When it comes to looking after homeless, injured, sick or abused dogs in the Jackson’s Drift informal settlement and surrounding areas your go-to person is René Parker.
She is the one who will get up in the middle of the night and answer your call of need. She is the one who will go the extra mile when it comes to animals no matter what.
René, who is a resident from Mondeor, is the owner of Cause4Paws, which is an NPC that focuses on sterilisation, vaccinations, medical care, education and feeding the animals in Jackson’s Drift.
She works hand-in-hand with the Kibler Park Vet, Brackenhurst Vet, Hennie Alberts Vet and Orion Vet in Glenanda. When René enters the informal settlement you will see all the dogs running towards her vehicle wanting to get in for a ride.
A passion for animals
René previously worked with the children of the informal settlement and was on the board of the Lerato Educational Centre. This is when she saw the need to educate the children about what it is when you own a pet and how to care for that pet.
“I have been working in the informal settlement for the last 16 years and I just fell in love with the people and the animals,” she said.
Cause4Paws was previously owned by someone else and it sort of just fell into René’s hands.
“I took over the NPC from its founders and I started doing outreach work.”
René, who is also a pet owner of two dogs, said that rescuing animals is her passion.
“Someone needs to stand up for them as they don’t have voices. A dog loves his owner all the time even when the owner abuses him, so why not stand up for that dog and bring back its dignity?”
Her very own centre
She opened her very own Cause4Paws Care Centre in the informal settlement where she helps injured and sick animals.
Outside of the property, there are two kennels with blankets, water and food.
“Each day you will find that a homeless dog slept in the kennel, ate food and drank water. I even once had a case where an injured dog somehow managed to make it to one of the kennels as if he knew that this is where he would find help,” she said.
René said that she arranged with the pet owners in the informal settlement to give them a dog kennel with a blanket and food if they let her sterilise their pets.
“I then top up their food bucket each month, but they have to keep their end of the deal and bring along their bucket for dog food,” she said.
She hands out about 2 000kg of dog food and 200kg of cat food a month.
“There are over 33 000 residents and more than 2 500 animals in the informal settlement,” she said.
Her pawrangers
René has a group of six children who lives in the Jackson’s Drift informal settlement who she calls her pawrangers.
Cause4Paws are blessed to have the pawrangers staying at the Cause4Paws Care Centre to help with injured and sick animals.
“They are there for when I am unavailable or when time is running out in a specific situation. Educating them is important for me and they are always so keen to help so why not train them? They are some of the purest kids,” she said.
She also said that her pawrangers have bursaries at Onderstepoort Vet for when they finish school.
“They can either learn to become a vet or build up experience to work at a veterinary or the same industry,”
Horrible incidents
René and her pawrangers have seen very ugly things while doing their work in the informal settlement.
“I have worked on cases where a man raped multiple animals and slit open their bodies. I have seen dogs that were kicked, punched, drowned and stabbed. I have seen horrible, horrible things.”
René even prays over every dog she had to euthanise or found run down by a car at the side of the road.
She had to go for counselling because no person can carry on with their daily duties after seeing what she came across over the last few years.
“My passion and my love for our four-legged companions keep me going. I am doing this for them and I feel like it is my duty in life to take care of the voiceless.”
Advice for others
“The only advice I want to share with pet owners is to make sure that they sterilise, vaccinate and microchip their pets.
“Rather adopt or rescue dogs before buying. Believe me, a dog who has been rescued knows he has been rescued. You will see when you connect with the dog. Give a rescue dog a chance,” she said.
Help needed
Any financial help towards Cause4Paws’ vet bills would be highly appreciated.
People can also show their support with a debit order of R70 not only to Cause4Paws but also to A New Hope Dog Rescue from Walkerville and Balls and All.
“If 1 500 people sign up for the debit order it will mean that these three organisations can get R30 000 each a month, which can go towards our vet bills and buy more dog and cat food,” René explained.
“Thank you and blessings to all the fur heroes out there that donate. It is you that helps me to continue saving lives.”
For more information, contact René on 083 414 6144.
