“Animals are such agreeable friends―they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms.”
― George Eliot
This is Tony. I always call him Anthony, it sounds more distinguished. Anthony is my neighbor's dog, he's a mixed breed and he came from the Humane Society of Grand Bahama. He's grown quite a bit since he came to live next to me. Anthony is a very good neighbor, he's friendly and doesn't bark unless there's a good reason to. Like when a cat is taunting him from the other side of the fence. Other than that, he's always got a hello by way of an enthusiastic tail wag. If only all neighbors were this agreeable.
“Animals are such agreeable friends―they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms.” ― George Eliot
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Over the weekend I went to the Garden of the Groves with my sons Kamal and Owen. They were having their annual Spring in the Garden event, which we always try to attend.
Throughout the Garden there are small man-made ponds and waterways which are filled with tilapia and red-eared turtles. Since there really aren't any animals to bother with them, some of these turtles get quite large. It's kinda neat to see them all over the place swimming around or sunning themselves on the rocks. This picture is from the Eight Mile Rock Clinic. It's not a "nice" picture of a cute dog. But it is an accurate picture of how many of the dogs look when they come to the Shelter.
So many people here want "yard dogs" for protection. Many seem to forget these are living creatures and yet many more think it's some kind of "sin" to have their dog fixed. And so they end up like this: litter after litter of unwanted dogs left to starve and fend for themselves. I have to say, there are many people here who do take very good care of their dogs and treat them like members of their families. Hopefully everyone one of the dogs who arrive at the Shelter like the one above will end up in homes where they are wanted and well cared for. The Humane Society of Grand Bahama held a 5 day spay and neuter project in the western part of the island last week.
In this picture my friend Ana (in the blue shirt) and another volunteer are washing one of the many puppies that came in. It was covered in lice and fleas... like so many of the animals they dealt with. Everyone worked really hard during clinic and about 250 animals were fixed. Well there's no missing this big guy! Good thing he's friendly.
This image was taken during the Humane Society of Grand Bahama's Annual Dog Show. It's one of the main fundraising events of the year and is always a big draw for the local dogs owners and families. I've been taking the pictures at the show for the past three years, with the assistance of my very cool son Owen. Even though I'm always sunburned (and still peeling 3 weeks later - GROSS) and completely wiped out afterwards, I'm happy to do it. "I prefer mutts. The artificial construction of the gene pool is bad for the species as a whole. In a restricted gene pool, the defects pile up. The truly superior specimen is the outbred, not the inbred." Michael Swift
Or in this case, Potcake. Here's Keva with one of her favourite dogs, Hawaii. (aka Hawaii Rolle, aka Hawaii Jackson) He's a friendly old man who spends a good part of his day sitting behind Keva at the front desk of the shelter.
I've written previously that we have a LOT of very friendly dogs in need of a good home. The puppies and smaller dogs are generally pretty easy to place. But there are a fair amount of older dogs too, like Hawaii. There are a lot of benefits to older dogs. They're usually more settled and housebroken (that's a huge plus in my book!). Older dogs are pretty affectionate too, without all the jumping - another plus. If you're considering a pet, you might want to consider an older dog, and always check a shelter first. “Unrealistic? I think not, that bee was about to murder me.” ― Devyn Dawson, The Light Tamer
This bee, now deceased, stung Kamal this afternoon. We've seen a few bees in our apartment over the past week or so. Not sure why, and haven't really minded them, until now. If they're going to start stinging people then they better fly back outside. We don't know what kind of bee this one is. It's pretty with the iridescent blues and greens. And if it had not decided to sting Kamal, it would still be alive. Everyone is anxiously awaiting for the gate to open so they can get out on the exercise field. It's kind of funny to watch, the whole group goes straight to the fenced in area. They generally don't wander. The same thing happens, in reverse, when it's time to come back in the courtyard.
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