Some dogs’ lives are only for the homeless children to wish for

I remember way back when one had to have a licence to keep a dog.

This was a municipal bylaw, strictly enforced. One had to buy the dog licence from the local SPCA. The licences had to be renewed annually. People were also restricted to the number of canines they were allowed to keep and they had to meet certain requirements.

In my hometown, for example, a maximum of four dogs were permitted per 1 000m2 of property space. The property also had to have at least 125m2 of lawn and garden space available per dog and the dogs were to have sufficient covered shelter.

These measures not only ensured that dogs were properly taken care of, but it also meant that the SPCA were guaranteed a constant revenue stream, as half the money paid for dog licences were kept by the SPCA to subsidise its operations.

The other half of the licence fees were kept in trust to be used annually at the discretion of the municipality for the advancement of animal health.

The other day, enjoying a drink at a beachfront restaurant in Cape Town, I noticed that many people were accompanied by their canines – groomed to perfection, well-mannered, trained, and treated like royalty.

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Some restaurants even offer watering stations for canine customers so that their owners don’t have to worry about their babies’ wellbeing in the heat.

While the little furry babies were cuddled and kissed, the topic of conversation in our group, however, centred around the growing number of child beggars harassing patrons at the restaurant.

One grimy little girl of about six, demanded my attention. She has obviously never experienced the luxury of shampoo and definitely has no one who cares about washing her clothes.

School is not in her frame of reference and she is dependent on small change for her very survival.

The way she looked at those little dogs, was fascinating. “Would you like a little puppy one day?” one woman asked her.

Her reply was not what I expected.

“I’d like to be one,” she said