The next time you see a dog roaming the streets, the canine might not necessarily be a stray.
There’s a clear distinction, Chief Inspector of the Bahamas Human Society Stephen Turnquest pointed out.
“People say we have dogs roaming without owners, but a lot of the dogs around are owned by someone,” he said of the misconception.
Officials say they have no way to tell for sure how many canine are strays, but conservative estimates say over 10,000 are on the island.
It’s a stubborn issue that has been dogging canine authorities. Dogs, some of them without owners, invariably are mowed down by reckless drivers, become a nuisance to some neighbourhoods and in other cases simply are a hassle.
A 1999 Department of Agriculture funded study stated that: “the popular perception of ownership appears to be different…although many people may extend the essential elements of care (food, water and shelter) to a dog, this is not perceived as ownership.”
Dr. Jeffrey Lynn, a veterinary surgeon at the Ministry, believes that this has only compounded the problem.
“The dogs are owned by people who are irresponsible,” he said simply. “Anyone who feeds these dogs are their owners under the law. People accelerate the problem by feeding the dogs. They think they are being kind but they are only making the situation worse.”
A few years ago, almost 300 Bahamians participated in a survey concerning the roaming dog dilemma. Ninety percent of them acknowledged that stray dogs are a problem, while 46 percent viewed them as a personal nuisance.
But 93 percent of the people in the poll admitted that they were sympathetic towards the dogs, leading to some of them either adopting or feeding them. More than half of those polled said they fed dogs that they did not own.
This attitude has invariably increased their numbers, according to some canine officers.
This increase also leads to health problems warns Dr. Lynn.
“You have bacterial diseases like leptospirosis which affects the kidneys …different kinds of tape worms,” he noted. “Kids could contract diseases from these animals.”
Dr Lynn explained that rain can wash their excrements into areas where kids are playing, thus exposing them to diseases.
“Dogs are a threat to the environment, they throw over garbage; causing mosquitoes,” said Dr. Lynn.
This is the most common nuisance caused by roaming dogs, according to 78 percent of those surveyed.
It’s not only a problem that has been identified locally. Complaints have been piling up from tourists who observe the phenomenon during their vacations. It ultimately led to an American-based animal rights organization requesting that the government try to find an effective solution.
The Canine Control Unit (C.C.C) is responsible for dealing directly with this problem. But Director Valerie Outten and supervising doctor Morey Isaacs declined to make a public statement.
Rounding up stray dogs can be a costly exercise. According to the study conducted several years ago, the C.C.C. is not financially equipped to do so.
The report states: “a mass collection and/or destruction of the island’s roaming dogs may seem an obvious way to eliminate the problem, such a policy would require resources beyond the current capabilities of the Canine Control Unit and it could be expected to be a failure.”
Furthermore, workers at the C.C.C. have nine to five shifts even though the majority of roaming dogs tend to congregate at night, it was acknowledged.
Enforcement of dog laws has been identified as a major problem as well.
Nonetheless, Dr. Lynn praises the efforts of the C.C.C.
“If the Canine Control Unit didn’t exist we’d probably be swimming in dogs…the enforcement people are doing their best,” he said.
To try to put a dent in the problem, the Bahamas Humane Society is offering free spay and neuter services called the “Who Let The Dogs Out” campaign. The Sunrise Rotary Club is a partner in the programme.
Areas like Bain Town, Fox Hill, Englerston and St. Cecilia are being targeted.
“We can have them picked up and spayed here and then delivered to the owner,” said chief inspector Steven Turnquest.
By Gilbert Knowles, The Bahama Journal
