Back row: (left to right) – Dr Anesca Loots, Michele Boshoff, Karin Van Asten, Victor Mkamanga, Helpus Ndlebe, Wazeem Sowler, Grace (who was a volunteer who worked as part of the team during the fires)
Middle row: Retha Havenga (Office Manager/PR), Lastborn Monki, Goodman Nene, Dirk Arendse
Front row: Annelien Kitley (General Manager – holding little Molly, one of our adoption pups), Zuzelity Ennis, Ashra America
Staff members Hester Richards and Paul Mbewe – absent during the taking of this image.
Written by Retha Havenga – Office Manager/Public Relations Office KAWS
Knysna Animal Welfare Society has been helping the animals of the Knysna area for decades. Their mission is to rescue, rehabilitate and rehome where possible, and educate wherever they go. They run a veterinary clinic daily and help animals from impoverished areas around this Wilderness town.
In the course of their daily work, the non-profit organisation noticed several needs in the impoverished communities in which they work, which led to them launching three important projects, all of which are making a real difference to the animals that they help.
A roof over their heads
In January 2016, KAWS launched a Kennel Project to provide much-needed shelter for dogs living in the townships in the greater Knysna area. While delivering the kennels, the opportunity is used to educate dog owners on the proper care of their pets. To date, more than 284 kennels have been placed.
The public can sponsor a kennel for a dog in need, which is given (in the donor’s name) to a township dog identified as needing shelter. Certain ground rules apply; in order to qualify for a kennel, the dog’s owner has to meet three conditions:
1. All animals on the property must be sterilised or there must be a commitment from the owner for the animals to be sterilised;
2. If the dog/s are chained, the owner will work with KAWS to unchain the dog/s by fencing the property or by temporarily providing dog/s with a running chain; and
3. If animal/s are pregnant/have puppies/kittens, the puppies/kittens will be surrendered to KAWS.
The price to sponsor a kennel is R400 and each one is delivered with a cushion, food bowl and a bag of dog food.
Comfort
While delivering kennels, it was noticed how many dogs are sentenced to a life at the end of a chain or rope, never knowing freedom. This gave rise to KAWS’ Unchain the Dog Project.
The mission is to ensure that all dogs lead the lives that they deserve – free of chains. This is done by raising awareness of the cruelty of chaining and by raising money to provide a running chain of adequate length to be used as a temporary measure, with a view to building safe, enclosed areas for dogs as the goal.
To qualify, the owner must commit to unchaining as well as sterilising the dog, and if animal/s are pregnant/have puppies/kittens, the puppies/kittens will be surrendered to KAWS.
Spay and neuter
In March 2017, the KAWS Sterilisation Project was launched. This vital project works hand in hand with the Kennel and Unchain the Dog Projects, and is sponsored by the public.
For a donation of R350 a dog will be sterilised in your name.
In August 2017 it was decided that, rather than doing two mass sterilisation outreaches per year, a twice-weekly “mini-spayathon” would be undertaken for animals from different areas. That way, more areas and more sterilisations could be done.
KAWS is proud to have sterilised over 738 animals in 2017, 310 of which were sponsored through our Sterilisation Project.
How to help
KAWS relies entirely on donations and is eternally grateful to every donor and supporter. They allow them to undertake these projects and make a difference to the animals relying on them to improve their lives.
For more information on Knysna Animal Welfare Society, follow them on Facebook @KnysnaAnimalWelfare, contact 044 384 1603, email kaws@lantic.net or visit www.knysnaaws.com
To donate towards any of these three projects, KAWS banking details are as follows:
Animal Welfare Society
Bank: FNB
Branch code: 210214
Branch name: Knysna
Account number: 52700033146
Reference: Kennel and your name
Reference: Unchain and your name
Reference: Spay and your name
