35 Dunmore Avenue, Chippingham
Clinic: M/Thurs/Sat by appointment • Adopt: M-S 11am-3pm • Shelter: M-Th & Sat 8:30am-4pm, Fri: 8:30am-1pm

About

The Bahamas Humane Society is a non-profit organization, comprised of a compassionate team, dedicated to promote the humane treatment of animal and prevent cruelty to animals through continuous education in a variety of methods, to end pet over-population through an aggressive spay/neuter campaign from 2013-2018 and as a result of the two objectives to become a no-kill shelter by 2020.


bhs sign

The BHS was founded in 1924 as the Dumb Friends’ League, speaking for those who could not speak for themselves. The main reason for forming the society was to help care for and protect the donkeys, mules and horses used to pull carriages and carts. Reading the old newspapers it is apparent that the cruelty was overwhelming in those days. The wives of some local businessmen used to also go down to the docks to feed sandwiches to the stray dogs.

The first headquarters were located in Parliament Street, however in April 1937 these premises were destroyed. By 1947, when the shelter opened at its current site in Chippingham, the name had changed to The Bahamas Humane Society.

The BHS is Nassau’s oldest charity and it is with great pride that in 2014 we celebrated our 90th anniversary of service to the Bahamas. We receive only $15,000 in funding from the government each year, relying on donations, memberships and fundraising for the rest of our operating budget.

The shelter was rebuilt by Mrs. Betty Kenning some 20 years ago. The BHS employed the first ever Veterinarian in the Bahamas with a recommended salary of fifty pounds a year.

Ever since then the BHS has been tirelessly caring for the animals of this country. Miss Betty Kelly and her Mother were very active in the early years of the BHS, and Miss Kelly, who became Mrs Betty Kenning was a dedicated and long serving President. Prior to Mrs Kenning Mrs Victor Horan (Bethell) served for several years at President.

In 2006 Kim Aranha took over from Mrs. Kenning and is still president of the BHS at present. The Bahamas Humane Society has expanded and “grown up” greatly in the past few years, the staff are receiving international, expert training and the Society is able to handle animals issues with the utmost of professionalism.

49 thoughts on “About

  1. i just came across your website and it looks really nice, i have a pet myself and he has had visits to the humaine society before. the staff is friendsly and i would like to say keep up the good work.

  2. You guys are terrific!!!! I was just at your center and got the good word that you found my stray’s owner…that is absolutely wonderful!!!! Thank all of you for the gentle and caring work that you do!!! Maria P

  3. Hello Kim and all of you wonderful volunteers,

    I have volunteered at All Saints a couple of years, and I am sure you are aware of the deplorable condition for the residents, but the dogs and cats also suffer. THE dogs are so hungry they eat the dirty diapers and the kittens. They travel in packs in that area and have been known to kill livestock at Adventure Learning Center. The people think of the dogs as wild animals to be feared and throw rocks at them or kill them. I realize that when people are so needy, animals’ needs do not come first. Is there anything your organization can do up there? Maybe capture and neuter some of the animals? I am a supporter of my local humane society and I appreciate that this is a big problem, but I knew you would want to know about conditions up there. Thanks so much.

  4. Hello to our new friends. Thought I would update you on the five potcakes that Lisa and I took from your facility on Feb. 7 to bring to West Palm Beach, FL. All the pups were given island names. We had Kalik, Lucaya, Goombay, Conch and Fritter. Kalik and Lucaya have been adopted (they were the small brindle ones in the crate in the office) and Fritter is getting adopted tomorrow. Conch (the little girl that had been in your shelter since she was a baby in October is my favorite and has a potential adoptor coming to see her this weekend from Key West (the Conch Republic). That will leave me with Goombay, the all black potcake. She will eventually find her forever home. All are fattened up, healthy and happy. Thanks again for helping us to get them here. Ruth

  5. I wanted to express my thanks to the Nassau Humane Society. When vacationing recently I found an abused and starved stray, obviously hit by a car, having huge rocks thrown at her by homeless people on South Beach. It broke my heart so I took her home to California. She is now safe, happy and well fed. The humane society of Nassau helped us a lot. They gave us immediate medical care, blood tests, vaccines to travel and even housed her while we were at our hotel. Thank you so much for all your help. Bringing this dog home was the best decision I have ever made. Amy

  6. Just wanted to say kudos for all the good you are doing with these animals. And you have an amazing website! Everything is so well organized, and the videos are great sellers!

  7. I have a story to tell and hope that the humane society could please help.. we are from Canada and my family and I visited the Nassau Bahamas and stayed at a rental house in the yamacraw area a beachfront home in that area for 2 weeks ( i can get the exact address) while we were there 3 stray dogs welcomed us the first day my heart just literally broke these dogs looked sad and were very hungry .. my family and I could just not turn away and pretend they never existed they approached us wagging their tails they looked at us with such love in their eyes..we went out that night and bought a 50 lb bag of dog food.. when we got back to our rental there they all were waiting for us to come back they drank and ate so much that me and my daughters had tears falling..every day they greeted us in the morning and would sleep on the front porch they felt that they had found someone that showed them love and for a short while they belonged to someone..i cannot express how hard it was for me and my family to leave these dogs behind the tears just flowed non stop when we bent down to say goodbye all of them licked our hands and had this look in their eyes as if they were saying thank-you..i want to be a voice for these 3 dogs and try to get them some help they are in front of this beach house everyday and no one can miss them cause they are always together if not in front of the beach house then in the yard laying down because for the short time we were there they felt like it was their home (one is black mix the other is a tannish colour and the the last one is a somewhat shaggy beige dog she is quite afraid when approached but once she sees her friends approach she will too wagging their tails like no end..please please i ask anyone to please do something to take care of these 3 dogs even if it is only to go by and feed them..our hearts are torn they are beautiful dogs just waiting for someone to show them some love and show they care..if there was a way for me to adopt them i would..we all have to stand together if we are going to make a difference and if every one does a little something everyday to help these strays you can lay down at night and know you have made a difference..please if anyone lives in that area or can call the humane society to help them it would be so kind.. they have no voice they can’t help themselves but as humans we can..let’s try to make a difference PLEASE! and thank-you!

  8. my husband and i were recently visiting the sandals in nassau. we took a bus trip to the straw markets and being that we have a horse at home and i was missing him we decided to take a horse and buggy ride. I was so upset by the way these horses were being mistreated. They were being yanked hard by there bits, backing them up aggresively, they were all very thirsty with very little warm water available and no hay to be seen anywhere. on the ride our horse was running with his togue hanging out, clearly thirsty and i made him take us back so that he could get water and did not leave until i saw him get water. please check on these horses

  9. Hi there,

    I am a tourist from Canada. I just took a tour that took us through Nassau past the Straw Market. There was a horse wearing a straw hat being used to pull a cart for paying tourists around the square. The poor thing looked really under-fed, so skinny. It was also walking around with its lips pulled back because it was so thirsty and there didn’t seem to be any water around. This absolutely broke my heart. This animal is working hard all day, every day to help its owner earn a living and doesn’t even get the basics for survival in return. Instead it has to parade around in a straw hat for people’s entertainment while it suffers. Please check on this horse and any others in the area. If the owners can’t be bothered to feed and water their animals then they don’t deserve to own them. Please follow-up with me, I would love to hear about their progress.

  10. Thank
    you, Krista, for taking the time to post your concerns about the Surrey
    horse. I would like to assure you the horses have access to fresh water
    at the Surrey Horse Stand where they also have shelter from the sun or
    rain while waiting for riders.

    Unfortunately
    you did not give us the Surrey number nor the colour of the horse,
    which would have enabled us to check on this particular horse and see if
    indeed it was suffering from dehydration or is severely underweight.
    All the Surrey Horses are inspected regularly and the Bahamas Humane
    Society attends these inspections. So there is a monitoring method in
    place. We are working closely with the owners of a couple of horses that
    have trouble putting on weight and trying some alternative feeds. There
    has been some improvement, but perhaps not as much as we had hoped.

    We appreciate all comments and are as deeply concerned as you are
    about the condition of these horses, and please rest assured that we try
    hard to keep an eye on what is going on with them.

    We hope you enjoyed your stay in Nassau and will consider visiting us again,

    Best wishes,

    Patricia Leigh-Wood,

    Head of the Bahamas Humane Society Horse Committee

  11. Hello,I was in downtown nassau today on vacation,I am leaving here tomorrow,at around 430 today(Sunday July 14th 2013) I was walking towards the number 10 bus stop to go back to my hotel and there was a beige dog that looked all beaten up and sad,has scars on the back of his front legs and some scars on his behind,very beaten up looking,I asked my friend if she wanted to stop to get him food and she said no,the bus driver rushed us on the bus so I had to leave it behind.i don’t even know what street it was,not far from the Starbucks on the main shops road.if its possible can someone please please check on this dog and maybe get it some medical attention?it seemed friendly,followed me probably because I ha stopped for a minute,this bus stop is on a side street kind of,I can donate money,I would like to,I had no idea there was such a problem like I’ve been reading about trying to do research to help this dog,please respond if there is or isn’t anything that can be done,I will privately sen my contact info if I get a response.thanks so much!

    Beth

  12. Hello, I was just on my honeymoon in the Bahamas this past week. While in downtown Nassau on Thursday, July 18 my husband and I saw a sick, stray, skinny tan dog on the street. We bought the dog food and water, alerted a policeman, who told me the Humane Society had been called and were on their way. We also let the concierge at our hotel know and they said they would place a follow up call too. We also saw another stray dog running through town and yet another on the beach. The one we helped on the street broke my heart and I wish I could have done more. Now that we are home, I have e-mailed the Humane Society at petinspector@gmailcom and sent an e-mail to the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism. I just wanted to follow up with you guys at the Humane Society again. I had no idea the stray dog population was so out of control in the Bahamas. Is there anything we can do from America to help? I am a huge animal lover. God bless you guys for your work and please continue to do routine checks of the beaches and downtown areas to rescue these strays. Thank you.

  13. Hi, Erica, Thanks for caring about our dogs!
    The stray dog problem here has been ongoing for many years, and we do our best to help those that we can.
    This past January we held a spay and neuter campaign called Operation Potcake during which we sterilized 2,315 dogs. Next year we’ll be doing the same on a slightly smaller scale – perhaps you could make a donation towards that project, or one to the Bahamas Humane Society so we can continue to help the animals here. We do not yet have a PayPal account set up but you can make donations by phone (credit card) 242-323-5138 or by mail (cheque) P.O. Box N-242, Nassau, Bahamas.
    Thanks!

  14. Hi, Beth,
    This sounds a lot like Beige, one of the strays who is quite well-known to us! He hangs out in places where people will give him food and has quite a wide travelling range.
    If you’d like to make a donation to the BHS, you can make donations by phone (credit card) 242-323-5138 or by mail (cheque) P.O. Box N-242, Nassau, Bahamas.

    Thanks!

  15. Thank you for the response. I plan on donating and am spreading the words to my friends and family as well. God bless those of you from America who are trying to adopt the dogs. Right now we have a full house of dogs and cats or that would be my next step. If each person could do a little, give a little, or adopt, this problem would well on its way to being solved. Thank you again for all you do and please continue to find, pick up, and help the dogs by giving them shelter, food, water, and love and helping them find homes so they are not on the streets.

  16. I just rescued a stray cat this morning but I have some concerns about my son (2). He is attached to her already but I have concerns about him being scratched. Do you recommend declawing and what is the fee for vaccines ? – Mark

  17. Hi, Mark,
    Congrats on your new rescue!
    We don’t do declawing at the BHS.
    Shots will be abot $55 – that includes the vet check-up as well.
    Clinic hours are 8 a.m. – 11 a.m. Monday to Saturday. No appointment needed.

  18. Thanks for caring.
    The Bahamas Humane Society has a consistent spay and neuter program at our shelter. We will go and check these animals to help.
    Thanks for the idea about cruise ship food.

    Thanks
    Percy Grant
    Shelter Manager

  19. Amanda, we in the Bahamas also are working as hard as we can to solve our stray dog problem. We’re addressing this in a number of ways: Spay/Neuter, catch and release, adoption (with spaying/neutering included), major adoption drives where potcakes who otherwise would be homeless are adopted into loving homes (having been “fixed”). All these incentives are working gradually but effectively with both potcakes and “pot”cats as well. We firmly believe that this is an effective solution over a relatively short period of time. Thank you for your concern and your love of animals.

  20. I spent a few hours in Nassau in Feb when my cruise ship docked there. I saw so many starving lonely stray dogs there my heart broke. I plan to donate every time I am financially able in hopes these dogs are saved. What a heartbreaking situation. All these poor dogs wandering around hungry and unloved. I’m sure many are hit by cars or suffer abuse by ignorant people. I wish I could do more.

  21. Thank you for loving the animals there! We were on a Disney cruise in September and spent the day at Atlantis where we encountered several skinny cats. I fed them turkey and felt awful leaving them there. I don’t think they are fed much and they are so friendly. My heart breaks for them. Have you been able to TNR any of the cats there? How much does it cost for you to spay or neuter cats there? I would be willing to donate to have the cats at Atlantis fixed. Thanks!

  22. Hi, Tami, There’s a small group of people on Paradise Island who regularly feed the cats. They have a system for trapping and spaying/neutering then returning. It’s possible that the ones you saw haven’t yet been seen by them. (The fixed ones have ears tipped.) We will be holding Operation Potcake early in 2015 to try to spay and neuter as many cats as possible island-wide. Donations to either the BHS or OPcat can be made through the donate button at the top of this page or by calling 242-323-5138 with a credit card. Thanks for caring about our animals!

  23. so sad! guest from Wisconsin two years ago… I hope you were able to save the dog with the broken leg.. I am a crossposter of dogs here on FB,and the more I see of these POOR dogs on this island,I will NEVER go vacation there again.. Id be devastated to see these dogs running around,starved,hurt and homeless.. I had planned on going there this year,but will stay in the states.. 300,000 people is small! I cant see why there are SO many homeless dogs! Open more HS’s! Get dog catchers to bring them in and fix them! Its heartless to let them run around hungry,injured! Raise your taxes for the rich that live there to help out! ITS DISGUSTING!

  24. Hello, Marion,Of course we sympathize with what you see.The homeless dog issue in Nassau is a product of extreme poverty and a culture that simply does not recognize the importance of the lives of all God’s creatures. We at the Bahamas Humane Society, as well as many other animal welfare groups here, have dedicated ourselves to eliminating the overpopulation of animals and ending the unnecessary suffering.

    In 2013, we helped Operation Potcake spay/neuter 2,315 dogs, in 2014 1184 dogs and cats, and in 2015 406 cats. We regularly take in abandoned animals and are often called out to assist with animal rescues. We have rescued and rehabilitated horses from Eleuthera, donkeys from Inagua, puppies from various Family Islands, and more. We have taken dogs from the streets mangy and adopted them out healthy. We spearheaded several free vaccine clinics in 2014 to combat an outbreak of distemper. We assist struggling owners with a food bank and subsidized vet services. We work with owners to educate them on animal care and ownership and go into the schools to help educate the next generations. We adopt out over a thousand animals each year.
    The Bahamas Humane Society is a non-profit non-governmental organization that runs through donations, memberships and fundraising. It is an annual challenge for us to keep our doors open. If you would like to help us continue in these efforts, please consider donating. Thank you.

  25. Hi, Meena, I’m not sure if there’s anyone specifically at Atlantis looking out for them, but there is a group of people who watch over the cats on Paradise Island (one of whom works at Atlantis). They have a spay & neuter program happening over there to help keep the numbers down. I’ve let one of them know! Donations are always helpful, if you want to click the ‘donate’ button at the top of the page. Thanks!

  26. Hi, Anne, The feral cats aren’t the best for adopting, though we do have someone who will be checking to be sure they all get spayed and neutered. If you’d like to adopt, we have many cats and kittens here at the BHS shelter. Fiona, our adoptions coordinator, would be able to help you with information on adopting from the US. 1-242-323-5138

  27. Hi Anne. I know how you feel. I saw about 5 or 6 cats as well. I fed them everyday. I alerted the Bahamas Humane Society so they could spay them at least. They did say that there is someone that works at Atlantis that feeds them but I agree with you they are way too skinny!! I hope you can find a way to adopt any of them. They are super friendly and sweet. I have 4 cats at home so the only thing I could do was to donate to the organization and hope someone saves them.

  28. Hi Im in Melia hotel now, there are many cats here, im concern about they wealth. There is one yellow that could be hurt in a ear. I saw some kittens so i guess still borning new one. Im spanish speaker so sorry about my english.

  29. Oh Anne thanks for trying to adopt some of those poor kittens! U r a greats human,!!! I deserve u the best

  30. So nice to read about this! I hope this dog is bringing you and your family a lot of joy and a lot of love into your home! 🙂
    Thank you for being someone who cares!!

  31. Hello,
    Do you have any information about the pigs at the Pig Beach? I would like to relocate to Bahamas and help them, but I could not find any resources. I heard they are not in very good health. Does anybody know if this is true?

  32. Hi, I am on Paradise Island currently and there are a lot of stray cats around, especially in Atlantis area. A particular cat is very loving, and welcomes people to pet, she purrs all the time. She doesn’t look matted or starved, but when given water or food she consumed it quickly. Do the residents or employees take care of the strays? I’m worried for when I leave, that she and others will be taken care of.

  33. Hi, Racel, Thanks for your concern about the P.I. cats. There is a group of people that do feed them over there and help to be sure they’re spayed and neutered.

  34. I just read on TripAdvisor where someone wrote in July that the cats at Atlantis are being caught & killed at night by the new owner. It said that for years the cats had been fed & spayed & neutered but a new owner doesn’t want them there so they are being trapped & killed. Is that true?

    ———-
    Helen Jul 19, 2016, 3:40 PM

    Well, believe it or not they have been inhumanely killed and taken away. On all of our trips this year we have spoken to several guest who asked the same question. This particular guest was there when the gray female cat that usually hang by the steps of comfort suites was caught and taken by a man in a white ford ranger truck who works for the k9 unit. He does the killing at night time when less persons are around. The lady that saw the killing of the cat by comfort suites was so distraught, she has vowed to never go back to Atlantis. My family and I contributed also, to the spay and neuter programmer for the cats. I know the employee you are talking about. I spoke to her and her response was sad, but to protect her job she could not say much. Apparently when Sol Kerzner, owned Atlantis he had no problem with the cats there. He also contributed to the programmes. But the new owners of Atlantis has a problem with them been there. The cat population is now down to 30%. We plan on taking this further as they are innocent animals spayed and neutered and not a threat to anyone. A lot is going on there. Staff moral is at its lowest. Speaking with them we were able to find a whole lot
    —-

  35. What is the average salary, though, please? I am planning on moving back to Nassau, but keeping my career the same. Please reply as soon as possible xx

  36. I have been feeding a cat since we got her at the Harborside at Atlantis. She does have a tipped eat but her jaw looks a little funny. She does eat and drink so I don’t think it bothers her. Are the cats feed here and looked after. This is really bothering me! I am willing to help with her.

  37. its my first time trying to adopt a animal I filled out a adoption form they told me they had to inspect the yard but I want dog for inside my house but nobody came or called me to check my yard making me feel as if they just thrown my form away I tried calling but I get no answer

  38. Good morning. Do you have any facilities where we can purchase products remotely to donate to your location? We live in Fort Lauderdale but adopted a pet from your center over 12 years ago and recognize all the good that you do. Please let us know how we can make the most effective contributions to your programs.

  39. I admire you so much for your wonderful work!

    Please update your website so that we can see all of the latest on what you are doing!

    I am so grateful for people like you who help animals.

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