My Best Christmas Present ever. Part Three

We at Baark! have been asking the question;  What is your best Christmas gift ever?

Over the next three weeks we will feature three of our favorite answers in our column.

What is was my best Christmas present ever?

Thanks for letting me tell you about my favorite Christmas present ever. My name is Princess, I am a Potcake. My real name is Fluffy but all my friends call me Princess because, well, I am! Anyway, back to the reason for writing. My favorite Christmas present is the year that Baark! came to my house and helped me with my man problem. You see, my man, Rex was always running with his boys in the neighborhood, chasing other lady dogs and leaving me with the puppies to care for all by myself.  That is no way to treat a Princess!

I was always nagging and yapping at him to change his ways. He claimed that it was his nature to be like that, something that was just a part of him. We went on like this for 3 years. Then one day a Baark! van came and with our owner’s permission took Rex away for a day. When he returned he was a new dog! He had been neutered. A quick procedure that a veterinarian can perform on male dogs to ensure they cannot help produce any more puppies.   While he was still my amazing Rex, he no longer felt the need to run with his boys or chase other lady dogs. He actually started hanging out with me and the kids!

I had been spayed, which is the term for the female surgery, about 2 years prior to Rex’s surgery. I told him over and over again he needed the surgery but would he listen? No, he was convinced that as long as one of us was fixed we would be fine.  Fine my paw. Fine is not leaving anytime of the day or night to go out on your family. Fine is not expecting me to be okay with all of his foolishness.  Let me tell you something right now. Rex, now that he has been fixed sees the error of his ways and is so much more content.  The quality of life we have now because of our surgeries is one hundred times better! If only he had listened earlier!

You asked me about the best Christmas present ever? It was the December that the Baark! van came to our house and gave my family back the best dog ever, My Rex!

Sincerely

Princess the Potcake

Why not put Baark! on your Christmas list. Make a donation to Baark!’s spay and neuter campaign in lieu of gifts under the tree

Please spay and neuter your animals, this simple procedure saves lives and decreases the suffering of unwanted animals.

This column is proudly brought to you by BAARK! the Bahamas Alliance for Animal Rights and Kindness.

For more information contact us at info@baarkbahamas.org, (558-3039) or visit our website www.baarkbahamas.com

My Best Christmas Present Ever! Part Two

We at Baark! have been asking the question;  What is your best Christmas gift ever?

Over the next three weeks we will feature three of our favorite answers in our column. As

In a waiting room of one of my visits sat a young girl and her mom. They were discussing the Baark! collection tin. The mother explained that Baark! is the Bahamas Alliance for Animal Rights and Kindness an organization that cares about the welfare of Bahamian animals. The mom continued to explain, “Baark! helps animals have a quick operation to help them not have any more puppies or kittens”  Right now the humane society is full of puppies and kittens that do not have anyone to care for them, Baark! wants to help prevent homelessness in our Bahamian animals.

The little girl’s eyes widened, “No more puppies- Why?” she begged to know. The mom responded, “If there are too many puppies they do not get properly taken care of, they get hurt, and cannot find enough food.” Baark! helps pet owners who are not able to afford the operation for their dog get the operation”.  As the girl took all of that in, the vet came out with one of the puppies I had recently found. The puppy was skinny, dirty, and lethargic. It was obviously sick.

The vet spoke in lowered tones to me but I was certain the girl could hear. The vet said the puppy was in bad shape and that he needed foster care until he was strong enough to survive in the shelter or get a real home as quick as possible.  I caught the girl’s eyes staring at this very sick puppy, her eyes moving from the puppy to the Baark! logo on my shirt.

I caught her eyes, lifted the puppy up and said, “This is why Baark! does what it does, if we are successful, people will be responsible pet owners and every dog will have a loving home and a meal every day and there will not be thousands of unwanted puppies, dogs, cats and kittens.”  She smiled and wished me good luck as I went on my way. I turned one last time as I opened the door. It was there I saw the best Christmas gift ever. The little girl was opening her purse. She moved towards the Baark! collection tin and emptied it’s contents into the tin. She turned to smile knowing she made a difference. While this was not a gift personally addressed to me, it was a gift that I witnessed and it touched my heart.  This was the best Christmas present ever!

A thankful Baark! volunteer

Why not put Baark! on your Christmas list. Make a donation to Baark!’s spay and neuter campaign in lieu of gifts under the tree

Please spay and neuter your animals, this simple procedure saves lives and decreases the suffering of unwanted animals.

For more information contact us at info@baarkbahamas.org, (558-3039) or visit our website www.baarkbahamas.com

The 2nd BAARK Spay and Neuter clinic in Andros

The second Andros Baark spay & neuter clinic was held in Cargill Creek at the beginning of November. It was supposed to be the weekend that TS Sandy graced the Bahamas with her presence, so was quickly rearranged for a few days later. Unfortunately someone forgot to tell the ocean that the storm had passed and I spent a very uncomfortable 3 hours on the ferry wondering if the end of my particular world was, indeed, nigh. But I survived to tell the tale so we disembarked at Fresh Creek and eagerly drove to Cargill Creek to join Drs Dorsett and Smith, who had flown in ahead of us and already started surgeries with the help of local volunteers, Rick, Charlie, Karol and Steve.

We set off to collect animals in the quiet, friendly Cargill Creek with Charlie as our guide. Being a resident his knowledge of the people and animals of the area was invaluable and we made good use of him! After collecting what we could in Cargill Creek, the second day we drove ten miles to Bowen Sound to round up the dogs there. That afternoon we drove another twenty miles to Love Hill, as we had reports that there were lots of animals that needed spaying and neutering. As darkness fell, we returned to the clinic with the intention of holding these dogs overnight for surgery on the third day.

 

The travelling aspect was very different to the first Baark clinic in Fresh Creek where there were enough dogs to keep the Vet busy for the whole clinic and we didn't have to go as far to collect them. Due to the last minute date change, people may have not realized we were there, plus some people did not have the transport to bring their animals to the clinic. A Straybuster has to be flexible and we were determined to do as many animals as possible in the time that we had, even if it meant driving up and down the Queens’ Highway in Central Andros for 3 days!!

 

There were many high points to the three days, not least the breathtaking views from the accommodation donated to us, but one that stands out didn't start out so promising! One friendly dog actually managed to escape prior to surgery and although he was too timid to come to us, he hung around the clinic. We hoped he would find his way home but he was confused. By nightfall we were worried about him being on the main road, the traps were all occupied and our attempts to catch him by hand had failed. We left food and water and hoped he would be safe overnight. The next day we would have a spare trap. Early next morning when we got to the clinic, our elusive guy was already outside, totally enamored by a pup that was due to be neutered, waiting outside the clinic. He followed the pup inside, making all our efforts of the previous day look pretty foolish!!

A total of 50 animals were spayed and neutered and none of it would have been possible without all the volunteers, in particular Rick Goodlander, who organized the Andros side and Steph Kesten who arranged everything from the Nassau side. Also our vets, Dr Dorsett (Nassau Pet Clinic) and Dr Smith (Marathon Vet Clinic) (who both nearly didn't make their flights home…in Dr Smith’s case he knew the pilot, so maybe that’s why the plane actually turned off the runway and came back for us, as we were too busy nattering to notice our flight was taking off!!!) We would also like to thank Bahamas Ferries & Le Air who transported us free of charge, Juliet Newbold at the Andros Island Bonefish club, who generously donated our accommodation and Nelson Leadon, who kindly supplied the property for the clinic.

Baark! On: Best Christmas Present Ever part One

We at Baark! have been asking the question;  What is your best Christmas gift ever?

Over the next three weeks we will feature three of our favorite answers in our column.

Dear Baark!

What is was my best Christmas present ever?

Some would think it was the year I got my new Potcake puppy. Two years ago my neighbor’s dog had a litter just before Christmas. I begged my parents day and night to get one. I really did not think they would say yes, but on Christmas morning there he was, my very own Potcake to look after.  I was so excited. I named him Buster and took really good care of him.  But as the months went on, Buster stopped listening to me. He often ran away and when he was in the house Buster would pee on everything, even though he was supposed to be housebroken. Mom and Dad decided they could not let Buster live with us anymore. They called him a nuisance and made him stay in the yard. Every night I would have to say goodnight to him and leave him outside. I hated it. This is why the year I got Buster was not my favorite Christmas present. While I loved Buster so very much, it broke my heart to keep him outside.

Last month, Baark! came to my school and told us about their spay and neutering program. I really learned a lot about how to take better care of Buster. I learned that if he was neutered that he would not run away looking for a lady dogs as often and that he would stop marking his territory with pee in our house. I told mom and dad about all I had learned. I also told them that all I wanted for Christmas was to be able to get Buster neutered so he could have a better chance of staying inside with us.

Mom and Dad agreed that they would give Buster another chance if he were to have this surgery. I was so happy. We took Buster to the veterinarian who took great care of Buster during and after his surgery. Now Buster is home with us. He is happier, no longer feels the need to run away and has stopped peeing in our house! You asked me what I thought the best Christmas present was; it was the Christmas I got Buster back with me where he belongs!

Thanks Baark! for helping me learn about spay and neutering and most of all for helping Buster and I stay together.

Sincerely

C. Thompson Jr. age 11

Please spay and neuter your animals.

By ensuring your animal cannot produce more litters you are saving lives and decreasing the suffering of unwanted animals. 

 Please consider donating or helping with Baark!’s efforts to improve animal welfare in the Bahamas.

 For more information contact us at info@baarkbahamas.org or (558-3039)

or visit our website www.baarkbahamas.com