By Nkosenhle Sibisi
Animal lover, Kloof and Highway SPCA manager, Barbara Patrick said she is excited to be celebrating 14 years of saving animals. Animal shelter, Kloof and Highway SPCA is on the front line of animal cruelty prevention and they work tirelessly to make sure that the vulnerable animals which include dogs and cats find a loving and warm home.
Patrick said that her journey at the Kloof and Highway SPCA has been an amazing adventure, filled with challenges, and experiences that she never thought were possible.
“It has been fulfilling making a difference in the lives of animals and people everyday. I have been working closely with special staff and volunteers. I can honestly say that it has not been a full journey, and I wish I had started writing a book 14 years ago to document everything. It hasn’t been easy to stay focused on our values, morals and goals everyday, but being honest, kind and resilient has ensured that every night I know that I gave 100% and have given 24/7 to my job which I absolutely love,” she said.
Patrick added that there has been best moments when looking back over the best 14 years.
“Seeing what we have achieved to prevent animal cruelty and improve the facilities for the animals in our care and helping the animals in the communities has been fulfilling. The building of our puppy run, with under floor heating, was a project that took more than five years to complete but we never gave up and we did it. Ensuring that our animal cruelty cases are heard in court is always a challenge and it is extremely time consuming but we never give up. We also face many challenges being an organisation who believes that there are fates worse than death, and we always make decisions based on the animal and what would be best for it and these are not always the popular decisions. Sadly the reality is that there are just not enough homes for all the unwanted and stray animals, but we are fortunate to have a community who adopt from our SPCA and other rescue organisations. We are always grateful for that. The hardest part has been to stay focused on preventing animal cruelty despite the threats, defamatory comments and nastiness we have to deal with, “said Patrick.
She shared words of encouragement to young people who are passionate about saving animals and also warned people who are committing animal cruelty, that they could be prosecuted in court.
“We can’t save or make a difference in every animal’s life but we can save, help or provide a home to some and that would make a difference in their lives. The Kloof and Highway SPCA will always have zero tolerance for animal cruelty and we rely on our community to help us prevent cruelty, both financially with your support and to report cases to our SPCA. If you see cruelty and overlook it, you are as guilty as the person being cruel,” added Patrick.
