Bahamian Potcakes go to Michigan on first time rescue mission

By Jhanae Winter

Seventy-two dogs took a one-way trip to Michigan, Wednesday morning, where they will be dispersed to various shelters in the State, to be adopted by families.

Bahamas Humane Society (BHS) teamed up with Michigan Humane (MH) for this first- time collaboration and very successful mission. The dogs were flown to Michigan by Wings of Rescue, a charity organisation that flies at-risk shelter pets from disaster areas and overcrowded shelters to safe havens. This Freedom Flight was sponsored by the Kohler family.

Michigan Animal Rescue League board member, donor and consultant, Ralph Caplan, worked with Duke & Lisa Wells in The Bahamas, to instigate this rescue mission between the BHS and Michigan Humane. After seeing the overcrowded conditions of the shelter, Caplan was compelled to help in any way he could.

BHS Board member Steph Hickman said, “After being informed of our situation, Michigan Humane reached out to us and put all the funding together. They basically want all our potcakes, which is great! All of our previous airlifts have been focused on puppies, kittens, cats and some dogs. But this is based purely on dogs, where some have been in our shelter a very long time”.

The dogs will travel to six different ‘no kill’ shelters under Michigan Humane direction. Michigan Humane officials will quickly determine which dogs are immediately ready for adoption and which dogs need extra care and will remain at the shelters until ready for adoption.

CEO of MH, Matthew Pepper said, “Assuming they are all in good condition and there are no issues, they are going to be put up for adoption and hopefully be in homes within a week.”

Ralph Caplan said, “I discussed with my Executive Director at the Michigan Animal Rescue League how we could help the dogs with issues.”

Five of the dogs on the flight have issues requiring special care and attention. They will go to the Michigan Animal Rescue League (MARL) where they will get the special care they need.

“We’re also going to be taking some of the other dogs but we will be taking five of the ones they were just praying to get on the plane,” he said.

One of the dogs headed to MARL will be Francesco, a sweet little potcake who was rescued by the BHS in February after a concerned citizen raised an alarm about a dog that was being abused, starved and tied to a tree. He was severely emaciated and would not allow a human near him for fear of being hit. After many months of rehabilitation and care, including heartworm & tick treatment, and compassionate fostering by Steph and Peter Hickman, Francesco was ready for the Freedom flight.

“He has turned out to be such a loving dog,” Ms Hickman said, as she held Francesco for the last time before sending him away to a new life. “Ralph has made this dog his special project,” she added.

Those involved describe this rescue mission as a “win-win -win situation”, for both organizations and especially the animals.

BHS is relieved of animals, which helps alleviate the overpopulation at the shelter, allowing them the ability to better care for the remaining animals.

Meanwhile, due to their highly effective spay and neuter program, the state of Michigan has a shortage of dogs available for adoption. This mission gives Michigan families the opportunity to add a Bahamian potcake to their family.

Mr Pepper explained that about one out of five new pets are coming from shelters in Michigan and that population dynamics are changing in shelters.

“The reality is, the demand by people wanting to add a pet to their home is exceeding, in many instances, our ability to provide those animals. So partners like this allow us to continue to meet that need and it also fosters the attention given to the dogs here. Someone might come in because they heard about a dog from The Bahamas and fall in love with one right here in Detroit,” he said.

The CEO expressed that he can confirm the many good things he has heard about the team at the Bahamas Humane Society and all the great work they are doing.

“The process has been nothing short of impossible but the people at the Bahamas Humane Society have been great partners. They are doing this for the right reasons, they are committed to it and they are doing it the right way,” he said.

“In order to decrease the number of stray dogs and other animals, the emphasis must be on spaying and neutering animals. This is the only way to curb the issue now and in the future.”

On the day of the mission, the furry friends were up at 3am to be transported to the airport. Each dog was situated in their own travel crate, with the necessary paperwork and colour-coded shelter information attached. Then, by conveyor belt, they were carefully loaded onto the plane. All the dogs have been embedded with a small unique 15-digit microchip, for identification, a legal requirement in the United States and Europe.

Getting potcakes ready for airlift – 3:00am at Bahamas Humane Society. Photo by Ana-Lisa Wells

These potcakes, ranging from six months to six years, are the first Caribbean dogs to go to Michigan Humane.

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