As you approach the office at P.A.W.S, you can hear the exciting barks of the dogs in the back. Walking through the shelter and looking into the big, lovely eyes of the cats and dogs that are sheltered here, your heart strings tug and you immediately want to step in and help. We met and sat down with the team of P.A.W.S and got a new perspective into this pro-life shelter and the daily effort that goes into each and every aspect of keeping this ship afloat.
The Residents of P.A.W.S
There are about 258 dogs in the kennels and 120 cats in the two catteries. 80% of the animals at the shelter are unwanted and only 20% of the ‘residents’ are stray animals that were picked up by P.A.W.S - a sad and shocking statistic.
Main Goal and Mission
They have a few goals and missions. “We want to see our animals adopted and rehomed.” Education within the various communities of Potchefstroom is another priority for the team - this is accomplished by community outreaches where they go into the rural communities to do sterilisations, vaccinations and additional treatments on the animals.
Day-to-Day Operations
The [early] day starts with kennel cleaning which lasts throughout the day, the food and water bowls get cleaned and filled and their bio-security system gets refilled. Their on-site veterinarian and veterinary assistant do hourly checks on the kennels and catteries; should there be an ill animal, they get treated on site and a clearance certificate is completed. Apart from the operations that happen at the premises itself, they have staff out in the field responding to stray animals or cruelty cases. “If we go home at 18h30, it’s early.” It’s not hard to imagine that the days are extremely long, especially taking care of the 92 kennels, 44 catteries and nine stray shelters with reduced staff. The staff is made up of four kennel staff, an in-house veterinarian, a veterinary assistant, two administrative personnel, General Manager, Field Officer and their Operations Manager and the team have all of their hands full.
Drives and Donations
They do a lot of promoting on social media and get a small income from the community via donations. The blanket drive is coming up just in time for Winter and the dog and cat food drives are an ongoing project. They also have a few tins at various retail stores around town where the public can make a donation, along with their annual fundraising events.
“Money, money, money. Must be funny in a rich man’s world”
Like so many things in life, funding is one of P.A.W.S’ biggest challenges. The needed funds would go toward maintaining the grounds and gardens, expanding the shelters, purchasing much-needed medication and food and cleaning supplies. The funds would also go toward the maintenance and petrol for the vehicle that is out in the field on a daily basis. They would also like to improve the infrastructure of the entire premises, so building materials are a big need as well. More than often, some of the staff dig deep in their own pockets just to ensure that the animals are taken care of.
Animal Care
Some weeks they have great adoption figures, but the following week the exact same amount of animals get admitted; “so you never really win”. P.A.W.S takes in a minimum of eight to ten animals on a daily basis and between fostering and finding forever homes, they also try to control the cat colonies in town. The latter mentioned is done with assistance from some local legends who feed the colonies, take care of them and ensure they get taken to the vet to be sterilised.
Forever Homes
Rehoming is another challenge for this non-profit organisation. So many animals get dropped off or left behind when their owners up and leave. Rehoming these animals is very challenging, especially when it’s an older cat or dog. However, there are success stories of memorable adoptions where badly abused dogs were rescued and successfully rehomed. And it’s stories like these that give the staff a glimmer of hope for their other residents.
Adoption Process
If you are looking at adopting one of the lovely furries at P.A.W.S, there is a process that has to take place before you can take home your foot-footed friend. You need to submit an application and strict pre-home inspections are done, especially when looking to adopt a larger dog breed. P.A.W.S doesn’t send out an animal which hasn’t undergone sterilisation, has been dewormed, vaccinated and microchipped. After three months, they do a post-home follow up to see how the animal is doing, whether they are adapting to their new surroundings and offer medical assistance if needed.
Fur, Scales and Feathers
When it comes to the welfare of animals, there is not a single animal species these superheroes aren’t willing to help. They take in lizards, crocodiles, goats, tortoises, geese, rabbits and horses, all whilst working alongside Griffin Rehabilitation Centre and Nature Conservation.
Upcoming Events
They have a few exciting fundraising events to look forward to. Adopt-a-Boss, a Day-Night Golf Tournament, a sleepover, Blanket drives (which will be launching soon) and Steri-Promotions where they go out into the community and neuter the unsterilised animals. A charity shop is also in the pipeline.
Keep an eye on our Events Calendar for their upcoming events.
Wishlist
The list of needs is never ending and there’s always something that they need, whether it be food, cleaning supplies or bedding. Any contribution and/or donations, big or small, are welcome.
The staggering amount of work, effort and love that goes into taking care of the animals at P.A.W.S is incredible. This line of work is something a person is called for and you can see that in the way these animals are treated by the personnel. We, as a community, are extremely grateful for the selfless work that these heroes do on a daily basis.
To make a donation or to see which furry friends are up for adoption, head on over to their Facebook Page or contact them on 071 681 9264.
Johané van Dyk - Potchefstroom
