On November 9, a group of kind-hearted volunteers and veterinarians headed out to the Sudwala road for their second dog and cat sterilisation initiative of the year, aptly named the Schoemanskloof Sterilisation Initiative.
The first was held in May. The initiative is aimed at educating pet owners and the broader community about the consequences of non-sterile cats and dogs.
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“A female dog can have over 10 litters in her lifetime, with an average of three to five puppies per litter. That means an average female dog that is not given adequate food and healthcare can have up to six litters in her lifetime. Lets be conservative and say that we therefore saved 180 puppies from being born. We are not even talking about second and third generations,” Laura-ann Keates, one of the co-organisers of the initiative, said.
“Each year, millions of unwanted dogs and cats are killed at shelters across the country. Many, many orphans are the result of accidental breeding by free-roaming, unaltered pets. These free-roaming pets are also more often than not abused, and if they are considered as pets, there is not enough money to go around in order to buy proper pet food.”
With all this in mind, the Schoemanskloof Sterilisation Initiative was born.
A total of 36 domestic animals were sterilised on the day: 25 dogs (10 females and 15 males) and 11 cats. Combined with the prior initiative, a grand total of 52 dogs and 16 cats have been sterilised by the group of volunteer veterinarians.
“The vets worked constantly, without a break, providing their time and supplies at no cost,” Keates said.
But it was all done in goodwill and for the benefit of our furry friends!
The day would not have been possible without the generous donations by community members of necessities such as dog and cat food, aftercare for the pets, blankets and refreshments for the volunteers.
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“And then also to all of the dog and cat owners who saw how important it is to have their pets sterilised – without your consent, we would not have been able to do this at all.”
Anyone who wants to get involved by either donating or volunteering, can contact Keates on 083 278 3110.
Funding donations can be deposited into the following bank account: Steri Initiative, Capitec Bank branch code 470010, account number 2160693266.
