Vryheid SPCA Chairman’s report – ‘2017 has kept us on our toes’
Stephan Vickers touched on several of the obstacles and daunting challenges that the organisation has faced, as well as the accomplishments and successes that 2017 has held for them.
“THE 2017 financial year has been a challenging one,” reports Vryheid SPCA Chairman, Stephan Vickers. “It has kept everybody at Vryheid SPCA on their toes…”
In his annual Chairman’s report, following in the wake of the Vryheid SPCA Annual General Meeting, which was held at the SPCA on July 31, Vickers touched on several of the obstacles and daunting challenges that the organisation has faced, as well as the accomplishments and successes that 2017 has held for them.
“Due to the fact that the SPCA is completely dependent on donor funds,” explains Vickers, “fundraising is a big part of running a successful operation and played a time-consuming role throughout the functionality of Vryheid SPCA.
“The committee and staff capitalised on a few of the events that were held in Vryheid, such as the Mayfair, the airshow, several market days and fundraising rallies, like hamburger and worsroll sales.”
ALSO READ: Get snapping like the ‘puparazzi’ for the SPCA Pet Photo Competition
“With the help of volunteers,” he adds, “we also had some really fun and successful individual fundraising events, like the Spring Dance that was held at Vryheid Ski-boat Club and the hugely successful Bloemfest music festival that was held on the banks of Bloemveld Dam. All of these events have helped to lighten the ongoing financial burden that the SPCA faces on a yearly basis. We thank the community for their support in making these events a success.”
2017 saw Vryheid SPCA attend to 47 animal cruelty complaints, as well as providing affordable sterilisation to low income pet owners through two successful ‘steri-campaigns’ where they also focused on addressing the paramount importance of sterilisation and vaccination of pets.
“To put it in perspective,” states Stephan, “one unspayed female dog and her unspayed offspring, can produce up to 67 000 puppies in six years. It is similar with cats, 66 088 offspring in six years too…”
He continues, “The 45 animals that were spayed during these campaigns equates to approximately 3.015 million animals over the next six years that would have been added to the population. One third of that is roughly a million possible cruelty cases that were subsequently prevented.”
29 animals were rehomed in 2017, according to the report, despite the somewhat costly adoption fees, which are directly affected by an increase in fees by the local veterinarian services utilised by Vryheid SPCA. In spite of these increases, the SPCA still managed to keep their prices the same in order to promote adoption as much as possible.
“We want to express that the SPCA promotes responsible pet ownership,” states Stephan. “The adoption fees are based on sterilisation, injections, and vaccinations, deworming and chipping of the animal being adopted. We also take into account the capability of the possible new owner in terms of his or her ability to afford a vet if the animal gets injured or becomes ill…”
ALSO READ: Fears mount over Vryheid SPCA’s imminent financial collapse
He adds, “A big thank you goes out to those who have opted to adopt a companion at the SPCA.
“We have faced some challenges in the 2017 financial year at Vryheid SPCA,” he continues. “We did not receive the annual donation from the municipality in 2017. The payment was due in November/December of 2017 and was only received in May/June 2018. While this placed Vryheid SPCA’s financial situation under significant pressure, we still managed, through hard work and dedication, to end the financial year debt free.”
In addition to general renovations and improvements to the office and premises, Vryheid SPCA has initiated a small shop with items for sale to the public, in order to generate a much-needed additional income for the struggling non-governmental organization.
“We, the Vryheid SPCA, extend our sincere gratitude to our loyal donors and sponsors who have supported us in so many ways,” he reports. “Without this support, we will not be able to function effectively in our duties to the community. We thank the local veterinarians for their services in terms of sterilisations and other animal health care services. We thank the community who support their SPCA and, as the management committee, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to the staff members at Vryheid SPCA for their loyalty and steadfast continuous good work in the duties entrusted to them.”
