If you have been following Rubicon Days for a while, you know that I adopted the second Ginger Sister, Boca, from The Humane Society of Grand Bahama (HSGB) after fostering her for Colorado Animal Welfare League. Boca is a Royal Bahamian Potcake, the official breed of The Bahamas and a type known for their intelligence, loyalty and empathy. There is a desperate need on the islands to reduce the native population of stray dogs and find homes for those housed by The Humane Society of Grand Bahama. The HSGB is the largest animal shelter in The Bahamas and the only one on the island of Grand Bahama. They take in up to 1,500 dogs annually and have a dismally low local adoption rate of only 7 to 10 percent. This makes sense because if a person living in The Bahamas wants a dog, they can literally pick one off the street.
Unlike municipally-funded shelters in the United States, The HSGB receives limited support from the local government, and new USDA regulations have restricted their efforts to get the potcakes off the islands into loving forever homes. Since adopting Boca I have connected strongly with the local and larger Potcake community. It is an amazing family of dog lovers who recognize the unique treasures of these dogs that were once thrown away, ignored or abused on the street. I started a Colorado Potcake Meetup group and stay in touch with the director of The Humane Society of Grand Bahama, whose love and concern for each and every dog she takes in is inspiring. You can read more about the shelter director in my interview here.
When I learned this month that The Humane Society of Grand Bahama was in danger of closing, my heart went out to the cause, knowing that the shelter is the only hope for most of the islands' canine residents. I made a small donation to the GoFundMe campaign, but found myself wanting to do more. I reviewed my budget to find a way to donate on a monthly basis and I saw that I could easily cancel my two beauty box subscriptions and have almost enough to sponsor a dog. I added a few more dollars and went to the HSGB Facebook page to browse their album of adoptable dogs. One immediately caught my attention - a sweet black Potcake with a face that reminded me of my extraordinary dog, Lasya. I was astounded at the transformation Cherie made once in the hands of the HSGB - from a sad-eyed, half-bald creature to a bright-eyed smiling soul. Who needs beauty products when the HSGB is doing makeovers like these? My mind was made up - I would sponsor Cherie for $1 a day. It's not a lot, but it's something - one small thing I can do on behalf of my great love for Boca and my gratitude to those that saved her.
I know that we as dog lovers are implored on a daily basis to help all sorts of animal welfare causes. This one is so important to me because of my bond with my silly, gentle, affectionate Boca and experiencing her rescue story firsthand. Boca wins people over everywhere she goes - my aunt says her presence is as calming as a cup of chamomile tea. I want more dogs like Boca to have a chance to find families of their own, and for the HSGB to be able to continue saving them from the cruel streets and ferrying them to happily ever after. Cherie has now been living at the shelter for more than two years and is just one of the precious Potcakes that need us. I hope that by spreading the word we can find homes for more of them and also garner support for the incredibly deserving island shelter whose efforts extend across borders. Here are some ways to help:
- Sign the Petition to encourage the local government to support The Humane Society of Grand Bahama.
- Donate to the Colorado-based Kohn Foundation, a 501c3 organization dedicated to raising funds for The Humane Society of Grand Bahama.
- Foster or Adopt! Both Colorado Animal Welfare League and Outpaws here in Colorado regularly have Potcakes for adoption and are always in need of foster volunteers. Transportation can usually be arranged for dogs to be adopted directly from The Humane Society of Grand Bahama into the U.S.
- Spread the word! Please share this blog post on Facebook, Twitter (#savethehsgb) and other social media.
All photos courtesy of The Humane Society of Grand Bahama
I love this. And you are so good. <3
ReplyDeleteThank you, Katie! Boca reminds me a bit of Jersey :)
DeleteThank you so much for this beautiful article. (Tip)
ReplyDeleteTip, it's the least I can do! Thank you for all your work there.
DeleteI always tell myself I'll never get another dog after Blueberry's time with me is up (so to speak) - but I have to admit another part of me seriously thinks about these dogs and may be interested in one...
ReplyDeleteHow could you never get another dog?! I do understand...I thought I would at least "take a break" after losing Lasya and Freya. I barely lasted a week. Now I think I'll always have a Potcake and a crazy terrier.
DeleteBlueberry is just so near-perfect, she's really spoiled me. People tell me how well-behaved and sweet she is all the time and I had nothing to do with it. She came to me that way. She was completely housebroken (which is a big deal to me) from the moment I brought her home. While I didn't know how low-maintenance she'd be when I adopted her, I did have a plan for training her, etc - but she blew all that out of the water. She's the kind of dog a lot of people dream of owning - one that is already 88% perfect and has a naturally sweet, docile personality.
DeleteBoca is very much like that as well, although she was not housebroken (she'd lived outside for the majority of her life so I could hardly blame her) but that didn't take long at all. I'm so lazy with Boca's "training" because her energy level doesn't demand it, she already walks nicely on a leash, isn't destructive and comes when she's called...I really couldn't ask for anything more! I must admit that I love the naughty ones, too, though.
DeleteI think it's very commendable for you to give your beauty box for a dog in need.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many dogs, so many that are in need of homes. I told myself when the unthinkable happens to me, I will foster senior dogs in need, or I will adopt one older dog. When you get to be my age, you worry about what will happen to the dog if something happens to you.
Then I think about puppies and how fun it is to raise a puppy, or a special needs dog that could benefit from a loving home and owner. I guess when the time comes the right dog will be there too.
Thanks for sharing these dogs, let's hope we can help them.
Fostering seniors would be a wonderful thing to do! I understand your concern about your dog's needs should something happen - I think it's something we all should consider, regardless of age. My mother actually inherited two Airedales with their own trust fund! My parents bought a trailer from the owner, and she already had the trust set up but when she met my mom she changed her will because my mom was familiar with Airedales and the elderly owner could just tell she would be a perfect caretaker for the dogs.
DeleteThat's awesome. I'm glad that woman found your mom and had the means to provide for her dogs. That is something I am working towards, having something set aside so they can be well taken care of.
DeleteWhat a nice idea. I think there's almost always something we can do to make a little space in our budgets for dogs in need.
ReplyDeleteI was ready to confirm my signature on the petition... until I realized it had anything at all to do with PETA. No thanks.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes to the HSGB.
Nicole, I think that only comes up as a related campaign for animal welfare but I'm not certain. I do not believe HSGB is affiliated with PETA in any way.
DeleteOH NO my dad said he got emails from PETA after signing and donating and I couldn't figure out why. We ARE NOT affiliated with PETA in any way shape or form! I think PETA might pay these online petitions and fundraising sites to get their warped message out there. Must look into this but how. I'm so sorry! I will never ever support PETA and neither will our shelter! (Tip)
DeleteThank you for clarifying, Tip!
DeleteWhat an amazing thing you are doing. I can't quite believe the transformation in Cherie you would think she is a completely different dog! I have signed the petition too, hope it helps.
ReplyDeleteIt really is amazing. Thanks so much for signing the petition, Jessica!
DeleteThis is really inspirational. And you know what? I think helping an animal in need is more beautiful than anything inside a beauty box!
ReplyDeleteThat's so sweet, Jessica!
DeleteI love this so much. I'm always trying to convince people to foster as foster homes are always needed, regardless of the organization. We can't wait to move so we don't have a 'pet limit' restricting our ability to foster.
ReplyDeleteI hope that I can foster again as well - it's hard when working full time but I dream of having a property someday that is perfectly set up for rescue dogs!
DeleteThis is such a great post! I shared it and I'm going to sign the petition right now! I wish I could afford to donate but we are not in the position to right now!
ReplyDeleteThanks very much, Lauren, and I completely understand. Spreading the word is just as important and I so appreciate it!
DeleteThank you for sharing this! I am going to make sure the word gets out. Do you think we could sponsor them as one of our Shelter's of the Month? Do they need cash more than donated goods? Signing the petition now.
ReplyDeleteVeronica, thank you for the kind offer! I think they would appreciate any sort of help and publicity!
DeleteThis is such a great post! I signed the petition. Wish I was in a position right now to donate, but with the dogs' annuals (including heart worm and flea meds) coming up, it's not possible right now.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for signing and no worries about donating! I know that we as dog guardians have many demands on our wallets.
DeleteSuch a beautiful cause, and I can see why you feel so strongly about them. Giving up something in order to give back is so beautiful in an of itself, I admire your dedication to giving back.
ReplyDeleteWe know not everyone can donate and that's ok! But sharing can help get the word out and be just as important and helpful. Thank you to everyone whether you signed our petition, donated, shared or any combination thereof. Lara is a fantastic writer and a true advocate and we are so grateful to her for spreading the word about our plight. Her potcake Boca was a special dog for us with a special story (but aren't they all) and it has been a real joy to be able to follow Boca's new life through Lara's writings and photos.
ReplyDeleteEach one of my dogs has led to positive changes - just a small part of all they add to my life. Lasya made me aware of "black dog syndrome" and breed predjudice. My Norwegian elkhound got me involved with breed rescues and volunteer transport and fostering. Ruby inspired me to learn about positive reinforcement as well as being the catalyst for this blog, and of course Boca opened my heart to potcakes. I'll be forever grateful for her and all it took to get her here!
DeleteGreat post about a greater cause. Thanks for sharing this important story and HSGBs awesome work.
ReplyDeleteEvery little bit helps and it is such a good cause!
ReplyDelete