Grand Bahama’s Fight for Animal Care

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GRAND BAHAMA – At the end of August, the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources announced stricter enforcement of animal cruelty laws, warning that neglect, abuse, and irresponsible ownership will no longer be ignored.

Officials say enforcement is tightening and fines will be given to those who cannot abide by the law.

But advocates like President of the Grand Bahama Humane Society, Tiffany Dennison, stress that the problem runs deeper, pointing to education, spay and neuter campaigns, and responsible care.

Here’s what Dennison had to say.

Tiffany Dennison – President, Grand Bahama Humane Society
“As we have noticed that we are ignoring the overpopulation problem that’s been happening for a while, we’re not doing the spay and neuter campaigns we should be doing, and it really is people. If people were responsible pet owners, and sometimes it just comes down to education. You know, they would know more about spay and neuter. They would know more about heartworm, um, and be more responsible pet owners themselves, thereby not having a lot of unwanted animals on the street.”

The concern goes beyond stray animals. It’s about the choices people make when breeding and caring for their pets.

Too often, dogs end up in homes where owners aren’t prepared for the responsibility, leaving them vulnerable to neglect.

Dennison explains.

Tiffany Dennison – President, Grand Bahama Humane Society
“People are breeding these beautiful animals. Um, and then they’re giving them or selling them to people who don’t know how to really take care of them. I notice with the Malinois, everybody loves a Malinois, everybody wants a Malinois. And Malinois is so much work. They have so much intelligence, so much energy, and people are not ready for that. They’re looking for an aesthetic. They’re looking for a small, cute dog, which is great. But again, I’ve seen small, cute dogs that are on the street, matted all to hell, dragging a chain. So, really, this does come down to people more than it comes down to the actual dogs themselves.”

In a video sent to Our News, advocates highlighted a pet owner caught cursing angrily when questioned about mistreating her dog.

The animal was found living in poor conditions, and moments later, the owner picked up the animal and threw it several feet away like a bag of trash, nearly causing serious injury, telling the advocates, and I quote, “Carry it,” before going into her home.

They warned they would be contacting animal control over the abuse.

This video highlighted one of the many troubling cases of cruelty facing animals in The Bahamas today.