I am involved with charity work so I am aware of the needs in our communities and the need for these organisations. We also have some administrative costs that we have to cover over and above the “needs” of our beneficiaries. There are, however, some reservations/ observations I have made.
Not the same SPCA, but my wife worked as an assistant at an SPCA. One evening she told me she resigned.
“But you love animals?” I asked. She started crying. Sobbing, she revealed that every Thursday she had to take the unplaced animals to the lab so they could inject them. I stopped my support and never again supported them. I am aware that some of the top dog and cat food manufacturers make regular donations of pellets and so forth to these organisations, so there should not be a food shortage. They do need money to cover salaries however, and that I can understand. In the past couple of years a new organisation opened its doors in the area. Grounds and buildings were sponsored and everything seemed hunky dory. Then we heard that hundreds of cats and dogs had been put down.
The new chairman said it would never happen again. I think though that he meant “it will never be leaked again.”
A friend of mine had a dog that managed to escape the yard through the hedge but stayed on the pavement just outside the gate. It was captured by SPCA and when the owner went to identify his dog and explain it was not being a nuisance in the neighbourhood, the owner was told to “adopt” the dog at a cost of (then, some years ago) R400. It is this kind of behaviour that causes people not to want to support.
As far as the hospice is concerned, greater family member had incurable cancer and needed to be admitted to hospice for loving care.This was done. When I discovered that the monthly cost was more than the daily cost at one of our luxury hotels, I was appalled. I occupy a flat that from the rear overlooks the store room and storage yard of the hospice shop in Ockerse Street, Krugersdorp.
Even long before the shop closed its doors, I observed furniture, obviously donated by well-meaning people, standing in the yard exposed to the sun and rain (we had a lot the last couple of months) until it was in such a useless state that employees came to load and I suppose, just dumped it.
This was stuff that looked like it could have been restored or fixed for a new lease on life.
Even as I write this, there is stuff in the yard that now probably is useless because of rain damage – stuff that was donated with a good heart by someone. The reason I am aware of this is because I am in rehab from a stroke I suffered and am at home most days.
