Blessing Animal Shelter (BAS), a non-profit organisation (NPO), has officially replaced the now defunct Welkom SPCA, and heralds a new and exciting chapter in animal welfare in the Goldfields.
The newly registered NPO is managed by Rian Lombard with his co-directors being his son, Riaan Lombard, his daughters, Tilda Neethling and Rencia Buchler, and his grandsons, Rian Lombard and Egmond de Villiers.
Additionally, Benjamin Mzwandile is training as a field officer and Rian and his cousin, Miché Buchler, are training to be animal welfare inspectors.
“This is truly a family affair, and we have expanded our family to include the people and the animals of the Goldfields,” says Tilda.
She says BAS will fill in the void now left in the absence of the Welkom SPCA.
“We will cover the same area they covered, which includes Thabong and goes as far as Allanridge, and includes all of the townships as well.
“We have the blessing of the Matjhabeng Municipality and the national SPCA,” she says.
BAS will be able to house 100 dogs and 20 cats at a time. The standardised procedures of adoption, which include home inspections, will be followed.
The sisters already have big plans, and Rencia wants to emulate the beautiful cattery at the Virginia SPCA. Tilda wants to create a petting haven of farm animals, and also an aviary where members of the public can relax and children can be educated about animal care.
“We also want to revive the coffee shop and the secondhand store where books and pet accessories will also be sold to raise funds to assist towards the running costs of BAS.
“This was a case of prayer. We as a family saw a need and put it to prayer. God answered our prayers, and here we are,” says Tilda.
The NPO has an established and branded fleet of vehicles.
They have pledged that any animal in distress will be rescued.
“We will rely heavily on the community for donations of dog and cat food. We will also require financial assistance to keep our doors open and to remain functional.
“Monetary donations from the community will pay the vet bills, salaries, and also pay for petrol and diesel to keep our fleet of vehicles on the road. We cannot survive without the comunity’s support,” says Tilda.
The NPO’s books will be audited and year-end financial statements will be open for public perusal.
On the first day of operations, the calls for help came flooding in and from the get-go six dogs and five cats were rescued.
The office will be manned by René Barnard, and the emergency number and office number will remain as it was.
“We have taken over the old SPCA contracts,” says Tilda.
The office number remains 071-403-4876, and the emergency number is still 082-375-7357.
