|
TOWNSHIP ANIMAL RESCUELWANDLE-NOMZAMO CHAIRMANS REPORT 2009
Once again, another very busy year with MANY dogs and cats taken in for re-homing. We managed to re home 60 animals. It’s been a sad year regarding the death of some of our own dogs. We lost Winston (the gate biter!), Peggy, Trixie, Rudy, Sasha, & 'Cilla, a beautiful, gentle dog who mothered l0 healthy pups and then had to be put down due to cancer of the nose Sterilisations & treatments were carried out by our ever helpful vets, Dr. Peter Humphreys, Dr. Keith Viljoen, Dr. Maryna Dooge & Dr Karin Wilson. My nephew, Christian Worp, ran the New York Marathon and set up a fundraising website for us. He raised over R32 000 - fantastic. Brian Super ran the Comrades Marathon and also set up a fundraising website. Pledges are still coming in so no total to date. A wonderful effort by both men and much appreciated. A big thank you to all who work shifts at our Charity Shop at the premises of The Gordons Bay Animal Hospital...many more are needed. Also thanks to Dr.Maryna for allowing us to have the shop there. Many thanks to Laura Wenman from Sunningdale, who organised an Art Exhibition of her pupils work in our name and raised over R7000. Mary Shand, who has now joined our committee, very kindly set up & maintains a website for us and we have had tremendous feedback from this. Thank you Mary A highlight (albeit a nerve wracking one!) was the insert by the Free Spirit team of our work in Lwandle/Nomzamo, including an operation performed by Dr.Maryna Dooge and a walk on the beach with a couple of our dogs. This insert was screened on TV 3 in March 2009. Vanessa received a Helderberg Rotary Vocational Service award and gave a small speech outlining the work we do. Many Thanks to Lesta Rothero, Chris Pretorius, Maritsa Groenewald, Adele van der Merwe & PETS for their donations or food & organised food drives. We were very shocked to learn in January that Freddie van Sittert, of the District Mail, had been retrenched. I doubt very much whether the D.M will ever be quite the same without her and no one could write a Pets Page like Freddie. Freddie has been very ill lately but I gather is on the mend now. All of us from Township Animal Rescue wish her a very speedy recovery. Thanks again to the District Mail for our weekly ad in the classified section through which we have found many homes.. When we are not at the Country Craft Markets and Veldwinkels held at Southey Vines, we go to the Steynsrust Road bridge with our Adopt-a-Pet stand every Saturday from l0.30-l2.30. Thanks to the organisers of both the Craft Market and Veldwinkel for allowing us to be there with our rowdy bunch! Calls for help are coming in from all areas including Mfuleni, Raithby, Garden Village, Faure, etc. We recently had a request for help from as far afield as Madagascar! One of our foster mothers, who is working there now, had her rescued dog spayed by an unqualified person. The little dog developed complications and severe bleeding and it was touch and go whether she would make it. Together with Dr Maryna and email, we were able to assist. Luckily one human doctor in Madagascar allowed his X-ray machine to be used on a dog. Can you imagine cycling for an hour holding your dog with her innards hanging out, to try & get some help for her?? How we take certain things for granted!! Anyway, the little dog is now doing well. We had hoped to send medications with the team who were going to Madagascar to welcome our very own Riaan Manser back from his epic kayaking adventure around the island but we were too late as they had already left! What would we do without e mail? Wilga du Plessis and her faithful team are still busy making us reconditioned Christmas cards on printed "backs" donated by Chris and Lesley of Duplico. We have a very good relationship with Animal Welfare Helderberg. They have often helped us with kenneling dogs and in return we have taken in some of their kittens for re-homing and Vanessa grooms some of their badly matted Maltese poodles. Thanks to our Secretary, Gill Bailey who is very reliable and can be counted upon to help at the various adopt-a-pet stands. The same goes for Jane Hazelden who is always ready to help me, even at a moments notice. Nothing is too much for her to take on & shes always ready to go the extra mile to help an animal. And Ian Rutter. He is our "hunk"!! He is there to set up and pack up the heavy playpens for the adopt-a-pet days and seems to know just about everyone who walks past. And thanks, of course, to my husband, Mike, who puts up with all this animal business. When it becomes too much he escapes to the Bowls Club! And many thanks once again to all you animal lovers........let us all try and make a few more tails wag today....and every day! Jillian Cunningham |
 www.designgirl.co.za |
