Amanzimtoti man extends helping hand for lost pets
Email a photo and details to jobar@skytec.co.za and Barry will print 50 A5 flyers for you to distribute.
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An Amanzimtoti animal lover is offering to print free flyers to unite owners with their lost pets. Barry Roper, an ex-32 Battalion member and past Moth provincial old bill, has experienced first-hand the anxiety of a missing pet.
“A cat that we adopted went missing and we put out flyers. The next day a woman told us where our cat was laying dead on the road after being knocked by a car. It was terrible news, but at least we had closure. Since then we often saw posts about missing animals on social media and my wife, Joyce and I, decided this would be a good way to give back.
“We have always had dogs and we are border collie fanatics. A while ago we started feeding a cat that used to visit our home and we later found out it was an elderly neighbour’s who had been put in a home. The cat had nowhere to go, so we adopted him and he lived with us for six or seven months until he died of kidney failure.
“We do monthly donations to Amanzimtoti SPCA and Cat Wings who feed feral cats. When we can afford it, we also donate to Border Collie Rescue in memory of five beautiful border collies and our current one Jill.”
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Over the years the Ropers have become adoptive parents to a clowder of feral cats. Queenie, who was run over and started the free flyers, Scrat, who came as a skinny feral, but is now a well-fed lord of the manor, Pixie the Roper’s wild child, and Romeo, who does not seem to have a home, but is a regular visitor for munchies.
If you are ever unfortunate enough to lose a pet, email a photo and details to jobar@skytec.co.za and Barry will print 50 A5 flyers for you to distribute and all he asks in return is that you make a donation to Amanzimtoti SPCA.
“On Thursday (24 October) I printed some flyers for a woman who was beside herself after her dog went missing and this morning (Monday, 28 October) she called to say her dog had been found. It’s an awesome feeling to know that we helped reunite them.”