Potcake of the Month Contest

Goombay is a Potcake from Nassau Bahamas! My family has been vacationing to Nassau ever since I was 3 years old (I am 33 now!), it’s our second home! I took my fiance down with us for the first time in April 2022. I have a friend from highschool that helps out with Potcake Puppy Palace and connected me with the caretakers there. My mom and I went to visit when we were down there and helped out with all the puppies. We also brought with us a bunch of carriers, food etc. from what people donated through Amazon. Since it’s hard to get Amazon packages down there we were able to help bring them resources they needed. During our time there, I had organized with the Palace to be a flight angel for two really cute potcake brother and sister! A few days later, we met at the airport and we flew home with these two loves. Although we only fostered for a couple weeks, I was so sad to let them go. They were adopted to lovely homes so that made me feel better, but it confirmed I needed a pup. Nearly a month later, my friend from high school sent me a photo of a pup that was coming to Boston but his foster fell through…I took one look and was like this is my puppy…We picked him up mid May and the rest was history…My husband and I were getting married that July so it was a lot to figure out, but he helped calm my anxiety and depression I struggle with. He was so calm and imprinted on me the moment I brought him home. I named him Goombay because of my love and history with Nassau. He is mixed with 19 different breeds and filled with SO MUCH personality. We recently connected with his sister, Destiny that still lives in The Bahamas and we What’s App daily (Goombay and Destiny are TWINS!) Hoping one day they can meet! Goombay is the light of our lives and he is a Boston Boy now. Although, he may miss the Caribbean beaches, we have a beach right down the street and it’s his favorite place to go! His fave toy are sticks and will dissect any stuffed animal you give him. He loves his best doggy friends and loves people even more. He loves his big brother (adopted black lab who is 13!) and loves chasing squirrels and bunnies! Goombay Smash D’Amico saved me emotionally every since May 2022 and without going and taking those two angels home in April, I would have never received that text in May asking to help out with Gooms (formally know as Mai Tai haha) Anyways, please see some cute cute pics of Goomies <3 Potcakes for life

-Ariana D’Amico

Reef is our Prince. He is very smart. He was born in Turks & Caicos in November 2013. We adopted him at 12 weeks old in February 2014. He loves exploring the High Desert of Central Oregon as well as running on the beach at the Oregon Coast. We are so lucky he is part of our family.

–  Debbie Manies

Mello was my first Potcake and I got him when I worked on a US Navy project on Andros Island Bahamas. One of my friends, Suzy, asked me if I wanted a dog and I told her yes. Then she said there are 3 and you have to take them all. I wasn’t going to be able to take all of them so I spoke to some other friends and we each took one of the pups. Mello knew and loved everybody he met on Andros and his favorite thing was to go down to the beach. This photo is from when he was old and we had moved to Virginia. We lost him a number of years ago when he was 23 years old but we had a great life together and I have had potcakes since.

– Mike Parker

Fritter loves going anywhere as long as she’s with Mom and Dad. She loves all food but will especially eat her veggies (asparagus is her favorite veggie) Fritter LOVES running around the beach and soaking up the sun. Sometimes she still digs for crabs in the sand like all her potcake crew back in the day! Fritter was diagnosed with Addison’s Disease at age 3 and is well taken care of with daily steroids and monthly injections- she’s high maintenance. Because of this she gets scared easily and needs extra cuddles and love. Anyone she knows she absolutely adores. She is truly a blessing to our lives and our favorite adventure buddy. We love our little Fritter.

-Ashley & Michael

Otis was rescued after Category 5 Hurricane Matthew in 2016.  Our caretaker saved him, his sister, and his brother in Lowe Sound on North Andros, Bahamas, just before the hurricane blew through, destroying most homes. We were in Oregon watching the Category 5 hurricane on the weather channel as it made landfall on our island. When the storm passed, we loaded our plane, picked up another girl in Texas who wanted to help, and headed to Florida for supplies. When we arrived, we gave food and medical attention to these three tiny puppies. After making several trips back and forth with chainsaws, tarps, supplies, and food to help aid the locals, we headed back to Oregon. Otis wasn’t doing so well. He was one pound and so sick that he could not eat. He had to receive an IV daily, be force-fed, and have him sleep in our bed at night. He slept on Roy’s neck every night for the first week. After careful nurturing, Otis, his sister named Rizzo, and his brother named Rocco were finally healthy. When I asked my husband if we could keep Otis, he said, “I would not be allowed to foster anymore if I couldn’t give him up.” Well, guess who ended up wanting to keep him? And he still sleeps in our bed! 

We are so happy to have Otis a part of the pack. He is a great help when we foster other puppies, taking them under his wing and teaching them new things. However, we love him even more for his expressive qualities. At times, he shares his opinions through amusing snorts, huffs, and sneezes. He is full of personality, and we adore him for it!

• Sondra and Roy

Etta and Abby came into our lives on the island of Andros. Unfortunately, they had it ‘ruff’ before their rescue! They were small enough to sit on one of my size twelve sandals. They had bloated bellies when we first met, but thanks to the good care they received on Andros and upon our return to the Pacific Northwest, they are both thriving. From our very first meeting, both pups were very eager to please, and they fit into our lives seamlessly. What a delight it was to see them bouncing and fumbling around as puppies while their worlds expanded.

Etta is a wonderful companion. She is always up for new experiences and meeting new people. What a smart dog she is! She recognizes family friends (and other animals) even when it has been years since their last meeting. I couldn’t ask for a more loyal, kind, and protective pal. While she is protective and alert, she is also easygoing and trusting. What a treat it is to take Etta into the city and let her sit on my lap over brunch at an outdoor table in Portland.

Abby loves to cuddle more than anything! She is the fastest runner in town and towers over her sister Etta by a few inches. It’s hard to believe she was so fragile and the runt of the litter, but with TLC, Abby quickly became incredibly healthy and strong. A point of curiosity; her nails grow so much faster than her sister’s nails…that’s because she was born to run! She must have had an incredibly fast Mother or Father?

These pups are survivors. We often wonder who the Potcakes’ parents were. Perhaps they even had different Fathers?

What a blessing these two dogs have been to our family. They are both so smart and loyal. They are clearly as grateful for their human family as we are to have them.

-Jon and Jan

Gus was our first Potcake, initially named Angus. We owned a Shiba Inu named Jackson in our beginning trips to the Bahamas, who usually didn’t like other dogs but became a great friend to Gus. After being homeless for four years, we decided to have Gus become a part of our family.

Gus learned to survive all of those years by wandering the neighborhood for handouts and scavenging the bushes for food. He became a great family dog that quickly learned how to perform tricks for treats and was particularly good at playing dead. Gus loved to fish. It didn’t matter whether he was on a boat, standing in the water, or floating on a raft. He was always searching for the little minnows. We had to be careful with our bait because Gus would snatch them from the bait box when we weren’t looking. Gus was a great traveler and loved cars, planes, and our RV bus. Several times we caught him jumping into other people’s cars or trunks.

Rather than having a bridesmaid and best man, Gus and Jackson walked us down the dock at Kamalame Cay in the Bahamas, where we got married in 2010. Gus moved to Oregon with us in 2014 and lived a good 16 years of life.

-Sondra

On vacation, in the Abacos, I found my best friend Bacardi. We were walking the main road on Marsh Harbour when Bacardi started to follow us. I went into a local coffee shop where the owner informed us that she is a stray and due to her already taking some home, Bacardi was left to wander around the shop and greet passersby. After some convincing my dad, we left with my fur-ever friend Bacardi. I’ve been lucky to have her by my side since 2013. She’s shared in the adventures of my twenties, meeting my husband, and now the adoption of our son. Growing through life with Bacardi and Violet (our second adopted Potcake) has been a true blessing.

-Sarah

Bay was found abandoned with her 2 sisters as puppies (maybe a few weeks old) and was rescued by the North Abaco Potcake Rescue and taken to Marsh Harbour. We saw a picture of her and immediately knew she belonged with us. We already had one Potcake, Niko, and thought it was time to add another. Since she was found at Hatchet Bay, we decided to make her Bay. Niko & Bay have been the best of friends from the beginning. Potcakes are the best, most loving, kind-hearted dogs. Niko was also rescued from Marsh Harbour.

Penny came from Andros, Bahamas. She was found in a marina called Morgan’s Bluff with three of her pups and was also pregnant with thirteen more. Today she lives with two other dogs, Teddy and Ellie Mae, chickens, goats, and a cat. She’s a couch potato but loves to rough house with Teddy. She’s goofy, sweet, and the protector of the house. Penny was a fence jumper when she first came to us, but now she would rather figure out where the food is, and boy does she love food! She was still thin when she came to me, but now she’s going on a diet! Penny loves to sit in the kitchen during dinner time looking for any type of scraps, and she’s even grabbed play-doh that fell. There is nothing she hasn’t tried to grab if it falls. Penny loves to go on walks and likes to swim. She’s a great travel buddy. Penny has traveled with the family all the way from Florida to Maine. She loves the cooler weather and running through the woods. We love her to pieces and are very happy to have provided her with a home!

-Rachel

We arrived on Andros for our annual spring fishing trip on March 13th, 2022. On our first day there we noticed a beautiful, but awfully thin, female Potcake hanging around the lodge.  It was obvious to us she was nursing pups. The locals told us she was a stray and no one claimed her as their’s. As I shared my meals with her, she quickly became our friend and I named her Sadie. We found her den and saw her beautiful eight puppies. She was a devoted mom and trusted us with them. It was a moving experience and we hated to say goodbye at the end of our 10-day fishing trip. We had friends in Behring Point buy as much dog food as they could find and feed her for us at her den. The morning we departed I smooched her and told her I’d be back for her. Fast forward to the end of April and I arrived back in Andros for the sole purpose of finding Sadie and her pups to bring them back to the U.S. and find them homes. Not more than five minutes after I got out of the taxi at the lodge, she came walking up the driveway. I was overjoyed as she seemed to remember me and her tail was wagging when I called her name. Over the course of a week I managed to capture five of her six surviving pups. It was exhausting work; I never slept more then four or five hours at a time because my mind was on high alert listening for Sadie and her pups. She was amazing and so smart; on two different nights she brought puppies to my room in the middle of the night. She got my attention with a distinct high-pitched yelp; I’d sit up in bed and go open the door. Sure enough she was sitting 20’ away with them; I imagined her saying: “Here they are, now catch them”.  And I did. I hired a vet to come to the lodge to give Sadie and her puppies their exams and vaccines. On April 27th we departed Andros for FL. All the dogs handled it well and we were hosted by dear friends for a couple of days before making our way home to Anchorage, AK. We decided to keep Sadie and one of her male pups we named Frankie. We found homes for all the puppies with family and friends; none had to go to rescues. We have three adult golden retrievers, and after about a week-long transition everyone got along great! The whole experience was very rewarding and something I will cherish for the rest of my life. We love Sadie and Frankie and are so happy to have them and give them a loving home.

I couldn’t have done this whole journey without the help of some very special people. A special thank-you to: my hosts at the lodge; Fiona at the Bahamas Humane Society; our friends Harry & Shae Neymour; Roy & Sondra Armstrong of Potcake Rescue; their friend Toothpick; veterinarian Dr. Keith Cox; and John & Wendi Skinner

-Jennifer Anderson

Miles is a true Potcake, he loves to toss himself on his back, belly exposed, and roll around. He does this while at the dog park, in the morning on the bed, in front of my parent’s Chiweenie, and just about anywhere else. “Potcakes gotta Potcake” I’ll exclaim! Miles LOVES our Saturday hike with friends. He’ll start whimpering the second he knows where we are going and by the time we get there is a ball of excitement. He’s great off-leash with recall but will bulldoze or jump over anything in his way at full speed, so he stays on a leash when other people and small pups are around. Miles isn’t a cuddler but he is very protective of me and our home. In the mornings after I wake up, he will lay curled up against my legs before moving from the bed to the sofa in the living room. I adore Miles and his companionship is everything to me. I will be forever thankful to the people who worked hard to get him to me.

-Wendy