Changing the future, one dog at a time
Seven dogs were collected and brought back to the Heritage Veterinary Clinic in Hillcrest to be sterilised.
IT was an exciting moment for the staff from the Mike Hardwhich Foundation as they went down into the rural area near Hillcrest to collect the 1 000th dog to be sterilised.
Caramel, a six month old canis Africanis with a friendly and bouncy personality, was one of seven dogs to be collected that day and brought back to the Heritage Veterinary Clinic in Hillcrest to be sterilised.
Caramel and her three siblings, who were also sterilised, are owned by a grandmother and her grandchildren. Such projects are vital to not only improve the lives of the dogs and prevent further unwanted pregnancies but are also a blessing to the owners.
“The foundation is helping make not only Caramel’s life a little better, but that of the children as it means fewer mouths to feed by stopping any more puppies from being born,” said Melissa Schreiber, fundraising and marketing manager for the Mike Hardwhich Foundation.
The non-profit foundation was established by Dr Lowry in 2013 when he was doing a film in the rural valley and saw the need to provide free spaying and neutering services to dog owners in the rural areas to curb the suffering and overpopulation of their pets.
“It really struck me one day when I drove through underprivileged areas to get to a film shoot that not 15kms from my practice were hundreds of dogs that had never seen a vet in their lives. More concerning was that these dogs were procreating at a rate that is almost incomprehensible when you think about it.
“What was happening to all those puppies? What kind of life would await them in an environment where the owners haven’t got the financial resources or accessibility to a vet? It is truly ‘survival of the fittest’, but for many the reality is an early death, either by human hand or abandonment and starvation, or a life of roaming, foraging or forming hunting packs. How big a part could I play to help stem the tide of unwanted dogs?” said Dr Lowry.
Dr Lowry estimates there are at least 600 000 animals in the rural areas, so while 1 000 dogs may seem like a drop in the ocean, the huge impact will be felt in years to come as it is estimated that an unsterilised animal and its off-spring can produce over 60 000 lives in six years.
The short-term benefit is also huge as not only is the quality of the dogs improved, each dog is dewormed, vaccinated, treated for ticks and mange and sterilised at the clinic. The owners have fewer animals to worry through unwanted pregnancies and the male dogs stay at home, wander less, cause less fights and become calmer.
“With 1 000 dogs now sterilised, you can only imagine how many unwanted pups have been prevented. By giving up his lunch hours, Dr Mike is able to operate on up to 50 dogs a week,” said Schreiber.
While Dr Lowry gives his time for free, there are fixed costs like equipment, vaccines, medication and vehicle running costs into the townships which need to be covered. Each sterilisation costs R500 a dog and with a vehicle load of on average ten dogs per trip, this means each trip costs around R5 000 to fund.
“Our performance relies solely on the donations of the public and how many trips we are able to make is funds-related. Sponsors are vital to keep this project running,” said Schreiber.
To find out more, visit www.mhfoundation.org.za or call the clinic on 031 765 2123 or Melissa on 079 528 6626.
