SPCA’s clear the shelters initiative sheds light on the importance of adoption
The SPCA’s ‘Clear the Shelter’ adoption drive is back for the second year, with several branches offering reduced adoption fees and extended open hours.
The SPCAs in Luderitz and Oshana will be hosting their drives on 25 June, while the rest of the SPCAs will commence on 4 June.
SPCA National Director, Hanna Rhodin said there are currently over 300 pets across the country waiting for their perfect match.
“These animals are mostly cats and dogs but in Windhoek, there are also rabbits and guinea pigs looking for new homes. These are all incredibly deserving animals, and we hope that Clear the Shelters adoption drive can shine some light on the importance of adoptions and the wonderful difference and impact it has on the lives of the animals currently in the care of the SPCA,” she added.
Elaborating more on the importance of adoption, Rhodin said one of their core activities is their adoption programme, effectively giving animals a second chance in life, because pets of all sorts come to the SPCA for a variety of reasons, oftentimes at no fault of their own.
“Therefore we believe that allowing these animals to find a loving home is worth every home check, meet and greet and consultation leading up to successful adoption. We put a lot of emphasis on people meeting their right match, we all have different preferences and we want to help adopters make the right choice for themselves and their families, and on the flip side to ensure a good match for the pet too,” she added.
She said last year alone, the SPCAs across the country provided a haven for over 5000 new animals, over 4000 of them were taken in Windhoek alone, while nearly 500 of those animals were lucky enough to be reunited with their owners, and the adoption numbers simply do not make up for the intake at just shy of 900 adoptions in the year, a 19% decrease in adoptions from the previous year.
“Choosing to adopt an animal makes a direct difference in the life of that animal, and former shelter cats and dogs make up some of the most loving family pets. Not only does it make a world of difference for that one animal, but the adopter can be assured that the animal will have at least one vaccine, be sterilized and have been given de-parasitical treatments,” she added.
Furthermore, she said the staff consulting on the adoptions know the animals well and can give lots of information on the personality, the likes and dislikes of the pet, and temperament and guide potential adopters in how the animals might fit in with their family and their lifestyle.
