Update :: Azzan's progress

When we first encountered Azzan at the Hippo Pools campsite on the Angolan border in December 2012, his wounds were already healing, but he was very thin and struggling to get around.  He'd had both tendons cut by a woman in the campsite and left to fend for himself. (Read his full rescue story here.)

This photo was taken on the 26th of January 2013 when he was rescued:

A proud rescued pet

Azzan ::

Azzan with his niece and new best friend, Caitlyn.

Creatures of the earth

Feature :: Animal Outreaches

Mike Kerr from Animal Outreaches in Port Elizabeth is always kind enough to include me in his mails updating us of their hugely successful outreaches in the areas surrounding PE.  They are the voice for all God's furry creatures, great and small, who have been neglected, abused and abandoned, and assist the impoverished community in taking care of their animals.

Mike Kerr was awarded the Eco Angel Award in 2011 which is awarded to an individual whose actions have conserved, nurtured or restored the Earths life forms, eco-systems or natural resources. This award is in recognition for Animal Outreaches participation in the care of animals in the poorest of poor communities and numerous Spayathons in areas such as Missionvale, Joe Slovo, Shamrock, Langboss, Patterson and Valencia.

Feature :: Santa Paws

I've just discovered the most fantastic site and absolutely LOVE their idea of collecting and distributing Christmas packs for numerous animal shelters around South Africa to show our less fortunate furry friends a bit of love this Christmas:

Santa Cause for Paws is committed to collecting and distributing Christmas packs made up by the public to various animal shelters around Johannesburg. Their aim is to make Christmas a little more special for cats and dogs in shelters this year by providing them with treats that they would otherwise go without.

They have chosen the following organisations as their beneficiaries for 2013:
4Paws
Alberton SPCA
Border Collie Rescue
Brakpan SPCA
Cat Village
CLAW
FORA (Friends of Rescued Animals)
Hellen White Working in the Community
Kitty Puppy Haven
Wollies Animal Project

The Scourge of Puppy Mills

Puppy mills are commercial mass dog-breeding facilities that put profit above the welfare of dogs.

Most puppy mill dogs are housed in shockingly poor conditions, especially the ones kept in cages to be bred over and over for years, without human companionship and with little hope of ever joining a family. After they're no longer profitable, these dogs are simply discarded. Hundreds of thousands of puppies are born every year, adding to the pet overpopulation that fills our nation's animal shelters.

Goodness of character

Azzan :: First camping weekend

Taking in the view

We took Azzan away to Beaverlac in the Cedarberg for his first camping weekend since arriving in Cape Town.

Donation :: Uitsig Animal Rescue Centre

Continuing in the spirit of our FAW project last month, Doron (the owner of RJ45 Networking Solutions) offered to match any donation the staff wanted to make to a charity of our choice.

We decided that we wanted to support the Uitsig Animal Rescue Centre in Joostenbergvlakte.  They work closely with and support FAW and are collaborating with them on Project One by One to home all their adult cats (who are usually overlooked in favour of kittens).  

Firefighter Saves Kitten in "The Rescue"

Adopt a senior

Step foot in a shelter

Cushions for Border Collie Rescue

A curious Collie checking what we'd brought

On Saturday, my mom and I went to deliver the 39 new cushions we'd made for Border Collie Rescue in Kalbaskraal.  When Doron and I were there in June to donate food, Karen spent some time showing us around the facility and introducing us to the dogs.  

We got to see the barn where the Collies sleep together each night - during the day, they are free to run around the huge grounds.  Every Collie has their own cage with their name on it and, at bedtime, they all know exactly where to go. 

Azzan :: At the farm

Today Azzan ventured a little further than the Atlantic Seaboard and went to visit friends on their farm in Malmesbury.  He even celebrated by going for a dip in their pond.

mmmm Smells good, when's lunch?

Azzan :: New K9 Gear

Azzan and Terri ready for their walk in their new Julius K9 harnesses.

Project :: Fisantekraal Animal Welfare Update

Thanks to RJ45 Networking Solutions for their incredible donation of materials and manpower needed for the successful completion of our project at FAW.  And also to CEL Paving for their generous sponsorship of the paving bricks.

FAW operates from these containers on a Tuesday and Saturday morning, so when Peet arrived on the Wednesday morning, 26th June, he had three days to complete all the work.  He hired some local guys to help with the construction and together, they were able to have the whole job done for FAW's arrival at work on the Saturday morning.   Read more about this project here.

FAW's Response
http://www.faw.za.org/?p=3538

We have no right

Adoption :: Rosemary - Lucky Lucy | FurKidz

My folks decided to adopt a rescue so we visited the FurKidz website which lists available dogs and cats from a number of rescue centres in your area.

If you're looking for a perfect match, visit their site - you can search what type of companion you are looking for, the region you're in and can also use the advanced filters for specific attributes such as breed, age, size, colour or gender.

The happiness of going home

Smiley - Swaziland Rescue Mission

We saw this call for help at the end of May and decided to donate towards this amazing rescue.

It reminded us so much of our experience of Azzan and this was just one way we could pay it forward.

What you do makes a difference