Good news!

Posted on May 16, 2011 by Marlies in Happy Endings, News | 1 Comment

Sammy in march 2011

Good News: Do you remember “Sammy”, the near death, starved, abused and neglected dog that was brought into the Shelter? There was something about him that made the staff decide not to euthanize him after all. With the love and attention he got at the Shelter he turned into a handsome,friendly very special dog.

The good news is that Sammy has been adopted. What a life he’s lived already in his short time. Congratulations, Sammy and to your new owners. May you have a long and happy life together!

Sammy in October 2010

Laura DeSalvo, Bonaire Reporter- May 13-27, 2011

Pet of the week: A Very Happy Ending to a Very Sad Story

Posted on December 05, 2010 by Marlies in Pet of the Week | 1 Comment

Sammy: As he looks now

Remember Sammy, the abused and neglected dog that was pictured in The Reporter October 8-22?

He was in such horrible shape, skinny and sick, but there was something about him that made the Shelter manager decide not to euthanize him. It was a good call because now Sammy, in wonderful health, is now up for adoption.

Thanks to the vet, the staff and the volunteers at the Animal Shelter Sammy is now in terrific and robust  health. His sores and the nasty results of starvation are cured. He has a wonderful attitude, gets very attached to people and loves to play.

Sammy as he was shortly after he was brought into the Bonaire Animal Shelter

He’s also good with other dogs and he loves cats, because he was raised with a little kitten (so we heard) and the two of them were inseparable.

See him at the Bonaire Animal Shelter on the Lagoen Road, open Monday through Saturday, 8 am to 1 pm and 3 to 5 pm. Tel. 717-4989.

Laura DeSalvo, Bonaire Reporter- December 3-17, 2010

500 Animals Sterilized Free!

Posted on April 22, 2010 by Marlies in News | 1 Comment

Mrs. Silda Beaumont from Amboina and her dog Kisha

The 500th sterilization of dogs and cats on Bonaire is a fact! In May 2009 the Bonaire Animal Shelter started a big project called “Bonny Superdog.” The goal was to sterilize 500 dogs and cats for free. The owner doesn’t have to pay. In this way, the Shelter wanted to contribute towards solving the overpopulation of dogs and cats problem on the island. Too many animals cause a variety of problems for people and the animals: the animals roam around, they are not fed, they get sick or hurt and they become aggressive. Consequently, too many animals have to be euthanized every year… a sad and unacceptable fact.

Number 500 – Kisha from Amboina
Number 500 was Kisha, a dog owned by Mrs. Silda Beaumont from Amboina. Kisha is a female dog of about two years old and she’s had some very beautiful puppies. “I don’t want her to have anymore puppies and that’s why I had her sterilized,” Mrs. Beaumont says. “I made the appointment with the veterinarian myself and then I called the people from the Shelter who came to pick her up, and after the operation they brought her back. She’s doing great. I love animals; to me an animal is just like a person, a child. The love I feel for a child, I feel for an animal too. 

Bonny the Superdog

Since 2002
In 2002 the Animal Shelter set up a fund for free sterilization. Ever since then, pet owners can have their dog or cat sterilized for free. The Shelter pays the bill. In 2004 the Shelter organized a special campaign during which foreign veterinarians sterilized Bonaire’s cats and dogs for free. In two weeks’ time about 250 animals were neutered and spayed. After those two weeks the campaign went on and the local vets took care of the sterilization.

Bonny the Superdog
However, the Animal Shelter felt things weren’t moving fast enough. The island was still overloaded with stray dogs and cats and an excessive amount of animals were being brought into the Shelter. An extra boost was needed. And so, the project of Bonny Superdog was born. The Shelter sought a lot of publicity to make pet owners aware of the Bonny Superdog campaign. All over the island posters were hung by volunteers and, thanks to WEB NV, flyers were delivered to each and every house on Bonaire. Also radio and TV commercials were broadcast and the Shelter put ads in the local papers and people could inform themselves through the website of the Shelter – www.animalshelterbonaire.com.

The Campaign Continues
So far, the campaign has been very successful. Pet owners can still have their dogs and cats sterilized for free. And… every pet owner gets a T-shirt and a bumper sticker as well. Call for more information: the veterinarians at 717-4255 or 717-3338 or the Shelter at 717-4989

Pioneer vet back

Posted on March 18, 2010 by Marlies in News | Comments Off

Six years after Canadian veterinarian Dr. Cheryl Yuill participated in the Bonaire Animal Shelter’s first free sterilization program in 2004, she returned to Bonaire.
Accompanied by Canadian veterinarian Dr. Mary Lovie who owns a house on Bonaire and who started the whole campaign up at the time, she visited the Shelter. “I’m glad to see so much has changed,”

Left to right: Dr. Mary Lovie, Dr. Cheryl Yuill, Shelter employee Kenneth Piar and Shelter manager Marlies Tiepel

Dr. Yuill says. “There are far fewer stray dogs on the street and the public awareness has become so much better. Several people have come up to me when they heard I was part of the first sterilization program to tell me very proudly that their dog was sterilized! I am also very impressed with the little house the Shelter has built outside their gate for people to put their unwanted animals or animals they’ve found. It’s nicer than the one we have at the shelter I work with in Canada. There we get about 2,500 cats and 1,000 dogs a year that people cannot take care of anymore. Many of those animals are adopted out, but it’s not a no-kill shelter; we also euthanize animals.

In Canada I own and work at the Blue Cross Animal Hospital, in Kitchener, Ontario, and it was my colleague, Dr. Mary Lovie, who took the initiative for the sterilization campaign in 2004.

“I came to Bonaire in 2000 to dive,” Dr. Mary Lovie says, “and in my spare time I looked up the Animal Shelter and I had a conversation with Jurrie, who was the manager in those days, about all the strays downtown and was anything done about them. I offered my services to Jurrie and he took me to Hans and Etty Lambeek, the  veterinarian couple who were then running the animal clinic at Kaminda Lagun. They were very interested when they heard I’d organized similar sterilization projects in other  parts of the world. So, we had several meetings in the following years and in 2004 we hit it off: the two Dutch vets, three American vets and Cheryl and me from Canada. We all brought our own instruments and all the other supplies, and Hans and Etty brought the drugs. From October 14th till October 31st we sterilized 302 animals and it continued after we left.

In conclusion: We’re very happy to see the island has picked up on our program, and it’s heartwarming to see the benefits. We’re highly impressed with the new sterilization campaign the Animal Shelter started last year in May. They’ve sterilized almost 500 animals. It’s been very good progress.  Amazing!”

Greta Kooistra, Bonaire Reporter, March 19- April 9, 2010