Spaniel Rescue SA’s founder speaks up about the horrors of the festive season

• Amanda-Leigh Robinson, founder of Spaniel Rescue South Africa, writes:

“The festive season is upon us, but there will be little time for decorating Christmas trees and relaxing with family for animal shelter staff and rescue organisations. It is hard to get excited about the Season of Joy when you know that the festive season will bring an inordinate amount of strays and surrendered animals.

With the backyard breeding industry thriving, especially over Christmas, shelters are inundated with unwanted dogs, especially puppies. The novelty of a new puppy quickly wears off when they chew that first shoe or the new owner has to return to work in January.

So, while the rest of the world prepares to purchase Christmas gifts and plan a family meal, we worry about funding for food, veterinary care, and shelter for all these animals.

This year has been no exception, with people already starting to dump unwanted litter of puppies. Within one week we had to take in two litters of pups in urgent need of veterinary care and food. We had to deal with coccidian, giardia, parvovirus, and one pup that required emergency surgery for a badly broken leg. This pup, we named him Snow, came in with his four siblings. It was clear from the onset that he had a broken leg, even though the now ex-owner advised that she had taken him to a vet (doubtful) and the vet indicated it was merely a muscle sprain. Our amazing team of vets at Boskruin Veterinary Clinic took X-rays, and the horror of his injuries was clear to see. This poor puppy had been hobbling around for a minimum of two weeks with this injury, with not so much as pain medication. Dr Peter and his team sadly had no option but to amputate the limb.

This puppy, despite the broken leg, parvovirus, severe worm infestation, and being grossly underweight, pulled through and never lost his lust for life. He wanted to live, so we did everything we could to ensure he made a full recovery, albeit as a tripod.

With his charming personality, he soon won everyone over, and his foster dad Brad adopted him. A case was opened at the relevant SPCA branch, to prevent any other animals suffering at the hands of the irresponsible owner.

Treating 11 puppies for a variety of ailments does not come cheap, and even though our vets provide a great service at a reduced rate, we were still left with a R23 413.75 account. How do you put a price on a life, let alone 11 lives? Puppies who haven’t even started their lives, puppies who have endured so much in the first seven to eight weeks of life on earth, but still choose to trust humans.

Sadly, Snow and the other pups’ story is not an isolated case. This is what rescue organisations deal with daily.

Please do your research before buying puppies, especially from backyard breeders. More often than not these pups have not had any vaccinations or deworming. People are very hesitant to spend money on vet care for a puppy they paid R200 for. These pups end up suffering until the inevitable end, with people resorting to anecdotal remedies ranging from brandy and egg to treat parvo, to forcing caustic substances down their throats.

A dog is a lifetime commitment, a member of your family. They are not disposable, they are not inanimate objects or garden ornaments. They require a good nutritious diet, training, veterinary care, grooming and most of all, love. Think before you breed, before you buy.”