Pets need a good home
SPCA Alberton had an influx of strays and pets being dropped off over the festive season. They are inviting people to come and have a look at the available pets to adopt.
ALBERTON – On New Year’s Eve alone, their inspector was called out 17 times to pick up strays. This was not only because of fireworks. Many animals were scared by the thunderstorms Johannesburg experienced.
Unfortunately they had dogs that were injured badly while trying to escape, getting stuck in gates or fences and cutting themselves.
The problem is that dogs can seem fine with thunderstorms and loud noises for years, so the owners assume they will be fine when left alone.
It can just take that one loud bang to scare a dog, and from then on the animal will have a problem with loud noises. So everything can be fine with your dog or cat for years, and suddenly they can have a bad reaction. It is always best to try keep your dog or cat calm during thunderstorms or when there are fireworks or any loud noises.
There are a few things you can do to help keep your pet calm:
Provide a safe spot for them to curl up in, preferably inside.
Counteract the noise by putting on the TV or radio.
Act normal and calm. If you seem panicky, your pet will pick up on this.
Give them a treat to distract them.
Close all windows, doors and curtains.
When leaving them alone, make sure they cannot get out the property or injure themselves trying. Keep them locked in a back yard if possible, with somewhere warm and cosy to sleep.
The other reason for this influx of animals was that people surrender their animals for various reasons.
While this is the better option if you cannot care for the animal anymore, it is vital that you don’t take on the responsibility of caring for an animal if you know your circumstances won’t allow this.
All animals rely completely on their owners to care for them, and it is very unfair on them if you cannot provide sufficiently. Make sure you can afford food, shelter and vets bills before you adopt.
The SPCA would also like to emphasise that owners should have their animals spayed. There are so many unwanted dogs and cats and they ask that residents help not to increase this burden.
This is the fairest thing to do for your animals and for the community in general.
For an updated list of pets available for adoption please visit the Alberton SPCA Facebook page or view the gallery.
