Owning an animal is a privilege and not a right
SPCAs do not give away animals nor do they sell animals - animals are adopted from SPCA's.
THE RECORD publish the weekly pets up for adoptions at the Alberton SPCA, but have you ever wondered why you should rather adopt and not shop?
National Council of SPCA gave the following pro’s for adoption on their website:
Sterilised: All cats and dogs that are adopted from a SPCA will be sterilised to prevent them from having any unwanted litters; they will be vaccinated to safeguard them from contracting diseases such as distemper or parvovirus; they will be dewormed to assist in the elimination of internal parasites and they may also be dipped to ensure that there are no external parasites and they will receive some form of identification (either a microchip or a collar bearing an ID disc). This is what prospective owners are paying for whenever they adopt an animal from a SPCA. The actual animal is for free!
If you take into consideration that simply to sterilise a dog at your local veterinarian can cost anything between R1 150 and R1 350 and that a vaccination and deworming can cost R350 and upwards it quickly becomes apparent that the R450 to R500 adoption fee that SPCAs charge to adopt an animal, covering all of these expenses and more, is not expensive at all.
Backyard breeders: Certainly if we start to look at the prices charged by ‘backyard’ breeders (those not registered) it again becomes very clear what good value is offered by SPCAs. It is very important to remember that the backyard breeder is generally not concerned where their puppies or kittens end up, nor do they usually ensure that the animal has a clean bill of health – we only have to count the number of times SPCAs are contacted by broken hearted owners who have bought an animal only to have it fall ill (and even die) a short time after the purchase due to illness or disease.
Owners have been known to run up high veterinary bills trying to treat a sick pup or kitten that they have only just bought. SPCAs, on the other hand, do their utmost to only home healthy animals – and if the animal does fall ill within the first seven days of adoption they will treat the animal at their own cost. This does not, unfortunately, cover an animal that has been injured through the new owner’s neglect – such as an animal that is run over due to the gate being left open for example.
Covered by the fee: The public may argue that to purchase a puppy or kitten from the local pet shop does not cost anything like the cost of adopting an animal from a SPCA. Again, it should be reiterated that the animal does not cost anything when adopting an animal from the SPCA – the fee charged merely subsidises and does not even cover the cost of the care and treatment provided to the animal and we would hope that anyone purchasing an animal from a pet shop would have the animal sterilised, vaccinated and dewormed – to not do so would be irresponsible and would not be putting the welfare of the animal first.
Questions asked: Members of the public have asked the question such as ‘If SPCAs have so many animals – why do they not give them away for free?’ While this question has already been answered, it should be added that if a prospective owner cannot afford to pay the modest adoption fee, how would they be able to pay for quality food, veterinary fees and the other costs that arise in providing the best level of care for your pets.
SPCA home animals responsibly as we intend for homed animals to remain in that same home for the rest of their lives which may be in excess of 10 years. In an attempt to ensure this, all properties are inspected before a SPCA animal is adopted.
This is done to establish that the property is large enough for the species of animal being homed, that any animals already living on the property are in good condition and will accept the animal being adopted, that the walls and gates are high enough to keep the animal in (obviously this particular concern would not strictly apply to cats but they would still require a safe environment) and to ensure that there is some form of suitable shelter for the animal.
No animal will be homed if it is going to be put onto a chain – not even a running chain, as this is no life for any animal. It may seem that the criteria for adopting an animal are stringent, but they are entirely in the best interests of the animal.
Owning a pet is a privilege: The SPCA has a saying that goes – ‘owning an animal is a privilege and not a right’ and the animals that come into our care are either strays that have become lost or been abandoned as well as cats and dogs that are unwanted and are handed over to SPCAs; and of course animals that have been neglected and ill-treated and removed by SPCA Inspectors in order to find new loving homes where they will never again be subjected to any form of ill-treatment.
We take this onerous responsibility very seriously and Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals cannot permit any of these animals to go to any homes where they will be anything else but loved and cared for – we cannot be part of letting these animals down.
Visit the Alberton SPCA to see what pets are up for adoption and change a life of a pet. The adoption price is R550 which includes sterilisation and vaccinations. A pre-home inspection will need to be done beforehand. Please come in to meet the pet in person. If interested, please take note of the kennel number when calling. Contact Alberton SPCA on 011 907 1568.
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