Durban North: We’ve got community spirit

DURBAN North residents have proven time and time again that they have community spirit, and are anything but shy to help out fellow residents as well as the neighbourhood’s furry critters. Proof of this becomes especially evident when scrolling through the Durban North Neighbour’s (DNN) Facebook Page, which was started by resident, Kerry Haylett. The Northglen News has reported on several incidences where the group has rallied in support of missing or abandoned animals.

The community spirit:
According to Haylett, she started the group when she moved to the area about 18 months ago.

“I didn’t know where anything was and especially wanted to find out about the little shops and businesses in the area. From there, it has just spiralled and snowballed into this amazing group. I have met so many lovely people and found that people are extremely willing to help wherever they can,” she said.

The group has garnered almost 3 500 members, and in addition to some advertising, residents regularly post requests for information or assistance from their neighbours. One of the appeals that stood out for Haylett was that of a retired elderly gentleman who did not have enough funds to buy himself a suit for church. A request was posted on the group, and soon five residents offered assistance.

“When we finally delivered the suit to him, he sat down and cried. It was just a truly touching and amazing moment,” she said

 

Assisting furry critters:
However, a big topic on the page is missing and abandoned pets. Almost every second post on the site relates to a resident desperately trying to track down their missing pets or of residents trying to find homes for abused and/or abandoned animals.

One of these posts involved a two-year-old-pooch that was thrown out of a car on the M4 recently. After two days, resident, Jenny Cooney, finally rescued the dog, now affectionately known as ‘Lady’.

Through the assistance of the Facebook group, they were able to raise R2 500, used to have her spayed, de-wormed, vaccinated and microchipped.  She is now being fostered by fellow resident, Penny Toubkin, until she is permanently adopted.

From the leftover funds collected for Lady, Haylett said they started a Durban North Neighbour’s Rescue Fund at the Ashburne Veterinary Clinic in Glenashley, which they will use to assist other animals like Lady.

“Through material donated to us by the members of the group, we have begun making dog beds, which we will be donating to the various animal organisations and selling to the general public to raise funds for the Rescue Fund. People can donate R50 to R150 in exchange for one of the doggie beds. So far we have raised R3 000,” she said.

Now the group is also trying to find a home for another pup. The one-year-old-pup was rescued from the corner of Spruce and Saffron Avenues. While Saffron, as she has been temporarily named, is a bit nervous around people, she soon steals the heart of everyone she meets with her sweet nature. She has been vaccinated, dewormed, and sterilised with some of the Rescue Funds. She is currently staying in a Project Dog foster home.

“We appreciate the support from the group members, who have opened up their hearts to help these animals. The owners of the clinic have made it their mission to give back to the community, and helping these animals is our way of doing so,” said Diane Best, practice manager at the veterinary clinic.

If you would like to adopt Lady or Saffron contact Quicha Morgado on 083 272 7201.

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