Hundreds taken in by Alberton SPCA over the festive season

The Alberton SPCA saw a high number of stray and surrendered animals being dropped off over the festive season including on January 1.

According to the SPCA manager Charmain Southon, the Alberton SPCA received 118 stray animals and 220 animals that were surrendered by their owners.

“When you add up these numbers, it comes to 338 and let me tell you our premises are not big enough to keep all of these animals even if we wanted to. This is just heartbreaking.

“On New Year’s day we had to euthanise two animals who were knocked over by cars. The two pets broke their backs and unfortunately there was nothing more we could do for them,” she said.

“The December period is a strenuously hectic time for animal shelters, as this is typically the time when families go on holiday and leave their animals behind. It is of course also a traumatic period for dogs, especially with the celebratory fireworks.”

Pets and fireworks

“Pet organisations including the SPCA have created much awareness over the years of the damage that fireworks cause to pets and still people don’t take it seriously. We all know that there are some individuals still shooting fireworks so why do pet owners not make sure their pets are safe?

“For that one night bring in your pets and if you know they react to fireworks make sure to give them something to calm them,” said Charmaine.

According to her, it is general knowledge that fireworks cause trauma and stress for pets.

“Due to all that trauma and stress pets will injure themselves by trying to fit through fences or jumping over it. They also run away and get knocked over by vehicles. We all know this so why aren’t we doing something to protect our pets. We remain the voice of the voiceless and we need to start taking it seriously.”

Charmaine said it is not a right to own a pet, but a privilege.

“If you are going away make sure your pets are taken care of. There is many options like the border kennels at the SPCA and dog sitters. When planning your holiday make sure your pet’s safety is on top of that list,” she said.

Microchip your pets

Life can be made very easy not only for pet owners, but also for the SPCA staff.

“Microchipping your pet only costs R270 and it is for life. Microchipping your pet is one way to increase the odds that you will get your lost dog or cat back.

“Microchipping pets involves placing a small computer chip about the size of a grain of rice under the skin. It is implanted in a simple procedure by a veterinarian who uses a needle to place the microchip under the loose skin in between the shoulder blades.”

A microchip contains a serial number unique to your pet and a phone number that belongs to the registry that owns the chip.

When the SPCA gets in new stray dogs, they immediately scan them for a microchip and when a pet is chipped their owner’s details are logged onto a system and it makes it easy for SPCA staff to reunite or track down the owner.

A heartfelt thank you

Charmaine said that even though they had a busy festive season and many heartbreaks she wants to also take a moment to thank the Alberton community.

“Our fabulous community has been there for us every second of every day. Thank you for all the donations and assistance. Thank you for looking after us. We really do appreciate it,” she concluded.

Considering the increase of stray and surrendered animals, the SPCA places even more emphasis on their ‘adopt, don’t shop’ principle, urging residents to consider visiting the SPCA before shopping for a new furry friend.
For more information, contact them on 011 907 1568