The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

VETERAN Bahamian musician Duke Errol Strachan is smiling again four months after the fatal shooting of his beloved dog ignited national outrage.

The Bahamas Department of Correctional Services has presented Mr Strachan with a four-month-old Dutch Shepherd puppy named Lassie, fulfilling a promise to compensate him for the loss.

“They compensate me. I’m satisfied,” he said. “She get along very fine.”

Mr Strachan has already begun training the lively puppy, although he has not yet introduced her to the other dogs on his Soldier Road property.

“They didn’t get the mix yet because I got her in a little kennel,” he said.

For Mr Strachan, the puppy represents more than a new companion. Her arrival marks the fulfilment of a commitment the department made after one of its officers shot and killed his three-year-old dog in March.

“They live up to their part of the bargain. They live up to their word,” he said.

The shooting occurred as correctional officers marched along Soldier Road at the end of a funeral procession for retired officer Andrew Sears.

The dog was on Mr Strachan’s property when the officer opened fire, triggering widespread condemnation and demands for accountability.

Several days later, then National Security Minister Wayne Munroe said investigators found no breach of policy. The finding meant the officer would not face disciplinary action despite the public backlash.

Along with Lassie, the department presented Mr Strachan with a cage, vaccination records and a cheque to help care for the puppy.

However, the musician said the memories of his former dog remain close to him.

“It’s a different situation, totally different,” he said. “It was mixed with hot cake. This one is purebred, but it was a good dog.”

Although Lassie cannot replace the dog he lost, she has begun carving out her own place in his life.

Correction Sergeant Vanrea Armaly-Smith, second-in-command of the department’s K-9 Unit, said officers were relieved to see Mr Strachan happy again after the controversy surrounding the shooting.

“I was really excited because we finally can get behind this negative situation,” she said. “The incident that happened prior in March brought us a little closer. He was happy, and we were happy that we could be able to make him smile again in reference to the loss of his dog.”

Mr Strachan had requested a German Shepherd, but the department instead gave him one of its Dutch Shepherd puppies, which Sergeant Armaly-Smith described as energetic.

“We presented him with a cage and a vaccination card for the dog,” she said. “Basically, the dog will not need any medical attention unless she’s sick. She’s fully vaccinated.”

Sergeant Armaly-Smith said Lassie has already mastered basic obedience commands.