SIMONE SAMUELS
Oscar, the dog that went from being on “death row” to South Africa’s most widely travelled canine gives new meaning to “it’s a dog’s life”. But it is all in a day’s work for this jet-setting pooch, who has packed his bags once again to raise awareness to dog adoption and sterilisation.
The alsatian, corgi, cocker spaniel, basset hound cross and his adoptive owner, Joanne Lefson, have been visiting animal shelters around the world to raise awareness about the plight of, what Lefson claims to be, about 374 million homeless dogs.
Lefson said in South Africa the dog adoption rate was less than 10 percent, which followed a global trend. Thus, continual awareness about the benefits of dog adoption and the importance of sterilisation was needed.
Caroline Smith, marketing manager for the Natal and Coast SPCA, said the campaign’s encouragement of adopting dogs rather than buying them, was welcomed because many people were not aware that they could adopt a stray or abandoned dog from a shelter.
“Of the many strays and abandoned dogs, who were in desperate need of a home, on average only nine percent were adopted while the rest faced an uncertain future,” Smith said.
Smith said the adoption rate paled in comparison to the growing number of abandoned dogs.
Sarah Scarth, Cape of Good Hope SPCA communications and resource development manager – the SPCA from which Oscar was adopted – echoed Smith’s sentiments saying there were far more dogs available than there were good homes for them.
“Indiscriminate backyard breeding adds to the huge problem of overpopulation of domestic cats and dogs in South Africa,” Smith said, explaining that this type of breeding added to the number of stray and unwanted pets taken in, the number of investigations undertaken by inspectors, the number of treatments undertaken by clinics and ultimately the number of animals euthanised.
According to Lefson’s World Woof Tour website (www.worldwoof-tour.com) Oscar had almost become a statistic. He had one day in which to be adopted, or face being euthanised when he was adopted by Lefson.
Lefson said since Oscar’s adoption, seven years ago, he had become a part of her family of dozens of dogs and a pig, each also adopted from the SPCA.
“It was love at first lick,” Lefson said.
In addition to Oscar’s new home he had also become an ambassador for abandoned dogs following his 2009 World Woof Tour and last year’s Pedigree Ahound South Africa national awareness efforts, said Scarth.
“The World Woof Tour took them (Lefson and Oscar) 70 000km across five continents and 30 countries in 222 days in order to visit 66 dog adoption societies.” according to the SPCA Cape of Good Hope website.
On his current tour the globe-trotter had all four paws firmly on Himalayan soil after he had visited the US, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Amsterdam and France.
Oscar and Joanne would be bringing the campaign home next year when they would undertake another national tour.
They are scheduled to be in Durban from April 29 to May 4.