TEARS Animal Rescue has announced that its Kennel is temporarily closed as the organisation is currently 88 animals over capacity with 338 animals in its care ~ including those in foster care. As a result the Shelter has confirmed that no new adult dogs or puppies will be admitted to TEARS until adoption numbers increase.
Says TEARS Operations Manager, Mandy Store, “Our foster network is stretched thin and our Veterinary Clinic and stray runs are at capacity with adult dogs needing care or are awaiting admission into the Kennel. TEARS Kennel adoptions are down by nearly 40% based on last year’s averages and we’ve simultaneously seen a massive spike in the number of animals, especially dogs, being surrendered because pet owners aren’t able to feed their pets.”
TEARS is urging the public to support the “adopt don’t shop” movement and highlighting the need for more Capetonians to consider opening their homes to homeless pets this Season by hosting a “Forever Home for The Holidays” Open Day at its Cattery and Kennels this weekend from 10h00 – 14h00 on both Saturday and Sunday.
TEARS Kennel Manager Luke Kruyt comments, “The temporary closure on admissions will enable us to provide the vital treatment, rehabilitation, and care that every rescued pet deserves, while we focus on increasing adoptions and fostering to help save more lives. We hope our Forever Home For The HolidaysOpen Day will highlight that rescues are the best breed and encourage families or individuals to adopt a rescue pet, which in turn will provide a vital “second chance” to another homeless pet in need.”
For those who prefer a virtual “adoption window” they can check out potentially “purrfect” pet matches via the TEARS website at www.tears.org.za and clicking on the Adoption link.
TEARS Head of Marketing and Fundraising, Lara Van Rensburg emphasises how the public can make a positive impact on the current crisis by fostering and/or adopting a rescue pet. “The increasing imbalance between pet adoptions in relation to pet homelessness is a tragic trend being experienced by all local animal shelters as more and more pet owners struggle to care for their pets and coupled with that, there are less pet-friendly rentals available for animal lovers. In addition to needing more people to open their homes to rescue pets , we urgently need to ensure that Cape Town identifies as a pet-friendly city and that local businesses are also invested in addressing the causes of pet homelessness and community health by donating to companion animal sterilisation and vaccination programmes.”
Those who are interested in donating to TEARS can do via the TEARS bank account:
Acc Name: TEARS
Bank: Standard Bank
Current Bank Account: 072062886 / Branch No: 051001
Donations to TEARS are tax deductible, with donors receiving a Section 18A tax receipt.
For more information about the TEARS Forever Home for The Holidays” Open Day this weekend you can find more details on TEARS Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TEARSAnimalRescue/
