Pet lovers are urged to open their homes to a pet this summer, as the Mdzananda Animal Clinic and Shelter in Khayelitsha has reached full capacity and can no longer take in animals in need.

Marcelle du Plessis, Fundraising and Communications Executive, at the clinic says the shelter is currently caring for 34 dogs, 15 cats and 17 kittens, despite only being able to  house 30 dogs and 20 cats.

“We are urgently asking the public to adopt. We have no more space and animals keep being surrendered. We do our best to refer people to other organisations, but there is no guarantee that animals will actually get there, and we worry deeply for their safety.”

Du Plessis says despite several efforts to ensure that the animals are housed in places of safety, more support is required.

“The organisation has formed emergency partnerships with other shelters, including HART, Animal Welfare Society Helderberg and DARG, who have taken some animals into their care.  We are extremely grateful for these partnerships, but even with their support, we simply cannot keep up with the demand. The only long-term solution is for people to step forward and offer these animals loving, permanent homes.”

She also highlights the financial strain the facility faces, which is the only functioning animal clinic in the area, serving an average of 1,500 pets per month through consultations, hospitalisation, mobile clinics and an animal ambulance service.

“Wherever possible, we try to help community members keep their animals. For example, we’ve built fences around people’s yards so that dogs can stay safely at home instead of being surrendered out of fear of accidents. We never want to say no, but right now we simply have nowhere to put more animals.”

The public is also reminded of the Valentine’s Day event hosted by the clinic this weekend in aid of raising funds to ensure that day-to- day operations can continue at the facility.