Animals have been with me all my life - they give me so much love and joy. But not all animals are lucky enough to grow up in a loving home. Many experience neglect or even serious abuse. By volunteering at the animal shelter in Cape Town, I wanted to show the animals that not all people abandon them. itnetX enables employees to get involved in social projects and supports volunteering with three additional days off. ❤️

🧼 Cleaning

Every morning, our team of volunteers started by cleaning the kennels. Cleanliness is essential for the health of the dogs, so one of our first tasks was to clean the floors and lay out fresh blankets. This was followed by caring for the animals: Filling water bowls, cleaning food bowls and preparing food.

Socialization of the dogs

An important part of our work was socializing the dogs. Many of them didn't have an easy past and had to learn to trust people and other dogs. We spent a lot of time with them - playing, cuddling and going for walks. We paid attention to whether there were any health problems: We checked whether the dogs were active, ate their food and observed their general condition. Medicinal baths were also on the agenda to prevent parasite infestation.

🌳 Exercise in the animal shelter: challenges and solutions

Most dogs are allowed to play outside on the meadow all day. There are various areas where groups of dogs get on well with each other. There is shade, drinking water and small pools to cool off in. Unfortunately, some dogs are not allowed outside with other dogs. This is the case when:

• they are new to the shelter and need some rest first to get used to everything new (they are also tested for diseases before they are allowed to join the others),
• they have just had an operation (wait until the wound has healed),
• they do not get along with other dogs (you want to prevent injuries)
• they are still puppies and have not yet been fully vaccinated

However, to ensure that these dogs can also get some fresh air and feel the grass under their paws, we volunteers made sure that they were regularly taken outside to a separate, protected area. However, with the large number of dogs, it is often a challenge to do justice to them all - especially when there is a shortage of volunteers.

👵👴Visit to the retirement home

One particular highlight was a trip with some dogs to a retirement home. The joy on both sides was huge - the residents enjoyed the time with the animals and the dogs received an extra portion of love and attention. The Animal Welfare Society of South Africa organizes these visits once a month to give both the people and the dogs a chance to spend some quality time together.

AWS not only runs an animal shelter, but also a fully equipped clinic that provides comprehensive veterinary services to disadvantaged communities in Cape Town. The clinic has four fully equipped operating theatres where sterilizations, orthopaedic procedures and other surgeries are performed. At any one time, over 175 sick animals can be cared for.

Every animal that comes into the clinic is sterilized and chipped to help reduce the number of stray animals. The inspectorate team responds to reports of animals in distress, including sick and injured strays, stray wildlife and cases of animal cruelty.

In addition, AWS has an adoption department that takes care of the placement of strays and surrendered pets in loving, permanent homes. Every animal released for adoption receives medical care and a behavioral assessment. In addition, pre- and post-home checks are carried out to ensure that the animals are doing well in their new homes.

In addition to working directly with the animals at the shelter, I also spent my free time Instagram profile of the organization. I document everyday life at the shelter, introduce dogs that are looking for a new home and draw attention to the important work of the Animal Welfare Society of South Africa. As the organization is short of staff and money everywhere, any form of support is valuable. That's why I continue to do this work from home in my spare time to relieve the team and extend the organization's reach.

My time at the animal shelter was intense, emotional and incredibly rewarding. Not only did I take countless dogs to my heart, but I also got to know great people who are fully committed to animal welfare. I am grateful for this experience and really appreciate the fact that itnetX supports its employees' commitment to volunteering.

🐾How you can help

If you want to get involved yourself, there are countless opportunities - whether directly on site in Cape Town or in other animal shelters worldwide, but also through digital support, donations or sponsorships. Any help makes a difference.

❄️ Help is particularly important in winter

Especially in the winter months, it gets cold in Cape Town and many dogs have to stay in their kennels. There is often a lack of sufficient blankets to keep them warm, as well as financial resources for medical care and food. Every donation, in whatever form, helps to give these animals a better life.

💪 Get active

If you would like to get involved yourself or support the organization, you can find out more about the Animal Welfare Society of South Africa on their Website experience.

More insights can also be found on their Instagram profile