HAPPY EMANCIPATION DAY & JOYOUS HOMECOMING!

Happy Emancipation Day and Joyous Homecoming Weekend to my Bahamian friends and family. On August 1, 1834 the Slavery Abolition Act ended slavery in the British Empire. What a monumental and magnificent day. Here on the island celebrations went from August 1st through today, the 6th. Cook outs, Fish Fry Events, a Bottom Fishing Tournament, Domino Tournament, Live Music, Sailing Races...big goings on. The island is full to bursting with friends and family from far away coming back home to revel in togetherness.

I can't help but feel a little pensive on a day like this. It's a good opportunity to reflect on where I came from, and express my gratitude for where I am now. I lead a Blessed Life and enjoy so much Freedom. I don't just mean freedom to do as I please, but freedom from negative things like hunger, fear, cold, loneliness. I've known all of those things, as have many other of my kind. I was fortunate enough to find several sets of very kind humans, eventually ending up with my furever family I have now. Remembering my own early puppyhood and the gnawing of deep hunger, constant pain of an untreated broken leg, and bone chilling cold of January in the mountains of Virginia, makes me inexpressibly grateful for the security I enjoy living in the Bahamas with my People.

Remembering my own roots led me to wonder about the many dogs that live here on the island. How did they get here? What stories do they have to tell? What freedoms are they most grateful for? I decided to find the answers to these questions, and sat down with several local canines to get their two scents...er, cents. ;-)

Pic courtesy of Joelle

 Meet Stephanie & Henri. Stephani is a Shih Tzu who was born in the Bahamas and grew up on our little island here. Stephani adopted her current human after spending her first couple years living outside dodging rocks thrown by mean people and losing her puppy to a tragic case of hit and run. Stephani overcame a near-fatal case of Heart Worms and today lives a happy, well-groomed, healthy life filled with lots of love. Her favorite toys are the squeaky ones, and she can't believe it took her two years to find out about them. Some nights she'll stay up chewing and squeaking until the sun peeks through the windows. Humans love that. Stephani also enjoys chasing lizards, crabs, and bugs. Her favorite thing about living on the island is all of the insects, especially the crunchy ones! She likes the chew them up, spit them out and roll in them. Getting one's scent "just right" is something of an art, as we dogs know, and sometimes it requires the formulation of several sources. If Eau du Dead Cockroach doesn't seem quite right, sometimes Stephani will find a dead fish or some decaying plant matter and roll around in that. Ah! Perfect. We all know what happens after that, though; invariably as soon as you get your smell just the way you like it, the humans will come along and wash it all off. Harrumph!!! Ah well. Tomorrow is another day, and there is never a shortage of fantastic smells to rub on oneself. Stephani has lots of friends on the island. Her human adopted chickens that live near their house and Stephani loves them. She has mixed feelings, though, because she licked the foot of one of the chickens once and it tasted really good. She doesn't want to eat her friends, but why do they have to taste and smell so good? Thank goodness her human is diligent in reminding her that the chickens are her friends, not food. Stephani's other friends include local dogs, known as "Potcakes", and her housemate, Henri.
We'll catch up with Henri in tomorrow's post. I wonder if he enjoys the same things as Stephani.
Until next time friends, Roll, Lick, & Love, cuz Life's too short to Growl about everything.

Mahi Mahi & Rice with Batata

Nope, that's not a menu item at some fancy new restaurant. That's my dog food lately. Last week it was Chicken and Rice with Mint, and the week before that, Lamb. I just love it when we run out of the hard, crunchy store-bought "food", cuz then Mom makes me food out of whatever meat we have, rice, vitamins, ground up egg shells (calcium), and a starchy vegetable. My favorite is Batata, or White Sweet Potatoes. One of them will feed Mom & Dad, and still leave enough for her to add the leftovers to my food. Yum-O!
This week's menu makes me extra happy, since I helped catch the Mahi Mahi that Mom mixed with my rice.

I've got CRABS!

Ok, it's only one crab, but it was really BIG! It rained a whole lot recently, which reminded me of a video I've been meaning to put up for a while. I guess it was a last year at this time that we were blessed by the Great Dog in the sky with rain which chased this Land Crab out of its burrow and into the daylight. Normally these guys come out mainly at night to forage for food, but this big fella came out and walked right under Dad while he was laying in the hammock. ROFH (rolling on the floor howling), folks! I wish you could've seen how quick he jumped up when he saw that!
Tee hee!
I'd love to hear about any of your own adventures with strange creatures. Comment and share your experiences!

Until next time!
Billie-Girl

Potcake Puppy Lift

It's Sunday, and I always like to look nice on Sunday when I go to church, otherwise known as laying in the sun on the front porch.

Dredlock Dog? Maybe not.

What to wear, what to wear, what to wear?

Lady Dog In Red? No, I'll save this for Date Night.

Potcake Bandana/Collar?

I think I'll go with the Potcake collar today.
What is a "Potcake Bandana or Collar", you ask? Only some of the most comfortable, gorgeous neckwear out there! (And that's coming from an avowed doggie nudist...since I don't have to wear my collar around the house here on the island.)

Potcake Collar It Is!

Potcake Collars is a canine fashion designer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. They offer high-quality tropical print collars, bandanas, and leashes all made in the U.S.A.

My favorite is the Hawaiian Sling...

 (image from Potcake Collars site)

...or maybe the Rainforest...

(image from Potcake Collars site)

...definitely the Mako Marie. Yep. 

The Mako Marie is my favorite. (Hint, Hint, Dad!) I just wish this design's namesake, the face of Potcake Collars was still with us. Sadly, Mako has passed on to the great beach in the sky, but I think when she got to the Great Dog she whispered in her ear and asked her to send some comfort to the humans she left behind. She must have, otherwise how did they wind up with this sweet, unbelievably cute Potcake, named Tiki Marie?

Tiki Marie (image from Potcake Collars Blog)

Well, she didn't just appear on their doorstep, I'll tell you that much. The folks over at Potcake Collars along with the Humane Society of Grand Bahama organized the rescue, adoption, airlifting and intermediary care of about 90 Potcake puppies and dogs. These canines were rescued from the streets, from being trapped in abandoned vehicles, from starvation, neglect, and abuse. They were flown from Freeport to Fort Lauderdale, where big-hearted volunteers worked together to exercise the dogs, clean their cages (flying can make you sick to your stomach!), and get them aboard their second flight to furever families waiting for them out west. In the process a certain big-eared beauty and a certain canine fashion designer/potcake dog activist fell in love. What wonderful people, wouldn't you agree, my furry friends? How wonderful that so many people care about their fellow creatures enough to take them away from miserable lives that would've been cut short by starvation, disease and who knows what else. 

I give Potcake Collars and the Humane Society of Grand Bahama two paws up for giving so many dogs a second chance at life. Enjoy Florida, Tiki Marie, and if you're ever in the Exumas come see me! I'll share some fish with you.

Until then, I'll keep on spreading the good word from over there at Potcake Collars: 

"Bark, Play, Relax!"

Treats From Afar!

Sea Jerky treats for me and my Babies! (They won't eat much, so I don't mind sharing.)

What a surprise! A couple of days ago our friend and neighbor delivered the best mail there is: Treats For Me!
A nice lady out in California who works for a veterinarian and is a long-time friend of Dad sent me two big tubs of Sea Jerky treats. They smell so good that I thought Mom was going to eat them!
They are supposed to help keep my hips and joints from stiffening up. I'll admit, though I may look ageless, Time catches up even to me, and I've felt a little less than limber some mornings.
If it means maintaining my health, I suppose I'm willing to eat the delicious sea weed treats.
Thank you Nice Lady out in California!
Lots of Licks,
Billie-Girl

Back In Blogland!

“Dogs are our link to paradise. They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring--it was peace.”
― Milan Kundera

I like this quote, friends. In the first place, it says nice things about dogs. (Tail wagging: Cuz we are awesome!) In the second place, it is a lovely reminder to cherish Now, because Later is not a guarantee.

Forgive me, friends, but I am pensive this morning. I've been away from Blog World for quite a while. My human has been too busy to write for me for some time, but she has gotten her feet back under her and is back to work.
Although I've been digitally absent, my humans and I have been fully Present in the Fur Real World.

We've had plenty of adventures down here in the land of sand and sun.
In June & July, Dad's grandson came down for his first solo Bahamas visit. His Mom and family friend Tina came down with him for a short visit, then they had to return to the U.S. for work, and John stayed. We had a lot of fun for the month that he was here, and Mom, Dad, & I can't wait until this year's visit!

August brought a visit from Hurricane Isaac. No major damage was sustained here on our little piece of land, other than some shingles, and lots of salt spray on the plants.


 The winds blew in some unusual birds that Mom was delighted over.
She called them "Man O War" birds or "Frigate" birds.

They are really big, and when the males are trying to find a mate they make a booming sound like a canon. I'm glad they were all paired up when they were here, cuz I don't like loud noises.

After the weather settled back down, some friends came down on their boat for a visit. We had lots of fun. One of the kids paddled around on our kayak with me on the bow (front). 

He could paddle really FAST!  Another little boy was an expert tugger of war.

In October Hurricane Sandy paid us a visit. I heard that she was really mean to people up north in the U.S., but we were fortunate that she passed by us before she was very strong. We didn't sustain any serious damage.

Our newly built dock during her first big storm...she did GREAT.

Checking a neighbor's property for them.

I'm not sure when it was after that, but at one point there was a party where everyone dressed up like a pirate and said "Aaarrrgh!" alot. That was fun because everyone was speaking my language!

 Saint Patrick's Day rolled around after that, then Easter.

After all that kayaking, playing, storms, and PARTYING, I got to a point where I was just ready to take a time out. Dad and I enjoyed some down time with the new nesting chairs he bought for Mom.

All dogs are lap dogs no matter what size they are.

That's it for now, folks. I hope that your people are snuggling with you right now, and you are keeping each other warm.

Collar by Potcake Collars in Florida

In my upcoming posts I'd like to share an amazing project that my collar designer has taken on to help dogs here in the Bahamas. I'll feature local dogs and their stories, and there will be lots of island adventures.

I'm not sure when Mom will get the next book out, so until then I'll be posting on here and on my facebook account & youtube account. I'd love to hear from you anytime!

Public Humiliation

I have to ask, do any of you other dogs out there have to endure this sort of public humiliation? My humans like to dress me up according to whichever peopl-ish holiday it is, snap photos, and post them on facebook. Yes, on facebook...where hundreds of other people can see them. It's downright degrading, it is. I endure it, though, and do ya know why? Well, those two nearly fur-less humans of mine are just so cute, and, really, how can you say "No" to them? Though it's difficult to see here, I allowed myself to be festooned with lace ribbon & flowers for my humans' wedding.

I have been cruising around the internet a bit lately, and 

discovered that I am not the only canine who has humans fascinated by themed outfits. Over at Sarge Speaks Out poor Frankie Furter is trotted out in flowers, pajamas, a Grinch outfit, and dresses. I gotta say, though, Frankie looks quite dashing in front of a sleigh...do ya'll get it..."dashing", "sleigh"? Anyway, there is further evidence of Frankie Furter's tremendous patience on his personal page. I would love to hear any of your wardrobe victories, malfunctions, or horrors. Use the comment box below to Bark or Yip about what you endure for the sake of seeing your fur-less pets smile.