Club Scuba Doo owner Herring Frye visited Blacktip Island’s animal shelter Thursday to meet the dog and cat available for adoption there. (photo courtesy of Corporate Video Australia).
Blacktip Island’s animal shelter Thursday announced its holiday goal of getting both of its animals adopted in order to empty the shelter by Christmas.
“We’ve got the dog and the cat, and we’d love to place them in adoptive homes for the holidays,” Blacktip Island Humane Society president Coryl Bleeching said. “This time of year is all about families, and these two critters will make any family smile. And if they both get adopted before the 25th, we can give the kennel caretaker the day off and save on that holiday pay.
“We have two iguanas as well, but they’re pretty self-sufficient,” Bleeching said. “Ideally, we’d like to interview potential foster families to make sure it’s a good fit and to check for sobriety. And to make things easier, we haven’t named either of the animals. Except the iguanas. They’re Burt and Ernie.”
Some on the small Caribbean island questioned the adoption process.
“That dog’s been hanging out behind Peachy Bottoms’ store for months,” Herring Frye said. “And Coryl caught the cat at the dump. She’s just out to pocket the adoption fees. I guarantee as soon as somebody adopts that cat, she’ll go out and catch another one to adopt out.
“What’s next, adopting birds on power lines?” Frye said. “Coryl needs to just leave the animals alone. Give ‘em free run of the island. This’s just her way of scamming money for nothing, at the poor animals’ expense.”
Island officials sounded the alarm on the process’ optics.
“I appreciate what Coryl’s doing, but this thing’s giving Blacktip a black eye,” de facto mayor Jack Cobia said. “News stories break about Blacktippers refusing to adopt dogs and cats, that’ll make us look heartless. Especially at Christmas time. Our tourism product can’t take that kind of hit. I’ve got a proposal in the works for the government to adopt ‘em both, give ‘em to kids on Christmas and put an end to this debacle.”
Residents bristled at that suggestion
“Not gonna have my taxes go up just so Blacktip’ll look good,” Dermott Bottoms said. “Jack wants to adopt animals, he can do that on his own dime. Or take up a collection. Me, I’d just turn both animals loose and see where they wind up. Problem solved, and nobody’d be out any money.”
Cobia said the motion to take the adoption fees from the Department of Tourism’s budget will be presented to the island Council next week. Bottoms and others opposed to the action will protest outside the Last Ballyhoo bar.
The Blacktip Times 