Spending a day amidst the hustle and bustle at PAWS Potchefstroom, it is clear that there is a need for help. During the festive season, Potchefstroom becomes a ghost town. During this time is when donations and help run dry.
Without sufficient resources, the animals suffer under the strain.
According to Marlise Lessing there are around 250 dogs at the moment.
“We will be expecting quite a few more strays over the festive season,” she says. Not everyone can afford a kennel, and often the dogs who are left at home, “slip out,” which leads them to PAWS. According to her sterilisation is a major issue, “People just don’t do it,” says, Marlise.
Marlise says that they can pick up, up to 10 strays a day, where three to four don’t get claimed. As funds are short in the festive season, the PAWS staff do what they can to raise funds including, doggy- wash days to selling hot-dogs. She summarises, “In December, we’re all on standby”. “As soon as we pick up a stray dog, obviously it needs to be dipped, it needs to be dewormed,” she says, and often the staff has to pay.
She stresses that PAWS would rather try and help the people who have trouble caring for their animal’s medical needs than have them be dropped at the emergency kennel. “We want to help people keep their dog even if they don’t have money,”
The local “Cat Lady,” Michelle Swart says more than 10 unwanted kittens end up at PAWS daily. She says that medication is a major issue, “I am actually buying medical supplies for these kittens,” she says, “ We as a staff club in to buy some extra medication”.
Michelle Swart
Michelle says there are about 70 adult cats and 75 kittens to take care of, thus medication is in high demand. She says that their medical supply and food supply is very low, as help is scarce over the festive season. This causes a lot of stress for staff, as the primary caregivers, “My biggest concern at the moment is to try and get funds for medicine”. We plead with the community to help with money for medication”.
Zalizna Smit says it’s difficult to see so many cats being dropped off at PAWS during the holidays, not only for the sake of the cats, but the strain the staff is put under to care for these animals. “Our cages are crowded,” she says, “When older cats come in, we don’t know where to make space anymore”.
She says there is a big need for food and urges the public to donate.
As there are a lot of poisonings during the festive season because of a heightened rate of break-ins, it also means that more sick animals arrive at PAWS’ doorstep for help.
According to another employee, who wishes to remain anonymous, proper medical care is not always available to treat these animals, “Sometimes we don’t have the proper stuff to help”. This is where funding becomes vital, as x-rays, ultrasounds, and better pain medications are in dire need. He urges the community to back PAWS up, ”Especially during festive season, welfare is the first stop. If someone sees a stray dog, they immediately think of PAWS.” He urges people to think not only of the animal, but the resources.
When people see PAWS, they see their first, and last resort.
