Purrpaws for Life needs YOUR help !

Purrpaws for Life, a desperate plea to help us in our Cause!

Four and a half years ago we started by spending our 67 minutes on Mandela Day collecting food for the 45 dogs we had at that time.  Our 67 minutes changed into devoting the next 67 years of my life to Rescue, Rehabilitation and Rehoming of abandoned, abused and neglected animals.

Our only source of income is donations we receive from the public, which in turn gets used to for the day to day running of the shelter and caretaking of the animals.  Our veterinary account is also paid purely by donations. Our supporters pay that direct into the Klipriver Veterinary Clinic. Our Dog food is supplied by Hi Performance Feeds in Meyerton, and donations towards our food account also gets paid direct into their bank account.

Purrpaws overheads entail Eskom, vehicle payments and maintenance as well as a bond, as the shelter is my home.  My bond and  is held with Nedbank currently standing at R320 000. My vehicle, used for transporting animals, collecting donations and food, and is financed with MFC.  The Purrpaws for Life bakkie was bought last year when I still generated my own income but due to the expenses of the Shelter, day to day running costs are covered by  donations we receive.  My vehicle is now officially two months in arrears, and we risk losing it, as our current donations are not sufficient to cover the costs.

The bond is paid by a donor every month for us, and has been doing it from January 2015.

We are receiving an average of 5 dogs  per month and rehome an average of 10/20 per month. We accommodate 320 dogs at the moment, and 580 cats. This amounts to having to expand the enclosures for the dogs and extending the Quarantine camps as well.  Only a third of the 5 hectares have been utilized for enclosures to save these animals.

We are currently the only shelter that takes in dogs in the Vaal Triangle, with a NO KILL POLICY* but have been receiving numerous pleas for help from Johannesburg, Pretoria, and even as far as Rustenburg.  Our motivation is believing that each animal deserves a chance at having a normal family life, and we endeavour to find this for each of our furries that cross our paths.

*(NO KILL we define as taking care of the animals until they get rehomed/adopted, or alternatively die from old age, disease or illness that affects their ability to lead a normal life.

RESCUING THE ABANDONED, ABUSED AND NEGLECTED ANIMALS

Some of our animals stay for only a day, some get to spend a few weeks and then there are the unfortunate ones that stay for years, and then get adopted after two or even three years at the shelter.

Some puppies are born here because their mothers were brought in pregnant, or they were dumped here just as they were due to be born.  The lucky ones find homes within the first six months, the unlucky ones, stay  for a few months or years, or might even grow old and die here. But by networking continuously on Facebook and the Email, we stand a chance to save their lives, and offer them the opportunity to have a normal “family” life. Each one gets sterilized, vaccinated, dewormed and microchipped before they get adopted.

Statistics have shown that for each family member there is about an average of 7 dogs born.  This is a massive overpopulation of unwanted pets in our country.

This is due to our government not making sterilization compulsory, allowing backyard breeders, registered breeders and puppy mills to breed uncontrolled, causing the problem to escalate. Ignorance and  lack of education is now pushing the situation to it’s limits.

OUR MISSION is to create awareness!!

Everybody wants a pet, but not everybody takes responsibility for their PET.

Due to our No-Kill policy, every animal is given the opportunity and right to live the happy fulfilled life  they deserve.

We have a NPC that rescue, rehabilitates and re-homes abandoned, abused and neglected animals.  Abandonment could be caused due to divorce, death in the family, down scaling, emigrating, and various other reasons.

Lack of education about breeds is a major cause of people getting breeds that don’t suit their lifestyles and personalities and in turn causing these dogs to end their lives as unwanted pets in Animal Rescue Centres. 

REHABILITATION PROGRAM

Neglected, abused and abandoned animals are taken in at our shelter, rehabilitate those that need to be taught to socialize with other animals and/or with humans again and lead a normal life of a family pet. This is part of our daily tasks and responsibility to our community.

We have built up the facility over the last four and a half years which offers safe and comfortable garden enclosures for dogs and cats to live in for an undetermined period. In turn we try and get them adopted as quickly as possible by networking them extensively.

We currently have a total of 45 garden enclosures for the dogs, ranging from breeds ranging from Pittbulls to German Shepard’s and even Maltese Poodles. We are currently housing 280 dogs at our facility.

The cats have a total of 8 runs to facilitate them with a comfortable living space and safe surroundings for a total of 380 cats.

Taking care of the animals they are rehomed, rehabilitation of abused dogs with socialization problems and networking to find homes is a costly exercise and we need funds raised on a daily basis to cover our expenses.

Our basic expenses for care of these animals are food, water, blankets, bowls, shade net and kennels for each enclosure.  Cleaning materials are needed to keep the premises clean, neat and environment sterilized where needed, as we sometimes work with diseased animals that could infect both humans and other animals.  Other materials needed to build new enclosures are poles, fencing, gates and cement.

Purrpaws For Life has a property of 5 hectares to accommodate these “unwanted” animals. Public contributions make it possible for us to offer a safe haven!

EDUCATION PROGRAM

We have initiated an ongoing process of public education, creating awareness of the importance of sterilization and vaccination of family pets to prevent overpopulation of unwanted pets resulting in abandonment in our country

Regular visits to local schools and inviting schools to our premises help create awareness of the plight of these animals. Our FEEDING PROJECT is steered through community centres and the SAPS in the local townships of Zamdela and Rafinkgotso to educate the public and children on how to responsibility and care for their pets.

HELP US PLEASE so we can help THEM

We are in desperate need for public financial assistance to help us cover our vehicle costs, with your assistance you are helping us to continue our awareness campaigns and ensuring we remain mobile to continue raising funds to take care of the animals.

One of our dedicated volunteers spends her weekend raising funds for the shelter and had her vehicle covered with signage sponsored by SIGNS WITH IMPACT, promoting and creating awareness for Purrpaws for Life.

SASOL filling station in Vaalpark sponsored our bicycles for our entry in the Momentum 947 Challenge this year, as we don’t expect people to contribute without contributing ourselves.

Now we desperately need to get a sponsor for the Nissan NP200, as we cannot afford the instalment nor the advertising needed on it.

Our Nissan Juke

Signage done for Sasol Vaalpark that sponsored the bicycles for the Momentum 947 Cycle challenge

The Nissan NP200 that we need help with

The Nissan NP 200 is registered on my name, and urgently need to get financial help either with payments towards the loan or with doing advertising for companies to raise enough funds to cover the cost.

Please contact me: Lindie Louwrens any time of the day or night on 0836509558, or alternatively on lindie@purrpawsforlife.co.za should you wish to assist us.

For more information regarding Purrpaws for Life please visit our website, sponsored by ShowMe Vaal at: www.purrpaws.showme.co.za