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 was 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 TREATED 368 DOGS THIS MONTH ! Not bad for two people…

Lets face it , it’s all much of the same in these Newsletters, just with different stories and Dogs and People . . . unless of course ‘you’ were the one that;

· The Old Lady smiled at and said ‘thank you’

· Or you just lost another one for want of a simple R6 pill

· Or you met a gorgeous Vet hiking down a remote village road with a 3 legged rescue dog named ‘POD’ from Khayelitsha

·  Or a young black girl redeems your belief in human kind and gives you hope to carry on

it just does not have the same ‘feeling’ if these ‘miracles’ are not happening to you personally.

But I really try to make you ‘feel’ the joy, relief, passion (hope you notice, I don’t include the sad parts).

Because we ‘do it’ on your behalf  knowing ‘you would if you  could’!

AN ANIMAL ANGEL!!!

How is this to start our year? It has got to be a first here in the Transkei. . A 15 year old local schoolgirl ‘rescues’ a sick pup off the streets of Port st Johns with a totally altruistic reason. NOT to bring the dog to us to care for . . But for us to treat it so she can take her back home to love and care for. . WOW !  This really lifted our spirits after a rough Festive Season of resultant  trauma & neglect of animals in general.

How good do we look in our new uniforms. A very special thank you to Bernie Stevens. Without donations of various sorts from you and others alike, we would have a very difficult time contunuing with our work in the rural areas, helping educate owners and improve the lives of all the dogs in the rural villages around the Transkei

BRING YOUR DOGS ON HOLIDAY

In order to become more self-sustainable, TAWI are working towards setting up a ‘BEACH COTTAGE for DOGS’

Where you can take invigorating  walks  that refresh the body and soul. (You can come too)

TAWI are working towards turning our lemons into lemonade. Running an AWO in this remote beautiful area is both operationally & financially  extremely challenging . However the area is ideally suited for city bound dogs (and their owners) to break from their boundary walls and run free on 5 miles of beach and indigenous forest.

We plan to have 4 ‘holiday bungalows’ on this beach that will cater exclusively to those who wish to take their pets on holiday with them. The idea came from trying to find a way to ’give back to our donors’ so either be rented out or Donor ‘Time Shared’.

GOALS FOR 2012 .

STERILSATION DRIVE: We are eagerly awaiting the outcomes from Santa Paws from their very successful 2011 year end Fund Raising initiative , of which TAWI is one of 3 selected beneficiaries. In conjunction with CLAW the proceeds will be used to sterilise as many Dogs as possible in 3 Transkei villages as well as fund the following event.

VILLAGE DOG SHOW: As part of awareness and education of caring for their Dogs, We will be running the first ever ’Dog Show’ in a rural village.

MOVE PREMISES: We have to vacate the temporary facility we are operating from at the end of March. We are presently arranging an alternative.

DOUBLE DONOR BASE: Presently +-12 individuals donate a total of +-R4100 pm , but at a cost of +­-R27 to treat each Dog @ +- 400 dogs pm (and climbing), we are running at a loss of  +-R6700 pm. We need to find at least another 12 benevolent supporters to continue until we can get the Holiday Cottages up and running.

Richard Norton

Networking Needs:

Any contacts or ideas you may have  for a tough Agricultural Four-wheeler . .  The gearbox on our Kombi is packing up and this would better suite our pocket & purpose.

· Factory reject/Unused +-250 containers that could be used as ‘Community Dip Tanks’.

· Other surplus plastic containers from Tupperware  and larger  for rat proof storage. Even  refuse bins, water tanks or old steel stationary cabinets .

· Planking , decking, pallets , trusses, treated poles, fencing , pvc water piping or other easily transportable building material..

· A handheld megaphone to  call hunters from the forest.

Banking Details: PsJ Animal Welfare Initiative,  Standard Bank,  Mthatha West,  2621;   Account no: 061047562,  B.code: 052621

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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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Mere words can never describe our sincere appreciation for the kind donations made towards our Derdepoort Sterilisation Project, as well as our own foster care program during the past year.  To know that there are still people out there who are willing to donate so kindly from their hearts to animal related causes are really heart-warming and are so meaningful to the lives of these little furballs who need our assistance so earnestly, and does make the light shine brighter at the end of all our tunnels (the “mole” tunnels created by our doggies in our garden as well!!). Thank you also to all the people that so tirelessly assist in making this life passion a success with the time and expertise they contribute to this cause (Dr. Janisch, Janine and team in particular)!!!

There are rescuers, networkers, people providing foster /animal (medical) care and /or forever homes and financial donors when it comes to animal rescue but in the end, we’re an integrated, interconnected and interdependent team who is only as strong as the weakest link in our strive to achieve a single goal of our shared fondness for animals.

Just a short reminder of what our life passion is all about: We are basically operating within a broader network of kind-hearted, voluntary caregivers as a two person, independent rescue, foster care and re-homing “team”.  Many of the rescue animals regrettably do not get rehomed to a forever loving home easily.  The reason is simple, in that there are just not enough loving and suitable homes willing and able to adopt any of thousands of abandoned, stray or abused animals currently in care with various animal rescue organisations, and the PTS (put to sleep) alternative is just no option for us if these poor, voiceless animals are healthy enough to get adopted. They have such an abundance of unconditional love to give and we just cannot let that love die or shrivel away for no reason. For instance, we currently have a family of nine kitties that we took into our foster care program when they were a mere 4 weeks young, extremely ill and taken in to be nursed back to health for adoption.  Six months later (and after endless efforts to try finding suitable homes for the little buggers) seven of them are still in our foster (albeit now seemingly more permanent) care and we had to unavoidably start with their spaying and neutering earlier than expected to steer clear of further unwanted litters.

We’ve also since been under pressure to take in several other unwanted /abandoned batches of kitten litters,  left to fend for themselves by uncaring people in a veld or by a railway line taking us to a current total of 28 unwanted kitties waiting on their forever homes (and we have 11 of or very own rescue furbabies, bringing the grand total to just less than 40). We also have 8 (hhhhmmm.. 9 since yesterday) orphaned doggies, some of which that have been in our foster care program for periods longer than six months after little or no interest have been received to get them adopted (apart from our own 12 rescue bundles of joy with whom we could not part over the years – or put differently – epic foster care failures).  In total, we subsequently care for just or less than 40 orphaned animals up for adoption (and just more than 60 including our own rescues), and that excludes the stray cats in the “hood” that seem to prefer to come and have their breakfast, lunch and dinner at our house.  All of their food, medical care etc. is currently funded from our own pockets.  Donations received are primarily used for the sterilisation project and medical expenses and your kind donations assisted tremendously to lift the financial burden, for which we are extremely grateful.  Whilst we would like to ask, personal donations for our foster care program will also be appreciated (are used for day-to-day expenses, i.e. feeding, transport, specialist vet bills, etc.).  Please be assured that we leave no “rock” unturned in trying to find them forever, loving homes and would find no greater joy than to see them all finding forever loving homes as soon as possible.

We are also very actively involved with what we refer to as the Derdepoort Project.  With our sterilisation project in the low cost housing Derdepoort area, so many people has been educated and they are also forever grateful for all the assistance we are offering to aid in their plight to care for their pets.  Without donations from caring, sincere people like yourselves, this would also not be possible.  These people truly love their pets, but do not have the financial means to sterilise or provide medical aid for their animals.  In some instances, these animals are all these families have left.  Even though it can rightfully be argued that these people should not have pets in the first instance if they can not afford their medical or day to day care, this is unfortunately not the reality and the best we can do is try to assist to make the lives of the animals (who have no choice in where they end up) a bit more bearable, whilst at least receiving love from caring people that no amount of money can buy.

We are also contemplating to expand this sterilisation program to other low-income parts north-east of the Pretoria region where sterilisation of animals seem to have become of crucial importance based on several pleas received from people in these areas to date.

So lastly, again (we have to emphasise that we cannot repeat this enough), we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your kind contribution in making the lives of our furry friends worthwhile!!  So on this topic, we kindly refer you to our foster care wish list below (with a carbon copy sent to Santa Paws….nudge, nudge) if any of you would like to contribute to our voluntary friends of the furry ones’ programme….

Dorette Smit

Foster Care Program by Dorette & Co.

Cell: 084 581 2383 (after 16h00)

Fax: 012 548 5142

E-mail: dorette@sagateway.com

FOSTER CARE WISH LIST:

As most of you know, we are a “solo flying” two person rescue team operating within a broader network of very kind-hearted, sincere rescue volunteers.  Some of our foster doggies and kitties have already been in foster care with us for periods up to 6 months and longer    Our (or should we rather say the “fur tribe”) wish list includes:

Financial donations (donations can be paid directly into the vet account and will be used for sterilisations, vaccinations and other medical treatment as and when required) OR a personal donation can be made to our foster care program if you so wish (please send us a separate e-mail so that we can assist with the aforementioned).

FOSTER PROGRAM BY DORETTE & CO.:

Banking details:

Dr. C E Janisch

Standard Bank

Branch: Hatfield

Branch Code: 01-1545

Account No.: 012 625 647

Reference:  Dorette Smit + Your initials and surname

DERDEPOORT LOW COST ANIMAL CARE, STERILISATION PROJECT:

Banking details:

Dr. C E Janisch

Standard Bank

Branch: Hatfield

Branch Code: 01-1545

Account No.: 012 625 647

Reference:  Derdepoort + Your initials and surname

Proof of donations must also please be e-mailed / faxed to me (e-mail: Dorette@sagateway.com / Fax: 012 548 5142)

OTHER

-  Good quality dog and cat food (wet and dry).

-  Cat Litter sand.

-  Toys for kittens and cats, including scratch poles.

-  Blankets and towels.

-  Anything else the hairy ones will enjoy.

-  Foster Caregiver Families (sincere thank you to Crystal Hunter and her family for joining our foster program).

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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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I am a monthly supporter of the SPCA as well as a sporadic supporter (the funds I contributed for the Melville cart horses as only one example) but must say that I am devastated about the experience I had with Booysens SPCA last year.

I rescued a Sharpei in Westdene on Sunday the 6^th of November 2011.  He was in an extremely poor condition (skinny, skin disease, thirsty, swollen feet and scared).  We managed to catch him (he actually got into our car by himself willingly) and took him home where we fed him (he was so hungry that he ate four bowls of food in the space of 3 hours) and we just let him sleep.  He was surrounded by a deeply depressed energy…one filled with sadness and despair.  On the Monday I took him to my Vet (Richmond Animal Hospital) where Claire prescribed antibiotics, cortisone and some oils to treat him.  By Tuesday afternoon he looked 500% better with the medicine and loads of love and attention.

While he was recuperating I informed the surrounding SPCA’s and Vets for in case his owners were looking for him.  Through Sandton SPCA we had a guy come and look as he had lost his Sharpei but unfortunately Nunu wasn’t his (this man adopted one of his four Sharpeis at a rescue so this breed CAN BE REHOMED).  We decided to try and introduce our rescues (three) to him one by one to see whether we would be able to keep him should nobody claim him.  Unfortunately our Dachshund is very aggressive and does not take well to other dogs which was a concern to us (we have had huge problems in the past with another rescues and therefore we could not take the same risks as before).  Further, Nunu got very frustrated in a small area and we also realised that he would require a larger garden which we could not offer him.

On the Thursday (10^th) we realised that we had a couple of options regarding where to take Nunu i.e. SPCA, Barking Mad, Wet Nose, Four Paws, FORA etc, all which are charities which we support in one way or another.  I suggested to my husband that from previous experience (many years ago when I adopted a pug) the SPCA was compassionate, did good home checks and gave the dogs a good chance to be re-homed and therefore I said let’s send him to the SPCA!   Through Richmond Animal Hospital off Nunu went to the SPCA…where my heart felt heavy but my mind felt positive.  The whole weekend I still felt Nunu’s presence…I was worried but said to myself that I was being paranoid.  So I would wipe off my tears and force my mind to think happy thoughts.  Why was I worried because people that work with rescues do so because they care…they have compassion.  In the midst of despair, these angels are supposed to see the light and love surrounding every rescue.

On Monday (14^th) I just wanted to go and fetch him because something was bothering me but my husband calmed me down.  So, I phoned yesterday to check whether he has managed to be adopted, how he was adjusting in the SPCA environment etc. but your kennel department were going to phone me back.  I phoned again today to receive the absolutely shocking, horrific, sad, violent and inhumane news that you had put him down because “he is not a breed that would easily get adopted”.  Then the lady went to further justify the decision by saying …. “and he would not let us touch him”….”his age” (my vet said he is still in his youthful years) and when I queried the rationale provided by your kennel individual (and its vagueness) she continued justifying your actions by saying “they are a breed used for dog fighting and he had mange”!

After spending 24 hours a day with Nunu over a couple of days let me tell you something:  this was the most compassionate dog I had ever met in my life, filled with so much love to give (although I am sure his life hasn’t been dealt the best of hands).   Nunu was not aggressive (even when my dachshund attacked him) he was gentle and eager to explore and provide affection.  He would often come up to me and just start licking me in my face.  He was filled with a sense of wisdom which is unexplainable and which humans often disregard.  The skin disease he had was treatable and he was already on meds from my vet and looking a lot better!

After receiving this news which drenched me in sadness I came to the realisation that the SPCA has forgotten to see the beautiful souls of the animals…their loving eyes and caring touch…

None of the reasons provided by your kennel staff is solid enough to justify putting down a dog who had as good a chance of being adopted as a Labrador.  He was as gentle, kind, loving, caring as my rescue Labrador.

I made the fatal decision of sending him to the SPCA where I thought he would be in a compassionate environment and where he would get a fair chance to find a loving home where he could live his purpose of being close to somebody who was willing to give him a little love and affection.

My heart is ripped to pieces and I will for as long as I live never forgive myself for sending Nunu to his death at the SPCA where I thought he would have a fair chance to be adopted.  With regular follow-ups from me I would track his progress and monitor his whereabouts.  I trusted the SPCA and hence my financial support over so many years.

I am deeply hurt and disappointed at what had happened.  You did not give him a chance…how do you know his soul mate wouldn’t have walked in there this weekend, bonded and adopted him?  He was gentle and not aggressive which also begs the question as to how your staff are treating the rescues brought to your attention if you say he wouldn’t let you touch him.  You have taken your God complex too far….instead of being a safe haven for animals you have become a hell which would petrify even the most hardened human criminal.  The SPCA stands for saddened fate and not for happy second chances.

I understand that you are full and that you are fighting ongoing battles with no light at the end of the tunnel.  But every animal deserves a chance to happiness…just a chance which would make a lifetime of difference.

I have copied other animal lovers to say that I am sorry… to those with a pro-life policy I am sorry for the decision I made.  I would love to say that I will no longer contribute monthly to the SPCA but I cannot do that because if my monthly contribution manages to give one dog a second chance it is worth it.  I would love to say that I wish I never donated that money for the cart horses of Melville…but if it made their lives easier…that is all that matters.  Every cent I spend on helping an animal…burnt, unloved, needing a back operation or on its death bed is worth it if it means they will have a second chance.

You didn’t even give Nunu a second chance (not even a week!) and for that I will forever look at you with hatred and despair.

When my time comes
The trees will no longer wait
And my empty soul will no longer walk
Towards the sea of death
I’ll be free, free of everything and nothing that
Surrounds me, free of all the blood and suffering
I’m facing… every step is a step closer to freedom
Closer to my death closer to my weakness
Closer…

Regards,

Andrea Marais-Potgieter

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I want to try and motivate every one to help with the largest township sterilising campaign we have ever attempted.

The townships Shamrock / Fitches Corner / Bossies Camp and Moses Madeba all very poor townships with far too many animals breeding. The effects are below:

Watershed in Cape Town are donating R10000 Thanks Steph / Wendy and Sam.
Guardian Angels for Animals are donating Thanks Melanie.
Animal Anti Cruelty League have also committed to help with staff and transport.
Nicky Roe who has great experience sourcing drugs for campaigns is on board.

Mass Sterilisation is the only way to clean out a township the cost is R150 per animal and drugs R85 so R235 can save hundreds of animals from suffering and dying in townships. Dates are 28/29 Jan and 4/5 Feb 2012.

Mike Kerr

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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The status of the remaining horses still at OBP has now become urgent.

There are still 23 horses currently at the facility and unfortunately they cannot keep the horses there indefinitely as they are a testing facility and do not have the requisite facilities to accommodate the horses that have been released from the relevant testing protocols.

As such the horses need to either be adopted or put into foster care. Unfortunately there have been few queries from prospective adoptive homes and even fewer who are willing to foster the horses for us.

As such, the committee has had to agree to the proposal put forward by OBP that should homes not be found for the remaining horses by January the 3rd, that they will be sent to the University of Pretoria to be used by 2nd year students for anatomy studies.

This in effect means the horses will be euthanized and their carcasses used by students to study the anatomy of horses.

They deserve so much more than this. They have already given much of their lives as test subjects for the African Horse Sickness vaccine which benefits all the horses in this country and as things stand will now give up their lives so that students can study them further.

Do they not deserve more after all that they have done? Do they not deserve to at least spend the rest of their lives being paid back for everything that they have already been through? We believe that they do, but we can only help them if we get help from you.

If you are able to assist in terms of fostering or even better are willing to give these brave little souls a forever home, we need you to contact us now please on craig@anresco.org or 082-785-1423.

There is not much time left, so please, help these souls find their home, where they will be loved and cared for instead of having their lives ended prematurely.

Horses available for adoption are available here http://www.anresco.org/index.php?page=shop.browse&category_id=1&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=75

Kind regards

Hayley

Animal Rescue Coalition

http://anresco.org

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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

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I saw this recently and I heard subsequently that it had been cited in a radio program:

Ten Commandments of Pit Bull Ownership

1. Thou shalt NEVER trust thy Pit Bull not to fight
2. Thou shalt contain thy Pit Bull securely when not supervised by an adult
3. Thou shalt NEVER leave thy adult Pit Bull alone and unsupervised with another dog
4. Thou SHALT attend obedience classes most faithfully with thy Pit Bull
5. Thou SHALT keep thy Pit Bull socialized with ALL KINDS of people
6. Thy Pit Bull wilt NEVER be allowed off-leash in a public place
7. Thy Pit Bull wilt NEVER be allowed to roam free in thy neighborhood, EVER!
8. Thou SHALT take thy well trained Pit Bull out in public and show him/her off – on leash for good breed PR!
9. Thy Pit Bull shalt go forth into the world as an ambassador of the pit bull breed
10. THOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY WRONG DONE BY THY DOGS!

I thought I would use these ‘commandments’ as a framework for an analysis of the breed from a real-world perspective rather than a sensationalist one, since a list like the one above reinforces all the preconceptions about the breed and causes people to fear them.
1. ‘NEVER trust thy Pit Bull not to fight.’ What is the first thing someone who knows nothing about dogs thinks when reading this? Someone could not be blamed if they inferred from this that Pit Bulls are untrustworthy and are constantly looking for a fight, which hardly does anything to recommend the breed to someone else, but it does not stand up to scrutiny:

“The constant assertion that this ‘breed’ is innately aggressive implies an inherited trait. This is untenable, and misunderstands the evolution of behaviour and more specifically of aggression. Aggression is not a unitary ‘thing’, or a biological trait. It is a description of a variety of responses to various stimuli, is most often perfectly adaptive and necessary for species and individual survival. But that doesn’t mean for one minute it can’t be problematic as well. But in evolutionary terms, selective forces predetermine structure, not the other way around: “Behaviour is the functional component of evolutionary change. How well an animal runs is the selective force, not its legs.³”” ~ Mike Wood, Animal Rehabilitation Initiative (http://www.animalbehaviour.co.za/dogs/pit-bulls-part-2-history-and-genetics/)

2. ‘Contain thy Pit Bull securely when not supervised by an adult.’ I’m not exactly sure what this means – should Pit Bulls be caged or chained? What is the Pit Bull expected to do? Attack anything, including dogs and humans, on impulse? I have seen it stated that Pit Bulls attack ‘for no reason’ which suggests that the person saying this knows what is going on inside the dog’s head. Surely I don’t have to explain why this is nonsensical? Besides, it is not supported by everything else we know about animal behaviour – animals are directed by stimuli in the same way as we are, perhaps closer to instinctual, but to suggest that they will respond in a certain manner without a stimulus is just silly. No animal behaviourist would make such an irrational statement. Perhaps the stimulus was not evident to the human, but there must have been a stimulus. People who don’t know anything about animals miss a whole bunch of other cues; it would not be surprising for them to miss some in a conflict situation.

3. ‘NEVER leave thy adult Pit Bull alone and unsupervised with another dog,’ This suggests that Pit Bulls cannot be socialised with other breeds or even with their own kind, which is clearly nonsensical given the number of people who have successfully achieved this. See the statistic below on the number of Pit Bulls and the number of bites…

4. ‘Attend obedience classes most faithfully with thy Pit Bull.’ How is this different, always supposing you think obedience classes are necessary, to any other potentially aggressive dog? This is isolation of the Pit Bull as if it is the only breed where this is necessary. I personally don’t like ‘obedience classes’, preferring dogs to dogs rather than cloned extensions of the human dynamic, but I am also conscious that I need to take a firmer hand with my Boerboel and my Sharpei cross. This is just common sense, and no more significant with Pit Bulls than other potentially aggressive breeds.

5. ‘Keep thy Pit Bull socialized with ALL KINDS of people’. Again, how is this different from any other dog? It does suggest, however, that Pit Bulls are prone to attacking certain types of people, Where is the supporting evidence for this, since I have never seen a study that even suggests such a notion? Dogs are colour, race, sex and religion-blind; what precisely is meant by ‘KINDS’ here? Should DA supporters be worried? How about certain careers – perhaps bartenders or hairdressers, or better still delivery drivers or postmen should be wary of certain breeds? It’s just silly. In the American Temperament Test (http://atts.org/), the APBT has been tested more often than most breeds, and yet still achieves pass rates higher than Beagles, Bassets, Border Collies and Chihuahuas. Dog most likely to bite a human? Of breeds tested more than 50 times, the lowest pass rate is the Standard Schnauzer, followed closely by the Saluki, which most people have not even heard of. The argument I have heard presented often is that “Pit Bulls will cause more damage because of their powerful jaws”, which is more uninformed prejudice: In the National Geographic research conducted by Brady Barr, Rottweilers were measured at 328 psi of force. German Shepherds came in at 238, and a pit bull’s bite was measured at 235 psi of force. So a Pit Bulls’ bit is no more powerful than a GSD.

6. ‘Thy Pit Bull wilt NEVER be allowed off-leash in a public place.’ Strictly speaking, it is the law in SA that NO dog should not be allowed off-leash in a public place. But where there is a social gathering of dog lovers, any dog of any breed with aggressive tendencies should not be allowed off-leash. I had a Bull Mastiff once, and if there were other male dogs around excepting for the ones he knew, he would attack without seemingly a second thought.  I have also known Pit Bulls that were so well socialised that the possibility of them getting into a fight was negligible. I currently have a Pit Bull cross female and she is one of the gentlest, sweetest dogs I have known, and I have had many Labradors. I would let her off leash anytime anywhere. I also have a Sharpei cross who I would not…

7. ‘Thy Pit Bull wilt NEVER be allowed to roam free in thy neighbourhood, EVER!’ There are laws against this that apply equally to ANY dog – you simply may NOT allow your dog to wander freely in the neighbourhood. Why this should be special in the case of a Pit Bull is beyond me. It makes simple common sense not to expose any companion animal to such risks.

8. ‘Thou SHALT take thy well trained Pit Bull out in public and show him/her off – on leash for good breed PR!’

9. ‘Pit Bull shalt go forth into the world as an ambassador of the pit bull breed’

In respect of 8 and 9, same applies to GSD’s, Boerboels, Rotties and Dobermans or any breed whatsoever.
10. THOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY WRONG DONE BY THY DOGS! Well obviously – my Bull Mastiff cost me in vets bills twice when he got out and attacked neighbour’s dogs. It wasn’t his fault, he had been neglected as a puppy because I was travelling a lot and he was looked after by my housekeeper, and at the time I was ignorant. Now, I am conscious of the fact that with a Boerboel and a Sharpei male in the same household, I need to be extra careful, and I warn people not to run or do anything threatening towards me. As one of my colleagues said, that would be suicide, and I must take responsibility for that. Interestingly, my Pit Bull female does not even come into reckoning, unless getting licked can be construed as life-threatening.

Pit Bull Myths Busted

1. Bite Rate

“There are several reasons why it is not possible to calculate a bite rate for a breed or to compare rates between breeds. First, the breed of the biting dog may not be accurately recorded, and mixed-breed dogs are commonly described as if they were purebreds. Second, the actual number of bites that occur in a community is not known, especially if they did not result in serious injury. Third, the number of dogs of a particular breed or combination of breeds in a community is not known, because it is rare for all dogs in a community to be licensed, and existing licensing data is then incomplete. [Source: AVMA Task Force on Canine Aggression]

How anyone draws any conclusions at all from an incomplete data set is beyond me. Yet there are websites, such as http://www.dogsbite.org, totally devoted to portraying the Pit Bull as a dangerous breed, that rely on a logical fallacy, i.e. drawing general conclusions based on one data entity, i.e. the breed. Given that we know nothing about any of the other circumstances of the dog bites, it should be obvious that this is a self-reinforcing myth. Were we to filter this database and exclude all those who were owned by insecure people who were using the dog to prop up their egos, and those who were ignorant about how to treat dogs and reinforce their aggressive potential, and those who keep dogs in confined environments, and there is no doubt that the breed’s reputation attracts such people, we might draw completely different conclusions.

The reason why Pit Bulls are used in dogfighting are two-fold: they have a high pain threshold, and they are determined creatures that do not give up easily, this trait being observable in their ability to bite and hold on. This second trait is also common to many other dogs, however – my Sharpei, once he has hold of another dog, (he and my Boerboel had several fights before the Sharpei finally got the message) will simply not let go.

2. Fatalities

‘At least 25 breeds of dogs have been involved in 238 human dog bite-related fatalities during the past 20 years. Pit bull-type dogs and Rottweilers were involved in more than half of these deaths.’~ PubMed research result

The first thing that struck me about this statistic is the tiny (infinitesimal?) percentage of the population of humans this represents – only 238 fatalities in a population that was 281 421 906 in 2000? The percentage you arrive at is not worth considering as a risk factor, and it leads me to conclude that the event occurs so seldom that it must be termed an anomaly. And it is quite normal, when considering anomalies, to seek understanding as to what caused the anomaly. In addition, given an estimated population of 400 000 pit bulls during the same period, to what do we attribute the remarkable lack of reports of attacks in respect of the rest?

Time for some statistics and logic 101. Correlation is not cause. This is a principle of logic. Merely because there is a correlation between a certain breed and a certain event does not mean that the breed’s nature ‘caused’ the event. In addition, statements like the one above isolate the element of the ‘breed’ from all the other elements of the scenario – how the dog was treated, where he was kept, and a whole host of other factors are merely excluded, and those who are ignorant of this principle infer that it is the breed that is to blame. It is simply irrational to draw such a conclusion. It makes the breed guilty by association. Given the preference of ego-defensive aggressive human types for these breeds, I am not surprised at the correlation. The Pit Bull as aggressive dog is more of a social phenomenon than it is a breed-related issue.

“That doesn’t mean that I think every dog “is the same under the skin” either, or that it’s all a matter of love and how they’re raised. Good husbandry, proper care and non-coercive handling, as well as extensive and appropriate socialization during the Critical Period for Social Development (between 2-3 weeks and the offset of this developmental period at about 16 weeks, with very slight variations), is certainly non-negotiable. And whilst genes don’t cause behaviour, they certainly provide the genetic potential that can influence any number of behavioural traits. No-one can assert that all dogs are essentially the same but just look different – form potentiates function. There are a number of really good reasons why Dachshunds aren’t used for sledding.” ~ Mike Wood, Animal Rehabilitation Initiative (http://www.animalbehaviour.co.za/dogs/dog-behaviour/pit-bulls-part-1/)

I’m going to finish with this from Mike Wood:

If we want to change the Pit Bull Terrier, or even eliminate the tendency of Staffies to constantly fight with other dogs, then we should change the phenotypes by selecting against these tendencies. Of course this endeavour will be made a great deal easier if dog people stopped being so precious about this spurious notion of the inherent superiority of ‘purebreeds’, engaged in some breed hybridization themselves to eliminate much of the horrible congenital diseases and genetic abnormalities that afflict so many breeds today due to systematic inbreeding, and concentrate on selecting for the kinds of behaviour and temperament that best suits their intended function for all dogs they breed. That’s the actual history of dogs in human care. – Mike Wood, Animal Rehabilitation Initiative (http://www.animalbehaviour.co.za/dogs/pit-bulls-part-2-history-and-genetics/)

As for me, I will continue to treat every dog as an individual, and resist the social temptation, as I do with humans, of stereotyping. It’s a form of racism as applied to animals. I will also continue to adore my Pittie and all those I come into contact with; I have yet to meet one I didn’t like.

Derek

Some more reading on Pit Bulls:

http://whitney05.hubpages.com/hub/Truth-About-Pit-Bulls

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