Held on Sunday October 12th, 2008, having been postponed a week due to inclement weather, God’s Creatures in the Garden was a spectacular success! The weather cooperated, and many people came out for a day of fun. Meant to coincide with World Animal Day (Oct. 4) which is also the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, the event was conceived to provide a day for families to celebrate and enjoy their pets.

In addition to seeing the beautiful newly restored Garden of the Groves, attendees were treated to lots of fun activities such as pony rides by Geronimo courtesy of Pinetree Stables and Annie Roberts, face painting by Olivia Dorsett, dog obedience/training demos by Beth Hatfield, kids’ games like the immensely popular Lollipop Game, Hoopla, and a Scavenger Hunt, a raffle with great prizes, good food and drink, live entertainment, and much more!

A special highlight of the afternoon was the Blessing of the Animals at the statue of St. Francis of Assisi. Father Rudolph Cooper of St. Stephens Anglican Church of Eight Mile Rock gave a lovely blessing and prayer for all the animals in attendance, which can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NAO6SU1RsI. Father Cooper has been a great friend of the HSGB ever since he graciously agreed to host our first field spay/neuter clinic in their parish hall in January 2007. He and Mrs. Cooper are the proud owners of “Pope”, a rat terrier mix, who we at the HSGB have come to know and love.

Four puppies from the HSGB attended, on their best behavior, and got lots of attention from the crowd, and also received their blessing. Please remember they (and many more) need homes of their own!

Some of the pictures of the event can be viewed here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/tipburrows/GodsCreaturesInTheGarden

Thanks to all the volunteers who helped make this event a success and a big thanks to all who attended and showed your support for the animals of Grand Bahama!

Due to heavy rain and thunderstorms, God’s Creatures in the Garden will now be held Sunday, October 12th, 2008 at the Garden of the Groves. Come out for a fun-filled day for the whole family and support the animals of the HSGB!

Garden of the Groves & Humane Society Partner in Fun Family Day!

On Saturday, October 4, 2008, from 3 – 8 p.m., the newly opened and completely restored Garden of the Groves, will host “God’s Creatures in the Garden”, in partnership with the Humane Society of Grand Bahama (HSGB), and sponsors Solomon’s, Cost Right, Love97 and Cool-96. This is a wonderful opportunity for families and individuals, along with their pets, to visit the beautiful garden, and enjoy a unique and entertaining experience.

“The Blessing of the Animals” is celebrated on the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals. This is also now known as World Animal Day and people all over the world celebrate their pets and our wild furry, finned and feathered friends on this day. St. Francis wrote a Canticle of the Creatures, an ode to God’s living things. “All praise to you, Oh Lord, for all these brother and sister creatures.” Father Rudolph Cooper of St. Stephens Anglican Church will minister the blessing in the Garden of the Groves at 4:00 pm. The community is encouraged to bring their animals, on a leash, to receive this special and sacred blessing at the statue of St. Francis.

The Grand Bahama Port Authority has been committed to bring the Garden of the Groves back as a community centre and visitor attraction. Erika Gates and Michelle Hanson, who have worked hard over the past 10 months to restore the Garden, expressed their delight about the opportunity to reach out and partner with a community organization, such as the HSGB, to bring a level of awareness to both groups. The HSGB, the only animal welfare organization on Grand Bahama, established in 1968, recently opened their new Animal Welfare and Adoption Centre on Coral Road.

Ivy Elden, Treasurer and Board Member of the HSGB, has worked with Mrs. Gates and Julie Ryan of the Lofty Fig Café and many other supporters to organize a fun-filled day with something for everyone; adults, children and animals alike. Ms. Elden says, “With our big beautiful new shelter comes increased operating costs and we are very excited about this opportunity to not only raise funds for our animals, but to do so in such a beautiful natural setting”.

Activities will include live music, face painting, an obedience demonstration by Freeport’s own dog whisperer, Beth Hatfield; live entertainment at the labyrinth from the Lion King, a Scavenger Hunt, souvenir photos, raffle with great prizes, and much more. Pine Tree Stables will provide pony rides.

Great food - hamburger, steak or fish dinners will be available with the assistance of the Lofty Fig Cafe.

Tickets are available at the Humane Society on Coral Road (352-2477) and Garden of the Groves (374-7778). Admission charges are $10 (no meal), $15 (hamburger meal) or $25 (steak or fish). Please call 352-2477 or email info@hs-gb.org for more information or to reserve tickets.

The history of the Humane Society of Grand Bahama is very much tied to the history of Freeport itself. Established in 1968 “to protect God’s Creatures in times of trouble on Grand Bahama Island” during the early days of Freeport when the pioneer spirit very much prevailed, the shelter was officially opened on 10th September of 1970, in a ceremony officiated by then Governor General of the Bahamas, Sir Francis Cumming-Bruce, accompanied by his wife, Lady Cumming-Bruce.

The founder of the Society, Mae Dunn, served as The Humane Society of Grand Bahama’s first president. The shelter on Cedar Street in the downtown business section of Freeport saw thousands of animals pass through its doors, many of them finding wonderful and caring homes. Governed consistently through the years by a Board of Directors, until 2004, the shelter was operated by dedicated volunteers. In 2004, the GB Port Authority contracted with the HSGB to provide Animal Control for the city of Freeport. In the last decade the demand for animal services and the pet population became such that the HSGB now has a regular staff of 17 to care for the average 200 dogs and 75 cats in residence at the new shelter on Coral Road.

Past presidents have included Founder Mae Dunn, Julie Lewery, Norma Clee, Patsy Gape, Ivy Lowe, Pauline Young, Quinten Young, Jan Lowe and Jacqueline Purdham. Christopher Johnston has held the post of President since 2006. In 1998 Frances Singer-Hayward was appointed Honourary Chairman.

In 2000 Mrs. Hayward founded the Spay/Neuter Campaign, wherein pet owners can redeem vouchers issued by the HSGB at a local veterinarian and receive free spays and neuters. The Grand Bahama Port Authority began funding the program in 2001, which continues today and provides for the sterilization of over 400 pets annually.

In 2007 the HSGB, with partner The Kohn Foundation held the first field spay/neuter clinic in the B.A.R.C.-A.N.E.W. (Bahamian Animal Rescue Committee - Animal Neutering, Education & Welfare) project. Three major field clinics and two mini-clinics have been held thus far with over 600 pets sterilized.

Operation Puppy Lift was established in 2004; since its inception over 1000 dogs and puppies have been “airlifted” to the U.S. to private homes or no-kill rescues/shelters to find their forever homes.

Saturday, September 20th, 2008, our old shelter was demolished. Even though we are very happy in our new shelter and it was long overdue, seeing the old shelter torn down was still a bit emotional and bittersweet.

(See all the pictures at http://picasaweb.google.com/tipburrows/GoodbyeToTheOldShelter)

We salute those who had the vision back in 1968 - that Grand Bahama’s animals needed a refuge and people to speak for them - and we salute those who toiled and sacrificed for the HSGB over these last forty years. We continue that vision and will always strive to do it justice as we work towards a brighter future for our animals.

(See all the videos at http://www.youtube.com/GBHumane)