Animal welfare seeks owners of abandoned dogs
(CNS): The Department of Agriculture’s Animal Welfare and Control (AWC) Unit is appealing for information from the West Bay community after two dogs were found abandoned and severely malnourished off Mercury Close. Concerned members of the public made a report about an adult black and brown male and an adult white and grey female, and the AWC officers who responded found the dogs in a concerning state of neglect.
“The Animal Welfare and Control Officers understand that people’s circumstances can change, which may mean they can no longer care for their pets or are struggling to pay for veterinary care, but there is never an excuse to abandon your animals,” a DoA release said.
“There’s always help available for pet owners in need. Please reach out for help to the CI Humane Society, another local animal charity, or the Department of Agriculture before resorting to abandoning your pets.”
Anyone with information about these dogs or who recognises who they belong to is asked to contact the DoA Senior Animal Welfare Officer in strict confidence through the following channels:
Phone: 345-928-1153 / 345-947-3090
Email: reportanimalcruelty@gov.ky
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Category: Animal Health, Crime, Health
Lots of words and reasons and blame but no justice for these two poor animals and the many others out there. I understand that the ‘owner’ of these dogs is known to the DOA and has a prior record of animal cruelty. How about mounting a prosecution to deter at least this one individual doing it yet again.
Frankly, there are a lot of residents, both Caymanian and non-Caymanian alike, across all socio-economic thresholds, that after a few drinks easily forget that they are married to someone else for life. Or that they are too drunk to drive because they can’t walk. One must assume that from there, it’s not a big leap to forgetting they also are custodian of a dog that needs top be homed and fed. Substance-fueled amnesia is a common ailment.
Only one type of person “owns” dogs like these and you won’t find them in the churches or gated communities. Maybe the poor brutes weren’t fierce or violent or frightening enough for the scumbag who once “owned” them so he ditched them. Or maybe he got locked up in Northward.
“only one type of person “owns” dogs like these”
Are you referring to the condition of the dogs or the breed?
Don’t agree with the church comment, some of the worst types on island go every Sunday and ask for forgiveness for their Friday night antics. Basically a complete cop out for actually behaving yourself.
The only true Cayman tradition – cruelty to animals
DOA need to take reports seriously, in my opinion they don’t. I reported a dog, followed up multiple times over a year ago and the dog is in the same spot today. Each time I called for an update they had no idea what I was talking about & I had to give the same information over and over again. All owners should have to register their pet or be hauled into court and dog breeding should be banned. The animal abuse here is rampant and no one seems to care.
Disgusting humans are a major problem in Cayman. How can a such a rich tiny territory have such people? Total cultural failure.
Rich territory, sure, but we import poverty (and its various “cultures”) by the plane loads.
We’re only kidding ourselves. There’s rampant addiction across all socio-economic classes. How many more drinks until some of the Sunday boat crowd we know in our daily lives forget they have a dog, or a kid? Probably not as many as we’d think.
Home bred!
Can I ask what this has to do with the port?
Sadly, we can name many wealthy “professional” expat families living in million dollar neighbourhoods, where both mom and dad are often too drunk/high to remember to feed their own kids, or keep them safe. We’ve come home to discover their kids crying on our stoop. Alcohol and drug abuse is permissive and rampant across all social classes.
long term… free… money making solutions:
ban dog imports.
ban dog breeding in cayman for 10 years.
bring in $500 per year dog license…anyone found without a license to be fined $5k.
Don’t forget EFFECTIVE enforcement of the above!
There in lies the problem. Cayman does not do enforcement. They do showcasing. Everywhere. Police stops? Speeding? Dwi? Handicap parking? No signals? Where do we start…. NO ACCOUNTABILITY LEADS TO THE ANARCHY WE ARE ABOUT TO EMBRACE.
You think the people who did this would have been deterred by a law banning breeding and requiring a licence to own a dog? There are already laws in place re cruelty to animals – just not enforced. Solution would be to use those to prosecute whoever did this and publish the conviction to deter others – rather than adding yet another law which will never be enforced like the one on feeding chickens.
Hear Hear! and it is an Election Year. However, our population will not pay $500 for a dog license.
Make it affordable $25 per year and yes, 1st offense $500 fine, 2nd offense $5,000 fine.
Also, we have the problem of expats adopting and went they leave the Islands they ditch their adult pets (shame on them.)
We need a 2-2-2 plan. Two years, Two full time Gov.ky Veterinarians (Just for spaying and neutering cats and dogs) and Two full time dog/cat catchers. The problem could go away in just two years!
How much did we finally spend (15 years later) on the Iguana cull?
2023 REPORT = Since the island-wide cull began in October 2018 – when Grand Cayman had an estimated green iguana population of 1.3 million – cullers have killed 1.45 million of the reptiles, and government has paid out almost $9 million in bounties.
How does that fix alcohol and drug addiction?
Behind almost every terrible pet victimisation and child neglect story is a deep untreated drug and alcohol addiction human problem, culturally both celebrated and stigmatised. Enabling CIG social departments, NGOs, Rotaries, 200+ Churches, and wider caring public invest far too little attention, energy, and resources into combatting the root cause of these deplorable circumstances. There are no sold out bottomless “open bar” diamond-studded black tie auction dinners with corporate tables of 10, being hosted to raise money for alcohol and drug abuse treatment. Because that would hit too close to home. Cayman has its taboo topics and these neglected pets [and kids (!)] are the calling card of that.
Is there anyone else you could possibly blame?
No doubt the original owners of these pets dropped the ball, we can all accept that “what” reality. The “how”, “why” part, are under-explored enquiries, leading to avoidance of “when” and “where”.
Charities appear to plug the gaps from government. The sheer breadth and depth of charities here shows you how many gaps there are in government provisions.
This is terrible, and as pointed out, there are provisions for prosecuting people responsible, but as is typical here, the enforcement is very lacking.
charities appear to plug the gaps in humanity. bad human behaviour needs to be addressed by us, human beings. “government” isn’t responsible for us.
For decades “cute” animals have been abandoned by guest workers who return home, especially summertime.
Let’s call a spade a spade aye!
Oh please. The majority of the bad owners are Caymanian drug dealers. I’m a Caymanian. There is a few instances of guest workers not being able to take their animals back home but the majority of dogs that are tied up in the backyard are owned by Caymanians and/or Jamaicans.