News

We’re a busy bunch of brakaholics, and there’s always news to share. To make sure you’re always kept in the loop, we send regular email updates to our supporters – click here to join our mailing list to follow African Tails on our exciting life-saving adventures.

 

Spring has sprung and we are excited to launch the first of our 4-part IT'S PART OF MY CHARM photo competition.  This weeks' category is "Zaniest Tail" so see the entry info to see if your pooch or mutt or hound has the tail to win you some prizes!  Entries for this first category close Friday 10 September 2010 so haul out your cameras and start snapping away at those zany tails this weekend!

Brakking Beautiful Bumper Stickers now for sale - R20 each! To order email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

NB - Only available in the Cape Town area for now, until we can organise distribution nationally...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

African Tails Event on Mandela Day - 18 July 2010

We held a fantastically successful African Tails awareness day at the beachfront in Mouille Point (near the lighthouse) on Sunday 18 July 2010. Thanks to all those who supported and donated - we managed to raise over R 4,500 towards our worthy cause!! And were lucky enough to be featured on pg. 3 of the Cape Argus the next day. Thanks to Lola and her gang of happy helpers for putting it together at such short notice. We did our bit for Mandela day... and the doggies (of course). Here are some pics from the day...


Long Overdue Update on Lucky Lucy...

 

Lucky Lucy has felt the bibbering cold, with only 3 paws to wrap herself around in, she has come down with the flu, but what a madam – as she can really put it on, big time. If we cuddle her up in a warm blanket and rub her chest she falls asleep snoring with paws twitching as she probably dreams now of chasing trains because she’s a really fast and funny bunny. So after rubbing her aching chest and we put her in her bed, she really wakes up putting it on by shivering like a rattlesnake, just so that we can feel sorry for her. It’s just too sweet to witness. She is doing a great job on Boland Field Trips – helping other needy dogs. Her great love and enthusiasm has brought many smiles and tears and with her tiny self, she is trying to keep all her brothers and sisters warm, like a true mother goose. She also made a special appearance at our 2011 calendar shoot and performed like a true star – here she is pictured in the wings en route to her date with Josie Borain.

 

 

AFRICAN TAILS GOES BRAK TO BASICS: Because sterilisation is the only solution...

African Tails’ primary goal has always been sterilisation… but over the last year or so, our attention has been diverted by the many individual dogs that need rescuing and rehoming. But it’s time to refocus that attention on sterilisation, in an effort to truly curb the overpopulation, rather than just saving a handful of individuals.

Why? Because...

  • One unsterilised female dog and her offspring can produce 67 000 dogs in six years. It’s anyone’s guess how many unsterilised females are currently roaming the townships. Sometimes, when we rescue a mother and her six-week-old puppies, we find she’s already pregnant with yet another litter! A female puppy goes on heat for the first time at just six months of age, and from then on, she’ll go on heat twice a year. The maths of this is just frightening.

  • Every dog we rescue costs time, effort and money. If we spend R20 000, for example, turning 20 dogs’ lives around, that money could rather be used to sterilise 200 dogs in the townships. That’s thousands and thousands of puppies that would not have to suffer a life of abuse and neglect, compared to just 20 dogs who find new happy homes.

  • There aren’t enough homes for the township pup-ulation. And it’s growing every day. Rescuing a small number of dogs may sound fantastic, but it’s like putting a plaster over a gunshot wound; the source of the problem has not been addressed, and the longer you leave it, the worse it gets. Despite all our plea’s to the public to “adopt a rescue”, we are still saddened daily by the amount of people who still support breeders by buying pedigree dogs for thousands of Rands and even cross breeds from backyard breeders – or worse yet – people who still insist on letting their dogs have “just one litter” “for the sake of the children to see the wonder of birth or for the dog to be whole and complete”.

  • There aren’t enough foster homes out there – we spend many a day barking up one tree after another in a desperate (and often futile) search for loving foster homes for our rescues. We don’t have a shelter facility and rely on caring people to open up their homes to our rescues before we can find them their happily ever after’s. Thank you to all those loving foster mom’s and dad’s that have helped us turn 380 dog lives around in the past 3.5 years.

  • There are already so many shelters! While we spend all our time and money finding homes for our rescued dogs, thousands of other dogs are in shelters around South Africa, waiting desperately for someone to take them home.

In short, we have to be cruel to be kind. Prevention is better than cure, and the only way we can ever hope to make a tangible difference to the plight of these dogs is to stop the cycle at its source. At the moment we are simply chasing our tails, rather than moving forward and making a real difference.

Currently, African Tails has over 60 dogs in foster care. With this in mind, we have decided to close our doors to further rescues and find homes for the dogs we already have. Ultimately, we aim to bring our numbers back down to a maximum of 15 rescued dogs at a time. This is more manageable for the African Tails staff and fosters, and will allow us to focus on sterilisation. If we can cut back on the time, energy and resources it costs us to rehome a fraction of the dogs that are out there, we could focus more intensively on monthly and weekly sterilisation campaigns. 

Does this mean we won’t be rescuing any more dogs?
We will still be rescuing, but in much smaller numbers (maximum 15 dogs at a time). Our focus will be on sterilisation, and our secondary function will be rescuing and rehoming (which will only apply to township dogs).

What should you do if you find a stray dog?
There are many existing shelters that take in strays – such as the SPCA and the Animal Anti-Cruelty League – and we urge you to contact one of them if you need help. They are specialised organisations whose primary focus is rescuing and rehoming, and they will therefore be the best people to call.

If you can’t keep your dog…
First of all, please think twice before abandoning him or her. There are always other solutions – like finding a pet-friendly apartment, taking your dog with you when you emigrate, or phoning an Animal Behaviourist if you’re having trouble with your dog. Please feel free to contact us if you need some advice on these options. If you really must give up your dog and you adopted him or her from African Tails, please contact us ASAP. We will take full responsibility for any of our graduates and will help you find a new home for your hound. If your dog is not from African Tails, however, please contact one of the abovementioned organisations. 

What’s our next step?
Find homes for our current 60+ dogs … and for this we need your help! If you or anyone you know is looking for wonderful new best friend, please have a look at the homeseeking hounds on our website (www.africantails.co.za) or on our Facebook page. Once our numbers are down to a maximum of 15 dogs, we can begin to refocus on our primary goal: sterilisation!

How are we going to sterilise?
We plan to start running vaccination clinics and monthly mass-sterilisations (i.e. PRIMARY CARE) in the townships, as well as mini-sterilisations on a weekly basis. This is thanks to Peninsula Beverages (aka Coca Cola) who generously donated a container for us to establish as a clinic and thanks wonderful vets like Dr Yvonne Robson and Dr Roos (of Stellenbosch Animal Welfare) who have made their passion for sterilising, their facilities and their expertise available for us to make a quantifiable difference in the near future. We are also going to focus our efforts on EDUCATION - in both rural and urban schools as well as educating and assisting existing dog owners in the township to provide the best for their loyal friends. 

We also can’t achieve these goals without your help so appeal for you to please complete the attached debit order form and know that for every R100 you contribute to us per month, one township dog’s sterilisation will be subsidized by you. That’s a pleasing thought for the conscience when drifting off to sleep on cold, stormy nights.

At the end of each day, we will be able to wipe the sweat off our brows and know that we have truly made an impact. And that’s what we call a real happy ending.

AFRICAN TAILS EDUCATIONAL DRIVE

Wagenmakers & Voorgroenberg Primary Schools, Boland, April 2010


 

Andre Verbiest, one of our extremely hard-working and dedicated volunteers, is trying to make a difference in underpriviledged communities by educating the children in order to prevent neglect and abuse of animals within these areas. A few weeks ago he visited Voorgroenberg and Wagenmakers Primary Schools in the Boland area and the response was tremendous. 

By introducing the children to Lucky Lucy (dog tied to the train tracks earlier this year) and explaining the horrific abuse which she went through, Andre was able to put the message across that cruelty to animals is just not an option. He said 80% of the kids shed a tear over Lucy's unimaginable story and were extremely receptive. Andre said that quite a lot of kids take part in animal abuse as their elders encourage it- a cycle which has to stop. Education needs to not only be aimed at the children in these communities, but also at the adults.

A very careful and tactful approach is needed to address this type of abuse, the kids are dying to stop the animal abuse themselves, but don't know how.

Both Schools will willingly help with a Mass Sterilization by allowing the students to bring their dogs and cats, and help with the after care, both principals would allow it, as a educational process. Now we as African Tails need to help with these DipDays every 2nd Saturday. We are in need of baths, dog shampoo, dip, inoculations, photo's of dogs/cats taken, recorded and logged so come mass sterilization days we know how many, male and female. And we also need volunteers 2-3hrs on a Saturday with laptops and digital cameras.

If anyone can assist with this or any of the resources listed above, please contact Richelle and Andre on 073 928 6236 or the African Tails head office on 021 448 8074 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

AFRICAN TRAILS REUNION WALK

Sunrise Beach, Muizenberg, Saturday 8 May 2010

Here are some pics taken on the day... Enjoy!