WATCH: People stream in to spend their 67 Minutes at Sandton SPCA

Businesses and individuals streamed into Sandton SPCA to share some cuddle time with cats and dogs for Mandela Day on 18 July. Michelle York from Sandton SPCA said she was hopeful that people would stop by the SPCA to spend 67 minutes with the animals and give much-needed donations.

“Our facilities are well maintained and the animals are happy and there is a general feeling of hopefulness here. We hope that today will bring new feet through the doors to interact with the animals. We also hope that people won’t just come on Mandela Day, but come back during the year. We are so fortunate to have companies that come for 67 minutes and return again later in the year,” said York.

Companies and individuals were encouraged to donate animal food or R67 and give 67 minutes of cuddle time with cats or wagging tail time with the dogs.

Jamaine Krige from Medi Response ambulance services in Melrose said her team decided to visit and spend time with the animals and also raise awareness by publicising photographs of the animals up for adoption.
Hot Dogs Mobile Grooming Salon was stationed at the SPCA for the day, grooming all of the dogs free of charge.

Visitors were also encouraged to donate dog jerseys via the ePETStore to keep the dogs warmer in the winter months. Jerseys can still be donated by logging onto www.epetstore.co.za.

Sam Girnun from Sandton Sinai School visited the SPCA with two of his friends and said, “We have come to give a donation because we know the SPCA doesn’t have enough money to feed all these animals. The cats are cute and it’s fun to play with them.”

Jannicke Boyle of MSC Sports said she and her six-member team from the marketing agency decided to branch out and make a difference for animals on Mandela Day. “We love animals and they are close to our hearts. We usually do something sporty for Mandela Day, but decided to do something different this year and give our time to the animals,” said Boyle.

York said the Sandton SPCA costs R400 000 to R500 000 to run each month and relies heavily on donations from the public to keep going. They house up to 90 dogs and 80 cats at one time. The public is encouraged to donate food, kitty litter and consumables regularly to keep the organisation afloat. People can still stop by for 67 minutes on Saturday if they were unable to visit on Mandela Day.

Details: www.sandtonspca.org.za

What did you do for Mandela Day? Tell us how you spent your 67 minutes on the Sandton Chronicle Facebook page.