Caitlin’s love locked in with SPCA
The Kloof resident hopes to raise more than R10 000 for the Kloof and Highway SPCA during the Dog Box Challenge.
NO shelter, cold, abandoned on the side of the road and with nowhere to go.
This is the life of many unwanted animals.
Giving a voice to the voiceless is just one of the selfless acts Caitlin Naylor will undertake when she is voluntarily locked up in a kennel for the Kloof and Highway SPCA‘s annual Dog Box Challenge.
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For 24 hours, 24 participants will sit in their respective cages in the socialisation cages with a canine companion.
This will start at midday on the Friday and they will all be released the following day at the same time.
Once in their cages, supporters need to help them raise enough funds to secure their release.
The 25-year-old said she participated in the event last year and raised a total of R6 000 but hopes to meet and surpass the target of R10 000.
“When in the kennel you can pass time by chatting to other competitors, reading a book or making mosaics.”
People constantly pass by and you almost get a sense of what it is like to be one of the gorgeous animals waiting in there to be noticed, picked to be part of a new family or completely looked over.
Then night sets in and the roosters start to crow from 2am. It is quite a humbling experience,” she said.
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Caitlin met up with the Highway Mail during the Easter weekend to chat about her passion for animals and the upcoming challenge.
https://www.facebook.com/SPCAKloof/photos/a.410673856647.210652.403464226647/10155024311811648/?type=3&theater
Her love for animals is quite clear as on one of her fingers you can find a ring that has the imprint of a heart and a tiny paw.
The Kloof resident wears her heart on her sleeve and her love for all four-legged friends is evident in her face as she admits her reason for not volunteering her spare time at the organisation.
“I truly would love to spend all my time here. But I just couldn’t do it because I would want to take all of these animals that don’t get homes back home with me. I know that I can’t.”
“My heart goes out to the animals that are here and the work done by the Kloof and Highway SPCA is admirable.
“By taking part in this competition I am able to help contribute in some small way to the work that they do. If I can’t take the animals home with me I can at least help them in some way,” she said.
Last year, her companion in her allotted kennel was her loving poodle, Oliver.
As her best friend for 19 years, Caitlin was devastated when she had to make the difficult choice to put him down a month ago.
“I had him since I was seven years old and he was literally my life-long friend.”
This year she will do things a little differently and will sit with one of the Kloof and Highway SPCA dogs up for adoption and hopefully help find it a forever home.
When asked how many pets she has at home she quipped, “not as many as I would like.”
She does, however, have two fish tanks, two loving dogs and three gorgeous cats.
Since she is unable to volunteer at the local non-profit organisation, she has teamed up with them in another way by donating towards one of the rooms in the cattery.
“I encourage Highway residents to make a donation towards my stay in one of the kennels. For each individual or business that makes a donation of R1 000 or more, I will gladly display their names or businesses in my kennel,” she said.
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