Baark! On: Potcake Paradise found in Middle of Crowded Centerville!

 

 

 

 On a street in Nassau, is a little piece of paradise right smack in the middle of a bustling neighborhood. Sidney Knowles the owner of Knowles Upholstering and Diane Knowles the owner of Security Forwarding service are neighboring businesses that have taken it upon themselves to create a safe place for dogs that were roaming the neighborhood. They have created a potcake paradise in a place where there is little tolerance for the homeless potcakes.


The space between their businesses once used for garbage and storage now has a small shade garden and a shelter. It is a safe place to rest while the rest of the world continues around them in chaos and danger. 

There are always full water bowls and once a day they bring out food, making sure all the dogs that frequent the space are fed for the day.  

 

 

There are at least 10 potcakes that frequent this establishment. All the dogs have been spayed or neutered, 7 of them through Baark!’s spay and neuter program.  The remaining three dogs were paid for by Diane and Sidney out of pocket. One of the dogs, “Big Daddy” was responsible for fathering many litters before they had him neutered. Now thanks to a quick procedure, Big Daddy is no longer contributing to the unwanted and homeless population of potcakes roaming the street.

 

I asked Mr. Knowles about the response of his customers to these dogs. He said it was overwhelmingly positive. 9 out of 10 of the customers loved it and thought it was a fabulous thing he was doing. I can just hear someone giving directions to his store, it is on Madeira, just across from Centerville food store; you know, the place with all the dogs.  I would venture a guess that this beautiful undertaking has helped both businesses as they promote animal welfare.

 

As I spoke with Sidney and Diane about their little spot of kindness in this world, both of their eyes lit with excitement. “If everyone does something, it all adds up to a lot” said Diane as she explains the joy of making a difference for these dogs. Sidney described helping the dogs as self-gratifying, “it just feels good to do something good.” 

 

 

As we walked around the space between the two businesses, Diane said “we are doing the best we can, there are just so many that need help- it is overwhelming.”  In agreement Sidney nodded and added “We cannot give them the longest life possible but we can give them a better quality life.” It would have been so easy for these two people to look the other way and choose not to see the poor condition of the animals but they did not , instead they made a choice to care and by doing do make a difference We too are faced with a choice every day. Do we look the other way or do we find something, anything that we can do to make a difference? Let the story of these two businesses and their wonderful potcake paradise inspire you to choose today to make a difference in the lives of our Bahamian animals

 

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 (427-SPAY)