Dogs bring joy but need support

Sue Green and Maureen Chitters said Joy Dogs is appealing to the public, schools and companies for funds to continue educating school children about responsible pet ownership.

The dogs’ owner from Glen Vista, Green, takes the dogs around to schools to teach children about dog ownership, grooming and the best way to approach dogs.

Two of the Joy Dogs, English sheep dogs, six-year-old Jasmine and four-year old Oscar have been in the spotlight a couple of times.

Jasmine and Oscar appeared on a popular television show on SABC 3, on the topic of dogs in advertising, two years ago.

They also take part in a paint company commercial on television.

Green said, “We have four dogs, Jasmine and Oscar are the ones I brought today. They help raise awareness about owning a pet, especially dogs. Jasmine and Oscar can do a lot of tricks such as reading and if asked their age they bark six or four times in response, respectively.”

Blows asked why the breed is not popular in South Africa. Green replied, “There are no pairs in South Africa. Of the 20 English sheep dogs in South Africa and I own four of them. We are appealing for funds to cover our running costs so that we can continue to visit more schools. We also visit Steve Biko Hospital, yearly, so that the Joy Dogs can spend time with cancer patients.”

Chitters, Joy Dogs teacher, said people must look after pets responsibly.

“People often think owning a pet is cute but they do not want to suffer through the grooming that comes with owning a pet. Sue spends an hour brushing the Joy Dogs’ fur and they are very expensive to maintain. You cannot have a pet and not take responsibility for its needs.”

Oscar came from Belgium while his sister, Yola came from Hungary.

Anyone who wants to meet the Joy Dogs or donate some money can contact Sue on Facebook: Oscar and the Joy Dogs or email: sue@educationaljoydogs.co.za