none the worse for her ordeal. Initially still terrified but the great news is she has quickly warmed up with TLC, is really enjoying being cuddled and seems to have lost her fear of men as well. The extra special news is the tourist who found her initially, still wants to adopt her, and we are only working on getting her a bit healthier before sending her to her forever home in Cedar Rapids, Iowa!
We received a call last Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. from a kind Bahamian gentleman in the Fortune Point area who said a distressed sounding barking dog had kept him awake all night the night before. When he got home from work, he investigated the source of the noise, and found a little dog chained to a tree in the middle of a bushy area. With no food or water dishes in sight, we can only guess this was yet another cruel abandonment.
Lavarre Thompson was dispatched immediately and brought the dog in. Emaciated, hungry and thirsty, she was a bit nervous but very relieved to be rescued. Sheila has already gained weight and is one of the sweetest dogs we've ever met. How a human being could chain her up and leave her to die is beyond comprehension or understanding.
Both Ginger and Sheila are under the direct care of Animal Care Provider David Morales, who after seeing them, asked for them to be transferred to his kennel, which we affectionately call the "Kennel of Love". David has a real heart for our special needs dogs, and is willing to spend extra time working with and caring for them.
Dan the man, everyone's current favorite puppy, was rescued by an BHS staffer's husband from West End last week. (Even HSGB family members are getting the message and into the spirit of rescue!) He was not going to get the care he needed there, and the BHS husband took it upon himself to bring him home at 8 p.m., where he slept overnight and then was brought to the shelter the next morning. He is a healthy happy friendly little guy who would just love to bring his joyous sweet self to your home.
In addition to rescuing dogs and cats, the BHS is also called upon at times for orphaned birds, injured birds, turtles, raccoons and various other domestic and wild animals.
Baby Bird came in with his sibling a few weeks ago. The sibling did not survive but Baby is doing very well under the care of Field Officer Sameir Wildgoose who received instruction from Board Member Erika Gates on how to feed and care for him, and has done such a great job that Baby Bird has now decided Sameir is his mom and while he is currently learning to fly, he always returns to Sameir.
In a few more weeks, he will be transferred to the Gates' residence to join the flock of his own kind who hang out there, who also were orphaned or injured and after being cared for by humans are now semi-wild. After imprinting so strongly with Sameir he cannot be simply released into the wild but needs this environment in which to grow up and perhaps live in forever, but it will be his choice.
Stay tuned next week for stories of Baby Nelson, the shy emaciated Dobie; Dot the Second, the sweet starving, over-bred pit bull; our three new Bahamian/Siamese cats who are terrified and need TLC; Mockie, the baby Mockingbird recently arrived and for whom we must import food, and more.
The HSGB is here for all animals in need on Grand Bahama. We never turn an animal away or turn our backs on an animal in need. As always, we need the public's help to continue helping dogs like Ginger, Sheila, and Dan. And our wild animals, which are so important to our eco-system and our appeal as a tourist destination. We can always use help in all these efforts. Foster homes for baby animals, whether dogs, cats or even the orphaned birds are in short supply, more are needed and would be most appreciated. The HSGB will supply all the food and meds and instructions, we are just perpetually short of hands to care for the specially needy who just need an extra hand up or hand out.
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