4 PAWS NEWSLETTER

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P O BOX 1809 Fourways 2055

Fax:  086 669 6264

Email:merinda@4ourpaws.org.za

Cell: 083-377-3219

052-145-NPO

Web: www.4ourpaws.org.za

 

August 2010 NEWSLETTER

Mission: To improve the quality of life of underprivileged animals. We are concentrating on squatter camp animals and feral cats. Read more about both in our column WHAT FOUR PAWS IS ABOUT (page 6).

 

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

 

WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN A PIECE OF LAND TO BUILD OUR OWN SHELTER!! OUR DEEPEST, SINCERE THANKS TO CHERYL AND JULIAN SHORE FOR OFFERING A PIECE OF THEIR PROPERTY, FREE OF CHARGE, TO US FOR OUR NEW SHELTER! However, to build the kennels and catteries is going to cost us roughly R500 000.00!

 

We need your help with the following:

-financial support

-building materials such as bricks, cement, sand etc.

-a handyman to assist with building kennels

-wendy houses & dog kennels

-paint

-bowls, leads, cat litter trays

-dog and cat food

-cat litter

 

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.

 

Update on the abandoned shack dogs: We shared the story of the abandoned shack in our previous newsletter, with 9 dogs (including 2 puppies) left behind. The owners left in December, never to return again! The dogs were left to fend for themselves and as a result they have become a pack of wild dogs.

 

We managed to catch 4 dogs so far; unfortunately 1 dog died probably from billiary and even more disturbing the one dog now has puppies! We are still continuing our rescue attempts.

 

We also sent out the story of the fourth dog from this abandoned shack that we have caught, with the piece of string around her neck, cutting into the flesh. We are delighted to inform you that she has found the perfect home and is now a very happy, spoiled doggie!

Before

At home with her new mommy, Belinda

 

Our own kennel project:

Most dogs in the Townships have very little or NO shelter. We have our own kennels manufactured by CHM Plastics, who manufacture the kennels for us at a special price of R350 each. Please if you can, sponsor a kennel for a Township doggie! (Please use your email address and kennel as reference.)

 

Some of the lucky dogs that have received our beautiful blue kennels! Our sincere thanks to Mercuria Energy Trading SA for sponsoring 20 kennels!

 

 

Look at my brand new kennel!

Even the cat was impressed!

What a grateful face!

 

Update on the neglected dog: We recently shared with you the story of this dog in the pictures below who was spotted by Matthew Kannemeyer. He phoned the Johannesburg SPCA several times about this dog, but did not receive much assistance. Matthew phoned us and asked if we could check up on the dog, which we did. We explained to the owner that the dog needs to be taken to a vet and insisted that we take her to our vet.

 

The findings of our vet were very disturbing. The dog was suffering from severe malnutrition, she had mange all over her body; her legs and feet were severely swollen (probably as a result from the malnutrition); she was underweight; she was riddled with worms and there was blood coming through the cracks in her bare skin. This poor dog had been in such pain and agony for such a long time! We considered legal action at the time.

 

The reality unfortunately, is that there is a good chance that this case will never make it to court, as murder, rape and child abuse cases take precedence over one neglected dog. We were also advised that even IF this case makes it to court, ONE small technicality could result in the case being thrown out and we will be forced to give the dog back to the owner. Believe me this was not an easy decision, as I also want to see the owner being punished for what she has done, but I decided not to lay a charge against the owner. I simply do not want there to be ANY chance that the dog can go back to the owner.

 

We did, however take a copy of the Animal Protection Act to the owner and highlighted all her offences but promised not to lay a charge against her, if she promises never to have a dog again, which she did. We will do check-ups at her house.

 

The dog is now in the loving care of Leslie and Mel, who are fostering and rehabilitating her, she does not get along with other dogs at all.

 

 

Happy ending for a lost doggie: We received a phone call from Darren Verwey, who spotted a Spaniel struggling to walk along the road, but when he stopped, the dog had already managed to get too far away for him to catch the dog. We went out to the area where the dog was spotted, but there was no sign of the dog. A little later, the same morning, we received another phone call about the same dog, from Ken Bois. This time the dog was lying in an open field, but as Ken approached the dog, he struggled up on his legs and tried his best to move away from Ken. Ken did not want to traumatize the dog any further, as he was clearly in a very bad shape, so he approached us for help.

 

As we arrived on the scene, yet again the dog tried his best to get away from us, but he was very weak. We offered the emaciated dog a full bowl of food and he gulped it all up. We offered him some more and by that time he started to trust us enough for us to pick him up.

 

The poor dogs hair was extremely matted especially, his ears. Both ears were just one very thick, long knot, that in fact did not even look like hair anymore. He must have been living on the streets for MANY weeks! Fortunately, he has found a very good home!

 

A very weak doggie with extremely matted ears

After a good bath and shaved ears, on the way to our vet, Dr Shelagh Hahn

(Blue Bush Animal Clinic)

 

Wits Campus Dog: This poor dog in the pictures below, had been living on the Wits Campus for over TWO YEARS! He survived on the cat food that is fed to the many feral cats on the premises. He was terrified of us and it took us over 3 hours to finally catch him. He was diagnosed with billiary at our vet and therefore he would not have survived at the Campus much longer. He has now recovered and if you can offer this dog a good home, please contact us.

 

 

Sweet little cat needs a loving home: This beautiful, very sweet cat in the pictures below, was abandoned by her owners at boarding kennels some time ago and she was about to be euthanized when we intervened and took her into our care. She was riddled with worms and had cancer on her ears, but other than that, there was nothing wrong with her!

 

Our vet amputated her ears and de-wormed her. She is extremely friendly and LOVES attention. Please, if there is someone out there who can offer a home to this beautiful cat, contact us?

 

I have no ears, but I am very loving and I especially love to be rubbed on my tummy!

 

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.

 

We receive SEVERAL calls on a daily basis from people seeking assistance with ferals on their premises. The only humane way to deal with the feral problem is to trap, sterilise, release and feed them. (Read more about ferals at the bottom in WHAT FOUR PAWS IS ABOUT.)

 

Update on the injured coal mine cats: At the end of May we sent out the story of the injured cat at the coal mine. It seemed the cat got caught in some of the machinery at the mine. Fortunately we managed to trap the cat with our first attempt, together with her sibling and rushed her to our vet, Dr Shelagh Hahn. The findings of our vet were both shocking, but at the same time, heartwarming!

 

The injured cats front paw was almost completely cut off and merely hanging on a string of skin. The back leg was seriously injured with big pieces of flesh torn out. Even more disturbing is the fact that our vet said that this did not happen recently, but at least between a week and two weeks earlier!

 

Due to the fact that these cats are not being fed at the mine, they have to fend for themselves and there is absolutely NO WAY this cat could have hunted or moved around too much looking for food. We have come to the conclusion that the tabby sibling, who went together inside the trap with her, must have brought food to her and cared for her.

 

This was confirmed at our vet, as her little sister took just as good care of her while recovering at our vet. Thanks to the 24 hour care of her little sister, who curls up to her, grooms her and comforts her, she made a full recovery. We are eternally grateful to Caron for giving a loving home to both cats! They are still quite happy inside the cage even though it is open that Caron built for them for them to live in initially until they were used to the new environment.

Before the amputation

Recovering in the care of her loving sister

At their new home

 

Sadly, not too long after that, we found yet another injured cat at the same mine, with very similar injuries. One of her legs was also hanging on a piece of string and one foot was cut off. On closer inspection, we have come to the conclusion that the cats are getting caught in HANDMADE SNARES!!

 

We have since spoken to the management at the mine who agreed to inform the staff that no snares are allowed on the premises of the mine.

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To our delight, Melanie, Dr Hahn?s assistant, who took such good care of this kitty, decided to adopt him! Lennon. as she called him, safely in the arms of his new mommy

 

FUNDRAISING:

FOUR PAWS will be the beneficiary of the SAINTs book sales on 25 September and 2 October, the proceeds from the sales will used for the building of our new shelter. The sales are held at Northriding Square (Checkers & Dros), Bellairs Drive, 9am till 2pm (Outside Checkers on upper level) Bellairs Drive Randburg (Please note it is NOT the Bellairs Mall on the corner of Malibongwe, but 3 robots down in Bellairs Drive). Please contact saints@mweb.co.za for any more info and also if you would like to offer your time as a volunteer to help out at the sales.

 

SAINTs is also selling 2011 diaries in aid of Four Paws, please email saints@mweb.co.za in this regard stating you wish to benefit Four Paws.

 

RAFFLE:

We have been given this stunning Rogz bed with toys which we will be raffling at the two book sales, we would however like to start the raffle sooner, if you are interested you can buy a uniquely numbered sheet of raffle entries for R100 (20 x R5.00) by emailing Amy on amyg@mweb.co.za along with your proof of payment into Four Paws bank account. You then sell the tickets to your friends and family (to make back your R100 you paid in) and return the completed sheet either via email by Monday 4 October or drop it off at the book sale. The lucky winner will be contacted on Tuesday 5 October.

 

 

SOME FOOD FOR THOUGHT:

 

Did you know?

There are 45 cats and dogs for every person born

Only 1 out of 10 dogs born ever get a home

Only 1 out of 12 cats born ever find a home

There are simply not enough homes for all of them!

The bottom line?

Please help us to educate people to SPAY and NEUTER their pets!

 

A very special thank you to ALL our donors: You give us strength, courage and make it possible for us to continue our work!? PLEASE, IF YOU HAVE NOT RECEIVED A PERSONAL THANK YOU FROM US, NOTIFY US.

 

Many thanks to Amy Groves for doing our books free of charge, managing our Facebook, raising funds for us (as one of the founders of SAINTs), editing our newsletters and stories and being our personal advisor on many important issues.

 

Thank you to the ladies of SAINTs for doing book and jumble sales, raffles and auctions and organizing events on a regular basis, for fundraising.

 

We would especially like to mention Cloud 9 Golf for organizing a Golf Day at Bryanston Country Club, Four Paws received R18420.00. These funds are going straight into building our new shelter!

 

Thank you to BWC (Beauty without Cruelty), for sponsoring some of our sterilizations.

 

Thank you to Alicia van Loggerenberg for running our web site free of charge.

 

Thank you to Ed Jackson for auditing our books free of charge.

 

Thank you Kitty & Puppy Haven, Co-Sanc and FORA for your help in rehoming our homeless animals.

 

Thank you to our veterinarians, Dr Shelagh Hahn (Blue Bush Animal Clinic), Dr Grant Craig (Paulshof Veterinary Clinic) and Dr A S Leonard (Northriding Animal Clinic) for doing sterilisations and treatments at reduced costs. Thank you also for re-homing some of our homeless animals.

 

Wish list:

 

-FINANCIAL SUPPORT

-Dog- and cat food (especially soft food for trapping ferals and de-worming dogs)

-Cat litter

-Carpets to cut up for blankets

-Cat litter trays

-Cleaning materials such as mops and brooms

-Medicines such as dip, de-worming, vaccines

-Sponsors for kennels

-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 and/or sending this to all your friends and family.

 

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

WHAT FOUR PAWS IS ABOUT: Our aim is to improve the quality of life of underprivileged animals.? In our urban surroundings there are two main categories:? squatter camp animals and feral cats.   Squatter camp projects: The problems with our underprivileged dogs and cats are: -Malnutrition, insufficient shelter & a lack of food and water. -Animals become sick and injured and there is no medical care available. -Animals are knocked over by cars on the roads, because there are no fences. -Dogs are put on chains mainly due to a lack of education and also because there are no fences. -Animals are multiplying uncontrollably because there are no sterilisation programmes. -Communicable diseases like distemper, parvo, snuffles, etc. are spreading, because animals are not vaccinated. -Unwanted animals, especially litters of puppies and kittens, due to overpopulation.   What we do: - Dipping and de-worming to prevent internal and external parasites. -Intensive sterilisation campaigns to prevent overpopulation and straying of animals over the roads in mating seasons. -Removal of unwanted animals and re-homing to suitable homes. -Vaccination to prevent deadly diseases. -Veterinary treatment for injuries and diseases. -Education about proper pet care. -Humane euthanasia of terminally ill animals. -Instilling awareness and respect for animals and the environment. -Confiscation of animals where intentional cruelty occurs.   Feral Projects : Feral cats are a direct result of humans? irresponsibility not to have their cats sterilised, starting many years ago.?? This has resulted in a huge overpopulation of cats and kittens living on the streets, multiplying even more.   The facts and problems with our underprivileged cats are: -People want to ?get rid? of ferals, when in fact it is impossible to get rid of them.? There are many thousands of ferals living all over in our surroundings. -Where ferals are removed, a void is created and ferals from other areas soon fill that void. -A sterilised feral colony will not allow other ferals to move in -Ferals keep the rat population under control, as rats are attracted to the same areas as ferals, normally where food is thrown away. -Feeding ferals will ensure good health and minimize the spreading of diseases. -Feeding ferals will not stop them from hunting rats, as hunting is a basic instinct. -Ferals who are forced to live on rats, mice and left over food only, suffer from malnutrition and diseases. -Ferals are being shot, poisoned and trapped & drowned all over by people. -Ferals pose NO threat to humans -Ferals cannot be re-located due to their nature, removing ferals therefore means killing them.   What we do: -Trap, sterilise and release ferals. -Educate people about ferals. -Encourage people to take responsibility for ferals in their area and feed them. -Trap as many feral kittens as we can, tame and re-home them, instead of letting them grow up on the streets.? It is however, a very difficult and time-consuming process to tame feral cats.?