Lee Kennedy with a beloved patient, at Animal Welfare Society Helderberg.

Helen Wynne-Dyke, Helderberg

Christmas should be the happiest season of the year, but sadly for companion animals it is often the bleakest, with pets abandoned when their owners go on holiday.

This is when welfare organisations like the Animal Welfare Society Helderberg (AWSH) and the SPCA are overwhelmed by an enormous influx of animals, not only strays wandering the streets, but from so-called “no-kill” shelters across the Cape Metropole claiming to have 100% adoption rates, because they only admit animals that can be re-homed.

“Our Non-selective Open admissions policy” says Belinda Abraham, spokesperson for the COGH SPCA, “means our doors are open to the animals nobody else wants, including those surrendered to us by other organisations because they are not good adoption candidates.

“Millions of homeless cats and dogs in South Africa suffer on the streets, facing starvation, disease, and cruelty. Keeping companion animals in confinement for indefinite periods and ignoring the mental and emotional suffering that results, is not only unkind, it is undeniably cruel.

“We are therefore unable to operate responsibly, sustainably or compassionately without a compassionate euthanasia policy.”

Uncontrolled backyard breeding, inadequate law enforcement and irresponsible pet ownership creates a vicious cycle, but - says Ms Abraham - “nobody wants to talk about euthanasia, and the public would rather donate to an organisation that appears to be re-homing all animals in need.

“In truth, these organisations are helping fewer animals and placing more strain, financially and emotionally on the SPCA. This is patently unfair and unjust”.

Like the SPCA, the AWSH is an “Open-Door Pro-quality of Life” facility making heart-breaking but compassionate choices every day in the face of an increasingly dire situation.

“This has been a severely pressurised, highly emotional and draining year, with our kennels having admitted more surrendered and stray animals than ever before” says AWSH general manager, Julia Evans.

“The numbers of extremely neglected, abused, sad and lost souls that have walked through our doors have been overwhelming.

“Yet we treat every single admission with the utmost care and respect - our first responsibility to immediately lessen pain.

“If there is no hope without continued agony for the animal concerned, our Euthanasia Guidelines are stringently enforced and include 21 warning signs amongst others: severe pain/injury, unrelieved fear/anxiety, advanced physical deterioration, unusual aggression, self-destructive behaviour and severe kennel stress.

“We are aware of at least one dog in a “No Kill” shelter in our area that has spent the last three years in a cage. This is nothing short of animal cruelty.

“Furthermore, our staff suffer enormous strain when animals they have grown to love must be euthanased, but as we cannot afford psychological counselling for them, they simply have to carry on.”

The AWSH relies solely on public funding. Not only do we struggle financially to care for our healthy kennel residents and to assist indigent pet owners with veterinary services, but the financial cost of euthanasia is unsustainable.

We do continually work with other animal welfare organisations on mass sterilisation campaigns but the problem continues largely unabated.

We trust in your understanding of the complexity of this sensitive issue and sincerely thank you for sharing our love for all companion animals in our community.

For more information, contact Helen Wynne-Dyke at helenwd@xsinet.co.za or WhatsApp 076 472 9326.

(Acknowledgements to an SPCA report dated April 10, 2024)

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