This is the story of what happened to my beloved dog Tyson from the 26th March – 3rd April 2012.

Tyson slipped out of the gate while I was busy carrying goods in from the car and as I left immediately after for the evening, didn’t notice his absence until late that night on my return on Sunday 25th March. Tyson never had a collar on while he was at home due to his skin problems, the collar chafed his neck which then always become inflamed.

The Cape of Good Hope SPCA in Grassy Park was notified on the morning of Monday 26th of his disappearance as were many other animal shelters. They were given his full description and the name he responded to. I was assured that they would keep an eye out for him and if he was brought in, would notify me.

On Thursday 29th March, another notification was sent via email to them with a photograph attached:

“Good day,

My dog went missing from the Harfield Village area on Sunday night, the 25th March and I would appreciate your contacting me should he be found.

Contact: ………….

Male cross Staffie
Neutered
Black with a grey face (much more grey than in the picture)
+-13 years
No collar, no chip

He’s very friendly and responds to the name Tyson. He’s also a special needs dog who has respiratory and skin problems, he is also on diuretics.

Thank you very much.”

On Friday 30th March at 11pm, I received a call from a young lady who had seen his poster that had been put up and assured me that she had taken this same dog to the SPCA in Grassy Park on the Sunday evening already as he had followed her home.

On Saturday 31st March I drove to the SPCA in Grassy first thing in the morning. I was assured that he hadn’t been brought in but invited me to have a look at all the strays in the different sections which I did and he wasn’t there. The young lady went through to the hospital and quarantine to have a look in those areas and in the meantime another lady (name known) looked at the emails received and confirmed that it had been received. I never saw the written telephonic notification which had been given to them on the Monday morning of the 26th, but I do have a witness to this event having taken place. The young lady returned after quite some time and informed me that my dog wasn’t there and that there was no record of him being brought in anywhere. I again reiterated the description and specifically emphasized on his ailments, his skin problems, his respiratory problems, his heart problems and the fact that his nose was always running.

On Sunday 1st April I received further confirmation that my dog had most definitely been taken to the SPCA and on Monday morning of the 2nd April, I returned to them and demanded that they recheck their records for my dog. I spoke to a nurse? Vet assistant?, Beryl and she assured me that if my dog was there, they would have a record and I would have been notified. In the same breath she stated that they had put a Staffie down during the last week, but couldn’t possibly have been my dog as they had compared the picture and description I had sent very carefully. I demanded that they go through their records again and let me know what their findings were during the course of the day. I was told that I would be called before 4pm that day.

4pm came and went and no call, so I called to speak to Beryl at 4.30pm. She was “not available” but they put me through to her superior who wanted to know what the whole story was and so this was related to her as well. She assured me that she would check and get back to me as soon as possible the same day. Well, guess what? No call.

After being given the name of the manager of the centre, Allan Perrins that evening, I phoned and asked to speak to him early on the morning of 3rd April. I was told that he was unavailable by his assistant and that she would give him the message to call me. 3 hours later, still no call and I called to speak to him again. His assistant once again said that he was not available and that he would be attending a board meeting shortly but would give him the message. A couple of hours later I received the fateful call, but not from Allan Perrins.

It was from one of the resident vets by the name of Carla who had nothing to do with the issue and who was the one chosen to break the news. In short, I was told that they were sorry, but my dog was put down in error during the previous week. They suspected that he had distemper and put him down so as not to infect the other animals. So why didn’t they test for this? You can’t put an animal down on “suspicion” of any disease until proven! I was also told by Carla that they only keep ALL animals delivered to them for a maximum of ONE week and then put them down. This, was explained to me, is due to lack of staff and lack of funding. I want to know if this is standard practice in all of your operations. ONE WEEK?

I question the competence and integrity of the staff and management as there was obviously an attempted cover up when they realized their mistake, but when it was clear that I wasn’t going to go away, passed the buck. I have to this day not had a call from anybody with an apology for their grave error as not only was my beloved pet traumatized unnecessarily by their negligence but I was as well and still am.

I hold the SPCA accountable for the unnecessary death of my dog. I don’t care that he was old, I don’t care that he had medical issues, what I care about is the lack of empathy from the SPCA which was totally unexpected. They are seemingly shrugging their shoulders and washing their hands of this matter but being a believer in justice for all, including animals, I will not let this matter slide.

Dee Bratuchin

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The rural township outreach starts to get bigger now as most of the seasonal work is over so unemployment is high, which means more people bring dogs. The ticks and fleas on this outreach were the main problem with the animals – a few mange cases and as always thin hungry dogs.

The amount of pups is alarming and township people want their dogs sterilised and I don’t have the answers for them.

As always funds food collars and leads blankets are needed to help our township animals drop of points all over JHB-CT-Durban and PE.

So this year let your passion for animals become your obsession and help when you can.

Township work is not for everyone, I have taken so many people out on an outreach that they never go back again.

You see so much suffering some days then other days you find so much good in people looking after their animals.

Do you ever get to the point that you don’t feel the pain, no you don’t you still shed the tears. The last photo in this batch is of a mangy scarred mother with her one remaining pup, that still brings a tear to my eye.

Take Care
Mike Kerr
Chairperson
Animal Outreaches
Registration Number 078-410-NPO
Winners of the Eco Angel Award 2011
We are the voice for all God’s furry creatures, great and small, who have been neglected, abused and abandoned, and assist the impoverished community in taking care of their animals kerrs@telkomsa.net Cell 0826549124 Landline +27 41 3721899 Telefax +27 41 365 5606 PO Box 457, Hunters Retreat, 6017, South Africa Banking Details:
Animal Outreaches
Standard Bank of SA Limited
Cheque Account No. 080 177 182
Port Elizabeth Branch – Code 050-017
Swift Code – SBZAZAJJ

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We could see that something was seriously wrong with her and fortunately we managed to catch her with a blanket, as she refused to go into our traps.  We took her to our vet, Dr Shelagh Hahn, who confirmed that she must have been hit by a car some time ago, as she had multiple fractures.  She had a broken pelvis right through the hip bone, a broken ankle joint, a broken right tibia and a dislocated kneecap! Amazingly and beyond our understanding, her body managed to “repair” all the fractures, even though the bones grew on all skew.  The only thing her body did not manage to heal was the dislocated knee cap, which our vet attended to.

This poor cat must have been in the most excruciating pain and we simply cannot understand how she managed to get to food and water with her broken little body!  Also, it is a miracle that none of her organs had been damaged in the accident.  This cat obviously wanted to live!

But, our vet pointed out, that despite the fact that her body had recovered, she was not sterilized and her body would not have been able to carry her kittens to term or give birth.  If we had not found her in time, she would have died eventually when she became pregnant.

Our vet assured us that she is no longer in pain and therefore there is no need to put her down, especially not after she had fought so long and hard to survive!

After she had been sterilized by our vet, we took her to our shelter where we are working with her to try and tame her.  As soon as she is tame, we are going to need a very special home for this kitty.  Please contact us if you can offer her a good home.

As always, we are in desperate need of funds for her and the other animals in our shelter, medical bills and care. Please help us to help them by making a kind donation?

Thank you and kind regards,

Merinda Brits

Banking details:

FOUR PAWS

Nedbank, Fourways

Branch code: 168405, Acc no: 1684110750

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We have held five fund-raising events recently  all of which have been very successful not just in terms of raising much needed funds, but also in awareness for the public of the work that VAWZ carries out for all animals in Zimbabwe. The premiere of Jock of the Bushveld was a huge success. Over 800 underpriviledged children from several orphanages attended the matinee thanks to many companies and individuals who sponsored their tickets. Many of the children had never been to a cinema before and were enthralled by Jock and his antics. The evening show was sold out days before and we ended up with folk in the foyer begging for any spare tickets as the film was about to begin.

In October a member of the public contacted us over her concern about some puppies that she suspected were not being looked after properly. On arrival we found 3 x 4 month old puppies in reasonable condition but the fourth lay listlessly on his side in the yard behind the house. As we approached him, he managed a small wag of his tail, but otherwise did not move. The owner came out to inform us that the mother had died when they were born, and whilst she wanted to keep the other three she told us “ You can take this thing, I wanted to kill it anyway”.

Very gently we picked up little “Sam” (as he is now known), he was totally emaciated, had a very prominent spine, crooked little front legs and no coat. Once in the hands of the staff at the Chisipite Vets they found that he was not only practically starving to death, he also had biliary. Thanks to the dedicated treatment and nursing he received, together with their determination that he had a right to live, “Sam” is now the delightful little pup that you see in the second photo. His spine and legs have now straightened, and he has a lovely pale, tan coat to go with those big brown eyes. We are looking for a very special home for “Sam”, because in spite of the very bad start he received from his owner, he loves everyone he meets.

A TYPICAL MORNING FOR VAWZ.

Driving to work recently, mentally planning all I was going to do as soon as I got to the office, I saw to my horror, a German Shepherd running down the middle of the Enterprise Road, not the best place to be during rush hour traffic. Finally with the help of a Fawcett security guard, the dog was caught and put in the back of the VAWZ truck.

At the same time I received a report that a crowd was trying to “kill an animal” in Rezende Street. I contacted Mel Hood, who was also on her way to the office, she rushed to the bus terminus and rescued from those bent on its destruction, a very large cane rat.

We then received a call about a broken down cattle truck – all this before 9am.

The German Shepherd was claimed by its owner the next day, the cane rat which had been injured has gone out to Bally Vaughan Sanctuary, and Sarah has given it the name “Pamela” ( I know, only Sarah……….!) and VAWZ Inspectors stayed with the cattle truck for the next 2 hours until a spare part had been obtained and it was on its way.

SECURITY DOGS.

VAWZ recently held a workshop at the request of the Securico Dog Section. Fifteen senior dog handlers attended and we hope that what they learnt during the course will go a long way in improving the welfare of the dogs that they work with. VAWZ  has since been asked by two more security companies to hold similar workshops in the new year.

We have also been working with the Prison Services to improve the welfare of their dogs.

KENNELS.

All the donated 2^nd hand kennels that we received from kind folk, have now been passed on to dogs whose owners just could not afford to purchase one. We still have several more dogs who we know would just love to have a roof over their heads, especially in this wet weather. Please contect us if you have a kennel you no longer need.

LAST  LAUGH.

A few weeks ago, at the BP garage in Fourth Street, we had a bit of an altercation with the driver of a grossly over-loaded cattle truck. A large noisy crowd soon developed – many of them vendors and they were not on our side. We finally contacted Assistant Commissioner Dumbura, National Co-ordinator of the ZRP Anti Stock Theft Section who spoke to the driver and told him that he fully supported the VAWZ’s intervention, followed by Elliott Matangadura who is Chairman of Business Against Stocktheft Forum who happened to be passing, and he also told everyone that the driver should be charged. With that, the crowd rapidly dispersed. Now, when I drop VAWZ Inspector Bernard Ndlovu off in the evenings, the vendors humourously shout out “Amai, we have just seen a 120Y carrying a cow in the boot” or, “a Nissan Champ was here just now with a big bull in the back”!!

Donations are always very gratefully received:-

Banking Details are:

LOCAL: CABS PLATINUM, The Veterinarians of Animal Welfare Trust.  A/C No 9015153557.

EXTERNAL: Standard Bank, Graaf-Reinet. Veterinarians for Animal Welfare in Zimbabwe.

A/C No 186623062.    Swift No: SBZA.ZA.JJ.     IBAN No:051001.

Direct transfers may be made via www.standardbank.co.zw

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Some days I just cant find the words to explain the pain I go through when you find an animal in this condition.

Some days I don’t know why I do this because its never going to stop.

This little guy was picked up on Friday just outside Umtata, we don’t know how old he is, he has very little teeth left and he is totally broken. He just turns his head away when anybody goes near him.

I will never be able to home him and I can’t give up on his life.

To George and James who picked him up many thanks

To Louise one of our field workers who has taken him under her wing. You have a big heart.

We could do with a few donations for this boy.

Take Care
Mike

Banking Details

Account–Animal Outreaches
Acc No–080177182
Code–050017
Standard Bank
Port Elizabeth
Swift Code SBZAZAJJ
Reg No 078-410-NPO
REF LOUISE

UPDATE 9 Nov:

The boy now has a name its going to be Ivan.

He is eating three small meals a day and wagged his tail for the first time this morning.

He has had all his treatments and the scratching is a lot less know. Louise now has mange and scratching a lot more.

A big thanks to Steph  from Watershed for covering all his vet bills, and to all the people who donated for his food.

He has a long way to go before he changes from Ivan the Terrible to just Ivan.

The easy way out for us would be to send him to the rainbow bridge, then I would not have to worry about food and vet bills every month.
That’s not me I cant live with expiry dates on an animals life.

One day sterilising campaigns will come and our work will become more enjoyable.

UPDATE 14 Nov:

Just a quick update on our boy Ivan.

He is still very people shy but eating well, spends most of the day inside on the couch.

The hard crusty bits on his body are now starting to come off and bits of skin are now visible.

He is also blind in one eye, and he is neutered.

What kind of dog he is only time will tell, I am going collie x.

UPDATE 26 Nov:

Our boy Ivan is improving by the day, his weight is up and his skin is now a lot softer.

He is still a couch potato with his new friend and couch mate Ted. Ted was donated to Ivan by Wendy Ludlam of Watershed in CT, Thanks Wendy sometimes we forget the simple things in life make the biggest difference.

Donations for Ivan was just over R6000 more than enough to see him through this rough time of his life.
No more donations are required for Ivan,please keep them for the next poor soul.
Thanks to all who donated keep the paw prints in your heart you are quite
special.

Take Care
Mike
Animal Outreaches.

UPDATE:  13 Dec 2011

Ivan came to visit me last night, it’s the first time he has moved more than 20 metres from his couch.

He has put on a good bit of weight and has lots of fine hairs all over his body.

Don’t know what has happened to Ivan as he stills tries to avoid people, he is fine with Louise but that’s it.

Lets hope he changes it will just take a bit of time.

Take Care
Mike

Update 6 Feb 2012:

Not a week goes by that I don’t get an e-mail asking about Ivan.

He is doing very well Louise treats him like her long lost son he is spoilt rotten.

This is what love can do

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To assist our community in understanding the context of the news report in today’s BEELD newspaper about suspected distemper on the Happy Yappers premises we hereby present some relevant facts.

It is vitally important to know that we are managing the health of the dogs with the assistance of our primary veterinarian. Below are excerpts from the report submitted to the NSPCA by the centre’s veterinarian on 13 September.

• I visited the site on the 6^th of September 2011, to examine five dogs that were sick.
• All of these dogs were checked again by myself on the 13^th of September.
• On my visit on the 13^th of September 2011, I also examined animals that have become sick since my last visit.
• These dogs also showed signs of crusting around the eyes, hyperaemic conjunctivae, purulent nasal discharge and fever.
• None of them showed signs of nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea or nervous sings like twitching or spasms.
• These dogs are also treated for suspected distemper with Doxydog, but this being a pro-life organisation, and that distemper is not a controlled disease, they are allowed to treat the sick animals if they wish to do so.
• Except for one female from Cage 6, which was removed by you, all the dogs are responding well to the treatment and are improving

A second veterinarian has been to the premises when required, and where necessary, animals have been taken to their respective practices for treatment.

We feel that the NSPCA is aiming to shut the centre down for personal and political reasons that have little to do with the actual welfare of the animals. Our very existence inconveniently highlights the cavalier way in which the NSPCA disposes of inconvenient lives, instead of addressing the more difficult-to-address causes. Inspector Jaco Pieterse has repeatedly stated that he intends to shut us down “if that is the last thing I do”. This unprofessional approach is exacerbated by the arrogant and even violent way in which he has executed his “duties”, not responding to facts presented to him by ourselves or by our veterinarian, and being oblivious to the welfare of the animals he confiscated from us.

We have been informed by Mr Pieterse that only a handful of the 122 dogs they confiscated last time were rehomed, leaving us with the inevitable conclusion that the majority of these healthy dogs were euthanized. The NSPCA refuses to provide us with an official report on the fate of these animals. They are under the misapprehension that this behaviour is legal. In essence, they fulfil the role of Judge, Jury and Executioner, without transparency or accountability to the public nor to any higher authority. We, our legal advisors and other informed animal activists believe that it is deeply unconstitutional to dispossess without reason and accountability and we will be pursuing the matter.

We were informed only yesterday by the SAPS that a criminal charge has been laid against Happy Yappers, but as yet, we do not know specifically against whom and on what grounds. We will be attending an interview on Monday with the SAPS with the support of our legal counsel.

Please understand that we do not have adequate resources to administer a full-scale public relations campaign. We have however remained committed to deleting nothing off the Facebook page, no matter how upsetting or prejudicial it is to us, or our cause. It saddens us immensely that so many group members have judged us so harshly based on unsubstantiated rumours. We remain committed to providing essential front-line care in an area far away from the constancies of suburbia.

Because we have been under severe organisational and legal pressure it has not always been easy or even possible to keep our supporters in the loop with every development. However, here is an attempt to answer some of your more pressing questions:

• There are no animals in distress at Happy Yappers.
• Any sick animals are under appropriate care.
• Once the current risk of distemper has passed, re-homing will be considered. Please note that there are circumstances beyond our immediate control determining the time and speed at which this may happen.
• As usual, litters arising from bitches arriving at the centre pregnant will be re-homed through the kind support of FORA.
• An on-going vaccination programme is in place, but is dependent on available funds, which are allocated on a triage basis.
• There are no unsterilized males and females sharing runs at Happy Yappers.
• We are working on creating a sustainable infrastructure for Happy Yappers. This is not an overnight job, and has many ramifications.
• We have commenced the process of registration as an NPO which will enable us to solicit public finding. Until such time we may not request public support.

Development and education in the surrounding community are essential in the nearby township, or abused, pregnant and sick animals will continue to land on our doorstep. We have asked the NSPCA to perform this essential task as long as the centre has been operating, but no evidence of that has been observed or reported. Please focus your effort on lobbying for their best efforts in this regard.

We wish to express our sincere thanks to those who have supported us unstintingly from the start and in the midst of crisis. We invite our critics to visit us, to see for themselves what we do and why we do it.

Gay Freeborough

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In the area around back streets of Clairwood there is poverty and as well as this in a lot of cases just total disregard for the animals’ welfare. 16 years ago I started driving around the streets (still do this) and feeding the dogs and cats around here.  Then this evolved into rescuing strays, feeding and spaying. I am fortunate here, the AACL helps me by fetching the animals if the owner can’t take it and then taking to the SPCA for me who give me a special price to help as they know I am doing as much as I can. I really appreciate the fabulous assistance from both these organizations as they battle to cope with all the problems they have as well.

One of my constant fights is the dogs chained up on small chains  and I seem to constantly have scarred hands from trying to undo a dog and being scratched in their frantic gratitude. I abhor the fact that our animal societies have so little power and in so many cases have to issue a warning instead of being able to remove the animal immediately.

I have a lot of junk yard and truckers doggies under my care and their happiness at the small bit of time I can give them breaks my heart. Tracey Hartley tries to get me kennels donated from her animal notice board and I have provided quite a bit of shelter to doggies who had nowhere. But again my frustration is that the kennels get stolen, the water bowls are taken and I am fighting an endless war trying to educate people. I have been threatened with a knife, had my car scratched and had my cell phone stolen to mention but a few problems that go along with trying to help.

At the moment I have a lovely pregnant mom and her pup that are breaking my heart. The owner just neglects them enough to barely keep them alive. The guard next door to this trucker yard was feeding them and I give him food and blankets but now his owner has also said he doesn’t want the dogs there as their owner is causing trouble. I have sent this info to the AACL and just hope they can get the dogs away. Failing this I will have to try and make a plan as so often in the past.

I also have to travel for my work and this is when I worry myself to death about what is happening. The dogs who have been helped make it worthwhile to carry on this very thankless and heartbreaking effort. However, I am battling to find the time needed to get to help them as my business is suffering a lot because of this. Catch 22 situation.

This poor doggie I found last week in a truckers yard. They had bolted her collar to a cable which was so heavy she could hardly lift her head. Since finding her she has been spayed together with her pup thanks to help from AACL. The photo is taken while I am making a huge noise to get her unbolted. Now she is on a very light leash and sadly(I can’t get them to let her run free as they say she will be run over by trucks)but at least she is on a 3 metre runner and can move around. She is definitely much happier but I am still working on this>

This is Bruno.( don’t ask why a female dog should be called Bruno????) I feed her and also had her spayed. AACL fetched her for me and SPCA did the spay as they give me a special price because of all the dogs I pay for. I have at least managed to get her let off her chain most of the time and have had a huge kennel donated to her. She also is on my huge list of animals to check on and feed and help. Most of the collars in this area have come from me as I have these sometimes donated to my doggies and one friend especially gathers them for me.

Blackie has no real owner but is cared for by a group of people living in the outbuildings. I watch her all the time another on the “list”. She also was spayed by me together with her one pup which still lives there as well

Blackie proudly  smiling in front of her new home. These are the moments that keep me going. I see so much terrible cruelty whether intentional or simply ignorance.

It is hugely important that people know how much help the AACL and SPCA give me. These two animal organizations are totally important in my life and I would not be able to do nearly as much if it wasn’t for them. I really do ask people to support them the task of caring for our animals and trying to stop the abuse is enormous.

To end on  more humorous note, my son always asks which animals I have spent the last of his inheritance on this week!

Linda Roodt

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VALENCIA

Valencia Township is the second largest township in Sundays River Valley that the Animal Outreach team service. People are poor and animals exist any way they can.

This little dog was the worst of the day, and you know what he was well loved and cared for. His little home made kennel was warm and dry and he had clean water.

We had no room to take them to the treatment area she carried him in a blanket the 2 or 3kms to be treated. The owner just did not know what was wrong with him. It makes the trip worth while when you can help an animal in this condition.

The Boerbull was the thin dog we were going to remove with the help of the police. He is still thin but looks a lot better.

Valencia 345 animals treated on the day that was quite low for Valencia normally its over 500. It was a steady flow of animals all day long.

Only two bad mange cases–one dog full of ticks and two pups covered in oil most looked well fed and cared for. Chains are still a big problem. No animals removed.

Outreaches in a township gives people the chance to bring their animals treatment whether that be inoculations/mange/deworming/ticks and fleas, its irrelevant. People and animals living in a third world situation don’t know any better and its only by doing field work that you can try and teach the basic care for an animal, and hope people listen and try to achieve a higher standard.

Donations are always needed for our township outreaches – food, collars to remove the chains, blankets (don’t have one left) and plastic containers for water. A big thank you to Julie Morris Border Collie Rescue in JHB for nice box of collars and leads.

LANGBOSS

Langboss is the poorest township in the Sundays River Valley – it’s a township I enjoy going to the people are very friendly and are very grateful for any kind of help. The first thing that hits you with this township is the poverty every living thing is undernourished – houses, people, clothes all patched up.

Fortunately not to many animals in Langboss we treated 73 animals brought home 1 cat and had to euthanize 1 dog.

SHAMROCK

Shamrock Township we had a bit of Irish luck with this outreach, dogs all in good condition and most sleeping inside. 31 dogs treated.

The kids were all treated with toys and clothes and finished the day with Carmello Bears it was like Christmas for them.

This outreach was made possible by four dedicated people whose love for animals has no boundary’s. Tamlyn Bischofberger from JHB. Stephne Jackson from Watershed Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Fund Cape Town. Liz Baker from Port Elizabeth and Toys and Clothes from Hilda Reynard, Animal Outreaches volunteer.

The nice thing about the Shamrock township is that they only have a handful of female dogs, one is heavily pregnant and another has four pups around five weeks old. So we need someone to sponsor the sterilisation of the dogs.

Next week we are in the mountain townships of Enon and Bersheba only way in is the dreaded road called the goat track.

Please try to keep donations coming in Township animals can only get better with your help.

Mike Kerr

Account–Animal Outreaches

Acc.No—080177182

Code—050017

Standard Bank

Port Elizabeth

Swift Code SBZAZAJJ

Reg No–078-410-NPO

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( compiled by Mel Hood – VAWZ’s Animal Welfare Officer)

LIVESTOCK TRANSPORTATION (73 CASES) LIVESTOCK INVESTIGATIONS (40 CASES).

ABATTOIR CHECKS (14 CASES). Enforcement of the use of stun guns as opposed to ordinary rifles/more humane treatment prior to slaughter.

SECURITY DOGS (53 CASES).

Checks on Police, Private and Municipal security dogs. In some cases appalling living conditions with confines made out of old cars, scrap metal, fridge doors etc. Constant checks to ensure they comply with decent kennelling, feeding, exercise,  and training methods

PET SHOPS/DOG PARLOURS (21 CASES).

Regular routine checks carried out  to ensure correct welfare standards are maintained at all times.

RESEARCH ANIMALS (14 CASES).

Routine checks on the Animal House at the University Research department, and the Government Analysts to see that welfare standards are maintained in their housing and feeding, and experiments are being carried out according to strict standards, experiments are licensed and are carried out as humanely as possible.

HORSES (35 CASES).

Inspections of those kept on farms; tourist resorts, stud farms and riding schools.

Checking for adequate grazing and feeding, stabling, health care, saddle sores, and tack.  Prosecuting offenders.

WILD ANIMALS IN CAPTIVITY (26 CASES)

VAWZ has been involved recently in several investigations of suspected cruelty involving lions kept in captivity. Several lions were humanely destroyed. One owner is facing prosecution.

DOMESTIC DOGS (150 CASES)

Responding to numerous reports of cruelty; animals being neglected, kept in inhumane conditions, un-spayed bitches etc. Where possible owners are educated and warned, failing which the pets are confiscated and taken to the SPCA.

This delightful dog is Basil who was found tied up in a chicken run, with no food or water, on Christmas Eve, whilst the owners went away on holiday. On her return VAWZ prosecuted the owner, who admitted to the charge of Cruelty and paid a fine. Basil now shares his new home, as well as the mattress by the bed, with “Petunia” a very large Nubian goat!; loves going for long walks and has sort of taken over the place. His new owners are besotted with him – even the husband who professed “not to be too much of a dog lover”- was recently heard to say “you know- I cannot fault that dog”!!

DONKEYS –  (one of the biggest on-going operations) –Meryl and Bernard can spend up to 5 days away from base confiscating illegal heavy wooden yokes, which leave the huge raw open sores on the back of the neck, and replacing them with donated harnesses. The wounds on the donkeys are treated, eye problems attended to, reflective strips put on the back of the carts and education pamphlets in the vernacular distributed. Up to 70-80 donkeys can be attended to in any one day, sometimes in temperatures in the upper 30’s and once recorded 46 degrees C at Ngundu Halt.

PRE AND POST HOMING CHECKS (45 CASES)

Involving all animals that have been rescued or confiscated and taken to SPCA’s. Prospective new homes are inspected and post homing checks carried out to ensure the animals are being correctly cared for.

GENERAL.

Every opportunity is taken to leave copies of the Cruelty Act at Police Stations throughout Zimbabwe – where often  not even the Member in Charge Crime has a copy. Further liaison with the Police and Government Vet departments has resulted in Meryl being invited to address several workshops. In addition she works closely with the Police Anti Stock Theft Unit in a joint effort to raise awareness and deal with problems involving livestock transportation.

Prosecutions, which entail writing of dockets, recording statements, gathering evidence and attendance at court cases, continues to take up a lot of time as numerous follow-ups have to be conducted before a case goes to trial. To date 17 assorted cruelty cases have been successfully prosecuted, with 12 remaining.

SPCA branches throughout Zimbabwe have been assisted by VAWZ with donations of rice, mealie meal, meat, blankets, syringes & needles, medicines, latex gloves, bowls, leads, chicken food etc and through the generosity of Roger Maitland, a friend of hers in the UK,  Meryl has distributed US$3866 of his to various branches. She has also been instrumental in getting 3 2nd hand deep freezers donated to Harare, and one each for Gweru and Mutare SPCA’s.

In many cases lack of education is to blame for welfare issues. Pamphlets and advice on “how to do it the right way” are given and most people are grateful for the assistance offered. On the flip side, aggression, racism, threats, verbal, and on occasion, physical abuse has to be dealt with.

“SANDY  & BEANS”

“Dear Meryl, These are the photo’s of our two dogs (the ones that were axed by the settlers who were successfully prosecuted) and are now fine. Thank you very much for all your help. – Ann Martin”

_____________________________________________________

MERYL.

Somewhere in between all of this Meryl has found time to attend to various fund-raisers, collect donated items, judge dog shows, deal with publicity campaigns, give interviews and write articles for the press, do necessary paper work at the office, reply to a constant stream of e-mails and respond to numerous phone calls throughout the day. Little wonder that she has very little time to herself and that the vehicle has clocked up 45000 kilometres in a year.

THANK YOU’S.

To the organisers of the Harare Bike show, Mike Engelbrecht and Brett Fisher, for the very generous donation of $1000 from proceeds raised at the show. VAWZ stall raised a further $900 and helped raise public awareness.

To all VAWZ Committee and helpers who assisted at the Fundraising Golf Day – a HUGE thankyou. Just over $12000 was raised which was brilliant as VAWZ receives no funding and relies solely on the goodwill of donors. To all the players – a very big thank you.

For all donations, generosity and time – Big thank you’s to:-

To Margie van Graan and Joey Friere who recently generously donated 2 second hand deep freezers.

Nicky Marsh (Australia); Cindy Griffith (UK); Sue Burr; Arnie and Cora Ross; Jenny McFadyen (SA); Big R Mica – Ronnie Coumbis; RSPCA International; Signs of the Times; Brian and Linda Townsend; Rudolph van der Merwe – Caltex garage Beit Bridge; Rosemary Dorward; Lindsay Davies; Mbizi Game Lodge; Roxy Dankwerts; Di Twiggs; Trevor Rumbles; Ram Petroleum.

YOUR SUPPORT FOR VAWZ IS SO VERY MUCH APPRECIATED –  WE HAVE SO MANY MORE ANIMALS TO HELP. FUNDING IS DESPERATELY NEEDED – WITHOUT IT WE CANNOT PREVENT CRUELTY.

Any Donations would be gratefully received and can be dropped off at Kamfinsa, Avondale or Chisipite surgeries – or contact Meryl on 0774168218 .                                                                                                                                                                               Details of the local account is : CABS Platinum; The Veterinarians of Animal Welfare Trust; a/c No 9015153557.

External Account details:  Standard Bank, Graaf -Reinet  in name of Verinarians for Animal Welfare in Zimbabwe;

a/c No 186623062;  Swift No SBZA.ZA.JJ    IBAN No 051001`.

Direct transfers may be made via www.standardbank.co.za

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We have unfortunately found ourselves in a VERY DESPERATE SITUATION!! Due to unforeseen circumstances, WE HAVE TO MOVE OUR SHELTER! We need new premises and funds to establish our new shelter. Please, help us by supporting our various fundraising initiatives (PLEASE SCROLL FURTHER DOWN FOR DETAILS), making a kind donation, or contact us if you know of any properties available or any other assistance will be GREATLY appreciated!

Mission: To improve the quality of life of underprivileged animals. We are concentrating on squatter camp animals and feral cats. Read more about both on our website www.4ourpaws.org.za

Vision: To expand by obtaining more vehicles, employing more fieldworkers and operating from our own clinic

SQUATTER CAMP PROJECTS:

The main problem in these poor areas is that people simply do not have the means, transport or finances to provide their animals with basic health care and veterinary treatment. As a result, many animals suffer unnecessarily, while others die a slow, painful death. Ignorance plays a big role in animal cruelty. Overpopulation results in numbers no community can sustain, and many animals die from starvation.

We provide primary health care services, veterinary treatments and sterilisations, free of charge. We also educate pet owners about proper pet care.

FERAL CAT PROJECTS: Feral cats are a direct result of humans, not sterilising their cats, starting many years ago. Cats and kittens ended up on the streets, multiplying even more. We trap, sterilise and release ferals and urge people to feed them. Ferals cannot be re-located due to their nature and adult ferals are almost impossible to tame.

Wish list:

-FINANCIAL SUPPORT

-Dog- and cat food

-Cat litter

-Carpets to cut up for blankets

-Cat litter trays

-Medicines such as dip, de-worming, vaccines

-Sponsors for our dog kennels (plastic)

-Books for book sales

-Any item that can be used for raffles

-Jumble for jumble sales

-Another vehicle to transport animals

Please help us to help those who cannot speak for themselves by making a kind donation (if possible, remember you can donate goods as above too if you don’t have cash) and sending this to all your friends and family. Please support our fundraising drives, so you get something back for your cash!

Banking details:

FOUR PAWS

Nedbank, Fourways

Branch code: 168405, Acc no: 1684110750

Many thanks to each and every supporter!

Kind regards

Merinda Brits

Founder and Chairperson

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