Over 150 walkers showed up at the Animal Welfare Society on Sunday to walk the dogs at this shelter. The Industrial Psychology student committee (IPS) organised the first “Paw Parade” in order to help raise funds for the Animal Welfare Society Stellenbosch (AWSS) Outreach Programme, which funds the treatment of healthcare for animals in the surrounding communities.
IPS raised R4500 on Sunday, which equates to 15 sterilisations at R300 each.
The Paw Parade allowed students and other members of the community to take a dog for a walk through the scenic Devon Valley vineyards. As most student accommodation doesn’t allow the keeping of pets, this type of event is a great opportunity for students to interact with animals, and for the animals to receive a bit of extra attention.
Students and their temporary companions interact on a walk through the Devon Valley vineyards. PHOTO: Lauren Dold
The Animal Welfare Society is open every day of the week and volunteers are always welcome.
“People don’t have to wait for events to get involved,” says Ruben Myburgh (20), Industrial Psychology student and IPS marketing rep.
130 out of the 153 dogs that live at the shelter were walked on Sunday, which the Animal Welfare Society said was a huge help and a great effort.
This is the first Paw Parade organised by IPS. “We hope to do this twice a year. The next one will be in September, with the idea being that we hand the event over to the new committee,” said Jessica Fouche (24), Industrial Psychology student and chairperson of IPS.
Fouche explained that the money goes to the dogs in local communities, as almost all of the dogs at the shelter have been sterilized already.
The AWSS Outreach Programme goes into the local communities once a week on a Wednesday and treats animals who would have otherwise not had access to health care. Animals seen at an outreach clinic are treated for primary health care related conditions such as dipping, deworming and vaccinations. In addition, animals are booked and collected for sterilisation and spend one night with AWSS before being returned to their owners.
Students walking the shelter dogs along a route through the vineyards. PHOTO: Lauren Dold
The money is also going towards buying food for the dogs at the shelter after a recent break-in where food was stolen. Additionally, some of the money will be used to increase security at the shelter.
The stolen food is reportedly used to support the illegal dog fighting that happens in Cloetesville and other local communities, explained Myburgh.
Fouche explained that the community programmes that the Industrial Psychology students usually organise tend to revolve around local high school students. The Industrial Psychology and Psychology Honours departments provide career guidance and testing for grade 9 learners in 8 schools including 1400 learners.
However, Fouche explained that these programmes have become so common that the schools are over-saturated with these workshops. The committee wanted to do something different for the community, something that would benefit both people and animals.
Bianca Breytenbach (20), an Industrial Psychology student, said that she heard about the Paw Parade through word of mouth in the department.
“It was so much fun, I really loved the beautiful walk, it was so scenic and it’s for a really good cause so it’s definitely worth it,” said Breytenbach.
The final hill of the Paw Parade, before the dogs get returned to the shelter. PHOTO: Lauren Dold