I want to tell you about a desperate situation in Hangberg, in South Africa, where one man fights to care for street dogs in a horribly poor community of 28,000 people, where dogs’ lives are nasty, brutish and short.
Shaygum Newman is a lone figure trying to help…
He rescues and treats as many dogs as he can, looking after them in the small yard behind his shack and paying for food from his own pocket. If you live in Hangberg and have a sick animal, Shaygum’s Shelter is the only place to go – a shack on a mountain where lives a kind man who loves dogs.
But Shaygum is poor so he can only care for a few dogs at a time. Right now, he needs fencing and poles to make his yard secure, so the dogs and puppies are safe.
His biggest immediate project is socialising a frightened and aggressive fighting dog, by giving him endless gentle love.
There’s no money for medicine, so when Shaygum finds a sick dog he carries it for miles on foot to a friendly vet.
This is animal welfare at its most basic and perhaps at its most moving. Animals in Hangberg are ignored by local authorities. There’s no vet in Hangberg, no sterilisation programme, no medical care and thousands of dogs in need.
Shaygum dreams of expanding so he can help more dogs. NFA will be there to help him.
The help we give must seem like miracles to the dogs we rescue, treat and love. Please give generously so we can continue to help dogs in distress in South Africa.