WE NEED YOU

Local veterinarian, Amy Jackson-Moss wrote a Facebook post in August 2021 (see pinned post here) , in which she lamented the fact that she was called upon to euthanise large numbers of otherwise healthy dogs because there were no homes available for them.  It was heart-breaking for her, and her post was a gut-wrenching read.  She explained that the many dogs living in informal settlements were having litter after litter, and while some had owners who cared for them, the resources in these communities barely stretched to feeding the humans, let alone the dogs.  Amy’s post went viral, garnering over 31 000 shares and 6 500 comments.

Amy asked for support to do a spay campaign and managed to raise funds to spay around 100 dogs.  The impact of such a campaign is immediate and far-reaching – dogs are healthier without having to whelp back-to-back litters of puppies, fewer suffering puppies are around to then give birth to litters themselves.  Dog owners can care for one animal, and not litters of puppies.  The exponential impact – if – and only if – the spaying can continue – is transformative. While it is complicated to calculate in numbers how many puppies a spaying programme will prevent from being born, Amy says that some dogs can have a litter of up to 14 puppies – the maths is easy to imagine.

Amy has joined forces with the local SPCA, where she rents space for a small clinic, running a private practise while she does all veterinary work for the SPCA, and raises funds to do the community work about which she is so passionate.  She is remarkably compassionate towards the owners of dogs and cats in informal settlements, in addition to her fervour for the wellbeing of animals.  She sees the bigger picture, and while there is much to be done on all fronts, her spaying campaign hits a mark that makes a massive difference in the lives of humans and their pets.

The cost of spaying a dog comes in at about R800, and then there are inevitable extras to treat other conditions that present themselves, mange, vaccinations etc.  Being able to raise R1 000 gives Amy the resources to spay, treat and release a dog back into its community for a happier future for all.  Dogs are collected, kept in the clinic for two days, fed healthy food, examined, spayed and treated for other conditions, and then delivered back to their owners with as much education as the staff can manage thrown into the experience.