GEORGE NEWS - An animal shelter is nothing without the dedicated people who run and maintain it and the staff who spend every day nurturing and looking after the rescued animals in their care and elsewhere.
For this reason, George resident and avid animal lover Althi de Villiers is putting together food hampers for the staff of the local animal shelter Odin.
"Odin is a private animal shelter that receives no funding from the state. They do such fantastic work, not only in George, but the entire Eden district as far as Calitzdorp, Oudtshoorn, Wilderness and surrounding rural areas," says De Villiers.
"They do regular outreaches where they give medical treatment, arrange and pay for sterilisations and hand out pet food where it's needed. They do home inspections and educate pet owners on how to look after their animals the right way."
Odin currently has 280 dogs at its two shelters in George and Oudtshoorn, as well as 100 cats in its care at the kennels at Tantivvey just outside Blanco.
"The operational costs amount to hundreds of thousands of rand every month, and sometimes the staff do not even get their full salaries because money that comes in first goes for food and medication for the animals. Still, they show up every day without complaining," says De Villiers.
How can you help?
De Villiers desperately needs sponsors for the hampers she is putting together. For every hamper the sponsor's name will be entered into a lucky draw for some great prizes, including a four-ball golf game at Kingswood Golf Estate, a two-night stay for two at Fern Gully Forest Cabins, a photo shoot and a game drive at the Garden Route Game Lodge.
For more information about this project, please contact De Villiers on 076 486 4632.
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