The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

THE government will launch a crackdown on irresponsible dog ownership, introducing fixed-penalty fines, expanding enforcement and offering an amnesty for owners to have unsterilised dogs spayed or neutered after describing recent attacks by roaming dogs as “concerning and unacceptable”.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources said the Department of Agriculture’s Animal Control Unit will increase enforcement by expanding its staff and investing in equipment needed to apprehend stray dogs.

A public education campaign will begin in August to promote responsible dog ownership and explain the legal obligations imposed on owners. Fixed-penalty fines will follow for breaches of licensing and dog-keeping requirements under the Animal Control Act.

An amnesty period will also begin in August, during which owners of dogs that have not been spayed or neutered will be encouraged to take them to a veterinary clinic or humane society for the procedures.

Owners of unlicensed dogs will be required to obtain annual licences from the Department of Agriculture.

“The Department is working with the Animal Protection and Control Board to increase its capabilities of enforcing the Animal Control Act,” the ministry said.

“In August 2026, we will commence a public service campaign to encourage responsible dog ownership and increase awareness of the legal requirements of dog ownership.”

The ministry said fixed-penalty fines would be issued after the campaign to people found violating the Act’s licensing and dog-keeping provisions.

Its statement said the Act requires dogs to be licensed, spayed or neutered, identifiable and traceable to their owners, and treated humanely. It said only owners who satisfy specific breeding criteria qualify for exemptions from sterilisation requirements and that the law also restricts ownership of dangerous and prohibited breeds.

However, Bahamas Humane Society president Kim Aranha said it was not the law that every dog must be spayed or neutered, although sterilisation is strongly encouraged.

She said the country’s roaming-dog crisis was driven entirely by irresponsible ownership rather than the animals.

“It’s not an animal problem. This is caused 100 percent by irresponsible dog owners,” she said.

Ms Aranha said the enforcement drive should target owners who allow their dogs to wander, breed and produce unwanted puppies that later join the roaming population.

“This is really aimed at the irresponsible dog owners who let their dogs wander around the streets of Nassau, producing unwanted puppies,” she said. “Those unwanted puppies are born, they grow up and then there in the streets, nobody is really caring for them, and then they in turn breed more puppies.”

She said roaming-dog attacks were preventable and animal advocates had long pressed authorities to hold owners accountable.

Ms Aranha also blamed backyard breeders for contributing substantially to the stray-dog population.

“We’ve got all these backyard breeders, and they’re responsible for a great many of the roaming dogs because people buy these dogs, they don’t take care of them and they let them wander,” she said. “This is a constant cycle until we can make people follow the law.”

She said free spay and neuter services were available through Bahamas Alliance for Animal Rights and Kindness.

The Humane Society inspects properties before approving adoptions to ensure fencing and gates are in place, but Ms Aranha said many owners still leave their gates open and allow dogs to roam.

“Many of these dogs live in properties with fences and gates, but the gates never get closed,” she said. “Why? because people are too lazy to get out of the car, close the gate and then drive to work. We have a problem in The Bahamas and it’s solvable. That’s what’s so sad.”

Ms Aranha said The Bahamas already had strong animal-protection laws and penalties, but they must be taken seriously by owners and enforcement agencies.

“They’re there, but they have to be taken seriously,” she said. “They have to be taken seriously by everybody, the owners and the people enforcing it.”

She said authorities should also pursue cases involving neglected and mistreated animals, including dogs deprived of food, water or shelter from the heat.

“People should be charged for that,” she said. “Dogs that are neglected, dogs that are not being fed, dogs that don’t have proper water, or dogs that are kept out in the sun in the summer.”