Dedicated team build hope for valley animals
One of the boys who assist the KZN Valley Dogs, Siyethemba Ngcobo, said he has always loved dogs as they are playful and friendly.
EVERY Sunday morning, come rain or sunshine, holidays, Christmas or birthdays, the KZN Valley Dogs team sets off into the valley in vehicles loaded with pots of cooked bone meal, mince and rice and bags of dog pellets.
The team follow three predetermined routes in order to cover as much of the vast area as they can and in each of the three routes, they have children from the community who accompany them.
ALSO READ: Duo aims to build animal shelter in Valley of 1000 Hills
They assist with feeding, crowd control, basic medical care, education and are the organisation’s eyes and ears in the community during the week.
One of the boys who recently celebrated his 17th birthday with the team, Siyethemba Ngcobo said his love for dogs was what made him join the KZN Valley team. “I used to see the wonderful work they do and the care they have for dogs,” he said.
The youngster, who has been working with the NPC for just three months, had made an impact as he is considered an invaluable member.
Siyethemba said he has always loved dogs as they are playful and friendly.
“I love that they show pure affection when you give and show them love.”
The KZN Valley Dogs was started by Anthony Asher-wood and his fiancé Danielle Jorre.
Asher-Wood is an off-road biker and would often ride his bike in the Inanda Valley around the Inanda Dam. He noticed the condition of the dogs in the area and he and Danielle started feeding the dogs in the area on a Sunday morning.
ALSO READ: Kloof SPCA rescues two distressed dogs from extreme heat in Inanda Valley
Soon they were joined by their friend Carolyn Pierrot and the project has grown from strength to strength in five years.
KZN Valley Dogs is now a registered NPC which feeds about 700 dogs and 70 cats every week and the numbers keep growing. Even pigs, goats and chickens are fed.
Salome Meyer-Louwrens, who is a coordinator for one of the routes, said there are communal stops where people bring their dogs for food (and many dogs just turn up by themselves) and we also stop at some homesteads.
“Each dog is provided with a bowl of dog pellets covered with delicious cooked food. It is amazing to see the improvement in the dogs’ condition since we started,” she said.
She said they also work with the community providing food and basic health care, as well as sterilisation of the animals.
“Hillcrest Veterinary Hospital and Pulse Veterinary Clinic assist us with medical care and we have a good relationship with the Kloof and Highway SPCA.
“The Do More Foundation, RCL Foods and Gabrielle Faickney Charitable Trust provide us with a monthly donation of Bobtail dog pellets. During lockdown we provided many needy families with food parcels, in conjunction with organisations such as The Robin Hood Foundation, “she added.
Since the organisation is primarily a feeding scheme, the main item on their wishlist is food: dry dog food, dry cat food, chicken food, tinned food, bone meal and any other meat, rice and pasta. They are also need items such as dewormers, tick and flea treatments, collars and leads, blankets and kennels.
To assist, contact them via their Facebook page, KZN Valley Dogs or email kznvalleydogs@gmail.com.
Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting
Dear reader, As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19. Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za).
Do you want to receive alerts regarding this and other Highway community news via Telegram? Send us a Telegram message (not an SMS) with your name and surname (ONLY) to 060 532 5409. You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. PLEASE NOTE: If you have signed up for our news alerts you need to save the Telegram number as a contact to your phone, otherwise you will not receive our alerts. Here’s where you can download Telegram on Android or Apple.
