By RICARDO WELLS

and DENISE MAYCOCK

OFFICIALS from the Bahamas Humane Society (BHS) and the Humane Society of Grand Bahama (HSGB) are seeking the public’s help in transferring a number of dogs from Freeport to Nassau amid financial hardship for the HSGB.

Representatives from both groups yesterday appealed to local airlines and pilots to help bring dogs and cats over from Grand Bahama. Last month Elizabeth “Tip” Burrows, HSGB’s executive director, announced that the facility would be closing the shelter to all animal intake for one month and has laid off three staff because of a serious financial crisis.

Ms Burrows said the officers in Grand Bahama were “overwhelmed” last week when officials from the BHS in New Providence, having heard of their financial difficulties, reached out to see how they could help.

Kim Aranha, president of the BHS, said her organisation could not sit back and allow this matter to play out.

She said: “Grand Bahama doesn’t have any cases of the distemper virus. All their puppies are healthy and happy, they simply can’t afford to maintain the number of animals they are caring for. We at the Bahamas Humane Society simply cannot sit back and see our sister shelter have to put healthy dogs to sleep because of lack of funds. We are asking the wider public to assist us in transporting these animals from Freeport to Nassau.”

She added: “Bahamasair is $125 per cage. We need sponsors or volunteers now more than ever. We are asking anyone, if flying back empty, take a couple of crates. We have very few puppies at our shelter and the waiting list for those that we do have are long. So we have open arms awaiting the puppies, but have to get them from Freeport to Nassau.”

Ms Burrows added that there is a larger pool of local animal adopters in New Providence. “We know some will ask why send puppies to an island still battling the vestiges of canine distemper – rest assured we will only send healthy, fully vaccinated puppies (and dogs), and we know the BHS will be careful.

Meanwhile the HSGB is doing all it can to keep its doors from closing, including launching a petition - that has already received over 75,000 signatures - urging government for financial support.

The petition, addressed to Prime Minister Perry Christie, Minister of Agriculture V Alfred Gray and Minister for Grand Bahama Dr Michael Darville, is asking for the government to provide funding for the shelter and to lift the restriction on exporting animals.

Ms Burrows said that since the announcement and call for assistance they have received some support, which is encouraging. “We are not out of the woods yet,” she said yesterday. “We are still evaluating our situation and we have several things in the works that we will announce pretty soon.”

The HSGB, which was founded in 1968, is one of the oldest non-profit organisations on the island. Last year, it took in almost 1,500 unwanted abandoned, abused or neglected animals.

Ms Burrows said: “We are still not sure yet where we are going to be with respect to providing animal control services on GB going forward.”

Next week she is expected to meet executives of the Grand Bahama Port Authority, which has been providing financial support in exchange for HSGB providing animal control service. But the company has reduced its contributions over the last several years. 

The government does not provide any assistance to the HSGB.

“We think that we can stay open, we are just not sure what level of service we are going to be able to provide. We have heard nothing from government,” she said. 

Ms Burrows said the shelter accommodates about 170 dogs and puppies and 65 cats and kittens. There are 23 employees. “We are not sure whether we are going be laying off more. It is possible, but we are still working on restructuring. 

“It is hard for us make improvements when we are always in crisis management mode. We are always looking for money to pay the bills and it consumes all of our energy and going forward with projects.

“We know we can solve this (stray animal) problem in this island, we just need the time and resources, and we need relief from constant worry about how we keep the shelter open,” Ms Burrows said.