Update on local community events

Hi everyone,

Abandoned, the website that supports the love and care of all pets, has sent us their monthly newsletter updating us with all of the fantastic community events happening in your area. Here are a few taken from the newsletter, but be sure to sign up yourself at www.abandoned.co.za.

TEARS – Charity ShopThanks to the overwhelming support from the community, TEARS (The Emma Animal Rescue Society) is delighted to announce that we have now opened a fourth Charity Shop at 149 Main Road, Muizenberg (opposite Muizenberg Park)! Being a NGO, TEARS does not receive funding from the government, and relies entirely on the generosity of the general public and animal lovers. A great way to help us if you are unable to provide financial aid is by supporting our Charity Shops – by either donating unwanted items, visiting and acquiring fantastic bargains, or volunteering your services to help.

Our shops have a vast selection of goods for sale – from antiques and collectables, household items and jewellery to quality, fashionable clothing for gents, ladies and children – we have it all! We are open from Monday to Friday from 09h00 to 17h00 and Saturdays from 09h00 to 13h00. Our other shops are situated at Harry Goemans Centre, Main Road, Bergvliet and Recreation Road, Fish Hoek, and at our premises in Lekkerwater Road, Sunnydale, which is open on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 09h00 – 13h00.
All proceeds directly support our rescued animals. Donations are always gratefully appreciated! For more information, contact the TEARS Office on 021 785 4482.

PUPP’s Raffle
PUPP’s raffle will return to Howard Centre, Pinelands on Friday 24th, Sunday 26th November and Sunday 3rd December 2006, from 9am to 5pm. Our presentation and tickets sales were most successful on the weekend of 29th/30th September and I would like to thank Cheryl Hopkins, Shirley Newton and Philiswa for their help and really great effort.Should you have one, or more, of these times free to help us raise funds for our sterilization campaign in the poor and destitute settlements of Cape Town, please call Annette on 021 696 5294 or 072 1061487. Perhaps you would like to sell a booklet to friends and family and receive your own free ticket.1st Prize – Accommodation for 4 at Ngwenya Lodge, bordering the Kruger National Park, for the week 24th November to 1st December, 2007 worth R10 000.00 (transport not included)2nd Prize – Dinner to the value of R720.00 at Peddlars on the Bend, Constantia 3rd Prize – A deluxe barbecue set4th Prize – A gift hamper of Charlotte Rhys perfume and beauty products5th Prize – 3 Litre Magnum Welgemeend Estate Douelle 2000

TEARS – Book Sales, Longbeach MallLike to get your nose stuck in a good book? Then why not support our Book Sales at Longbeach Mall! We have a vast library of books, itching to have their scripts red and pages turned.26 October (Outside Pick ‘n Pay)27 October (Outside Pick ‘n Pay)23 – 24 November (Outside Pick ‘n Pay)

Animal Rescue Organisation – 21st Birthday Party
Animal Rescue has reached the big 21 and we are planning a huge party on the night of Saturday 27 October 2007 at the Groote Schuur High School, Palmyra Road, Newlands. (Right next to the cricket stadium). Top SA comedian Allan Committie (Defending the Caveman & Laugh Out Loud,Mnet) will be our entertainment and Charmaine Noy from Kfm will be our MC. We are sure it will be a hilarious night of fun followed by a Disco featuring all the best loved dance hits up to present day.
Tickets are selling now for R175 pp which includes supper and Alan Committie’s show and the disco until 12pm. We have some corporates who may book a table or two for their staff, so consider this for your friends and colleagues. Karen@animalrescue.org.za or call me 021-3965511/ 072 019 6292.

We’re still looking for JACK the missing puppy

Jack went missing from his daddy’s garden on 18 September at about 18:00. He stays in Bellevue Road in Sea Point, Cape Town. Jack is an Alsation cross Husky and is only 11 weeks old. Jack was wearing a canvas material collar.If you have seen Jack or know where he is please call Astrid on 021 421 0500 or 084 400 42 11. (Abandoned.co.za)

Kitten Season!!

I spent the most of today searching for a kitten to adopt. After ‘booking’ one at the local AACL, I arrived to find that my kitten had already been adopted by another devoted pet owner. I then phoned around to the other local animal adoption agencies to find a cat (I was that determined to get one!) and I was certainly surprised.

Not only is kitten season not in full swing yet, but the prices of kittens from animal adoption agencies has skyrocketed since the last ‘kitten season’. The SPCA requires that you pay a R100-00 deposit, then they check out your home. If approved, you may then go and pick your kitten and pay the rest of the fee – R250-00. Initially I thought that this was a bit steep, but then I considered what was included…

- the first injections (usually about R200-00)
- the sterilization (also largely expensive)
- micro chipping (so that you can always find your cat if s/he goes missing)

Which means that you are not only saving money, but are purchasing a fail safe method of reuniting your family with your cat should it ever go missing.

Still, it seems excessive that you have to pay so much money, compared to the AACL who charge R150-00 or DARG who charge R250-00. On the other hand, shouldn’t these animal agencies just be trying to find good homes for their pets? And then, if you can’t afford to pay the R350-00, will you be able to give your cat such a good home? What happens if your cat is involved in an accident, or if it has to have special food? Perhaps this is another good reason why pet insurance is taking off locally.

Pet Vet

Hi everyone,

Chenna is right about finding a good vet. People who love their pets like a member of the family need to make sure that they know where the best local vet is in their immediate area. I also find it incredibly helpful to have an account with my vet so that if anything has to happen to Milo or Butters then I just nip down and have it sorted out. There is nothing worse than having to hang around filling out forms when your pet is in medical trouble! By having a vet account you just walk in, get the problem sorted out, and worry about payment later.

This is especially a good idea if you have pet insurance. Pet insurance costs very little from a reliable insurance provider like MediPet SA, and you can be sure that you will always have enough to cover the unexpected hip replacement or other ailment. In fact, it really does just cost you the price of two single movie tickets a month to get your cat insured. Just let your favourite vet know about your account details, and everything will get sorted out for you the next time you have to rush to the vet.

People take for granted that there are people-hospitals in their nearby vicinity, and everyone knows how to get there, but don’t fall victim to panic and confusion when something happens to your pet and you have to get it sorted out quickly – if you don’t prepare before hand you can end up spending valuable hours searching for a vet that is open after hours. (We had to do this for the people in my family the other day, and I was so sorry that I didn’t know of any doctors around here that were open after hours!)

Anyway, as the saying goes: it’s better to be safe than sorry.

New Poster: Chenna

This is just to announce a new poster on our site: Welcome Chenna!

Moving to Cape Town – the vet dilemma

When it comes to my animals I want to know that they are getting the proper – and the best – healthcare when they need it. In just the same way that I want to know that when I go to see a doctor I am seeing a professional who knows what they are doing.

Moving from one city to another means that, like your own doctor, your pet’s vet also has to change. And I had to find a Cape Town vet that was as good to my pets as their previous vet was. Living in busy Cape Town also means that I want a vet that is nearby, accessible and responsible with the decisions made as to my pet’s health.

So far the Cape Town vets I have dealt with seem to be very well trained and are genuinely caring and interested in the needs of my animals. It is not enough for me for a vet to just administer – I also want my animals to experience the least amount of stress possible when at the vet. Whether my pets are making their check up visit to the vet or whether they are going in for more serious reasons I want full peace of mind.

Cape Town is definitely up in the top rankings when it comes to cities who geniunely care about their pets.

Another comment on the barking dog bylaw & POLL RESULTS

Hello again,

Alright, I promised a follow up! The POLL RESULTS are as follows:

How many dogs should you be allowed to keep in your home?

53% say that you should be allowed to have FOUR dogs
38% say TWO
7% say that you should be allowed to keep as many as you like

The truth of the matter is that you are only allowed to have two dogs on your property unless you are a breeder residing on agricultural property. If you want more then you have to apply at your local municipality. This applies to your local vet nurse, adoption agency or dog breeder too. This has, apparently, been the law for quite some time, but as a result of the barking dog fiasco, it is going to start getting enforced.

Upset residents who are disturbed by barking dogs say that the lack of regulation as to the number of dogs kept on a residential property is the direct cause of their worries. Adoption agencies are pro this law because it is going to save a lot of animals that are otherwise neglected. In this light, the law makes complete sense.

Of course it is when you consider that there are mean neighbours out there that might report your little yapping sausage dog that everything falls out of perspective. It really boils down to this law having a postive side and a negative side.

There are a number of processes set in place that these doggy police will go through when your dog is reported (to protect you against those nasty neighbours), but it seems that a lot of dog owners are going to be slapped with a hefty fine. This can be up to R20,000! Not the kind of pocket change that a lot of us have lying around.

A lot of people are suggesting that you take your yapping dog to your local vet nurse for a special no-bark procedure, but I can think of nothing worse! Of course, if it a choice between no barking or no living, there’s not much to say.

Please send me your comments!

A follow up to the barking dog bylaw

Last week I appealed to our readers to provide us with information regarding the new barking dog bylaw. It turns out that this law was proposed in last week’s Saturday Argus. I got hold of a copy of this week’s Argus and read the follow up article.

The gist of the article set out that there had been a mixed bag of responses from the public regarding this new law. On the one hand, there was a huge amount of hate mail from the kind of dog owners that were deeply concerned about dog health issues and the fact that their dogs’ lives were at stake. On the other hand, there were a number of organizations that supported the law so as to prevent cruelty to animals as there are a vast number of animals being put down daily due to the excess of numbers.

In response, the powers that be have decided to reconsider their idea of impounding barking dogs, and have instead favored the idea of providing barking dog owners with a hefty fine. So what are you supposed to do? There are a number of awful devices that you can use to silence your barking dogs through electronic pulses, but these seem to be unnaturally cruel to the very nature of your dog being a dog.

Perhaps it would be a good idea to get all of the mothers out there to put their screaming babies outside when it comes to supper time, or just-can’t-go-to-sleep time and see if there is a new screaming baby bylaw. Seriously though, when dog health is at stake, it is no laughing matter. There is another aspect to this law, covered in this week’s poll, regarding the number of dogs that are allowed to be kept in any one property. I shall address this issue tomorrow.

Please feel free to send me your comments or opinions.

Lost Puppy – location

Hi Everyone,

The lost puppy in the previous post was last seen in BELLVUE road in SEA POINT.
Please send us an email or leave a comment if you have seen him – even if you think you have seen him! Thanks.

Missing Puppy – PLEASE HELP!

Hi everyone,

Please help us find Juan’s missing puppy! Here is a picture in the meantime:

He is only thirteen weeks old and is lost and lonely – please keep an eye out in your neighbourhood! I’ll post a last-seen location as soon as I get one. Please help! There is nothing worse than losing a member of your family.