How the Namaqua Dog & Donkey Foundation (NDDF) Came About

by Helen Taylor, current Chairperson

The NDDF was founded in April 2005. My husband was transferred by his mining company to the Northern Cape. We lived in a tiny little mining town called Aggeneys which is between Springbok and Pofadder (yes, the town really does exist). I had been involved in animal welfare whilst we were living in Zambia (again, a company transfer), and when we arrived in the Northern Cape, it struck me that there were no veterinary facilities in the rural areas for people who could not afford these basic services. Many animals were dying unnecessarily from not being vaccinated – a simple protection which most of us take for granted.



The nearest vets were around 200 kms away either way, and only those with access to transport, let alone the cost of the services, would be able to utilize these vets. I approached the largest animal welfare organisation in South Africa to ask their assistance with sterilisation and basic services, but they decided the area was too vast, and other areas were more needy. So, frustrated at this, I mentioned it to my veterinary friend, Dr. Andy Swan who came to visit. He fell in love with the Northern Cape and decided that there was worthwhile work to be done, and so a few of us got together and formed the NDDF.

What we do is to focus on where we can make the biggest difference in the lives of these people and their animals, hence our mission : “To improve the quality of life of disadvantaged domestic animals by sterilisation, inoculation, deworming and dipping; and to educate owners as to the benefit of animal health and welfare.”
A lot of the people in these remote areas keep dogs – for companionship, to guard their small herds of goats, for hunting small prey that the owners can eat, etc. We have heard criticism that these people should not have dogs if they cannot afford to look after them properly. Please don’t confuse poverty with deliberate cruelty or neglect. They do not have access to basic pet care the way we do. Besides the remote proximity of the vets as explained, they have never heard of annual vaccinations, nor dipping; and nor do they have the funds for these even if they were aware of it.
Having said this, these owners share whatever little food they have, with their dogs. If you think these dogs lead a miserable life, have a look at some of our pictures – these dogs go everywhere with their owners, and are extremely loyal to them. This is where we come in, to make this bond even stronger.
Sterilisation is where we can have the biggest impact, and prevent unwanted litters of puppies and kittens. By reducing the population of unwanted animals, we cut down on inhumane methods of culling these unwanted puppies or kittens by their owners, we reduce the number of dogs straying, fighting, forming feral packs, etc. and end up turning these sterilized animals into better, healthier, more conditioned pets. If you can do the calculations, you will understand just what an impact sterilisation has on the animal population. For example, a young female dog is likely to be sexually mature at around 9 months of age, males from 6 months onwards. Each unspayed female can produce a litter of puppies every 6 months. An average sized litter is 6 to 8 puppies. At 9 months of age, these animals are ready to reproduce, and so on and so on. My husband did the exponential calculations of how many puppies would be produced over a 5 year life span. It was a shock to find the potential puppies would amount to 67,888! This is providing none died prematurely - but even if half did, this is still a staggering number. So, literally, thousands of unwanted puppies are prevented each year by simple sterilisation.



There is always a people overlap in our work, and we provide education to the owners on better pet care – by utilizing what they have available, and showing them right from wrong, e.g. having fresh water available, providing some shelter from the elements – in these areas, temperatures are often in the mid to late 30’s and sometimes in the 40’s as well.
We have designed a colouring-in book depicting the good and bad, which we hand out to the children, with colouring-in pencils. Since the children will be the next generation of pet owners, we target the education at them. Linked to this, is the fact that in these rural areas, schooling and supplies are not always what they should be. We have embarked on a project to provide each child at these schools with a school bag, basic stationery, additional reading books, etc. Along with this, we are working towards providing each child with a Lapdesk which you will hear about later. Each child in these areas has access to education, but not all of them are privileged enough to have the little luxuries such as proper school bags, crayons, their own pencil case, etc. which most of us never give a second thought to. The more funding we have, the more we can do for the children, and in turn, their families.

Our two Northern Cape outreaches which we do each year are Pella, and Port Nolloth. These areas are around 1200 – 1400 km’s away, and we usually take along a team of about 10 people, with all our equipment, drugs, portable kennels, dog trailers, etc.
We do not charge the people at all for any services we offer. We stay for a week, doing as many sterilisations and procedures as possible, and our working day usually lasts around 14 hours, operating in church or community halls which are adequate for what we need to do.

We also have a programme to replace the old donkey harnesses which are in a terrible condition, and quite uncomfortable for the donkeys. Having said this, it is not to point a finger at the owners. The donkey carts are often their only means of transport and they have to use whatever materials they have at their disposal to make up the harnesses. When we replace the harnesses, we take the old ones away before handing out the new, so that they can never be used again.

In closing, we are a small group of individuals, and our work relies entirely on funding from our sponsors. We do not have the infrastructure to do the daily welfare work, nor is it our core function although we do assist small, local informal settlements where funding allows.
In our short existence, we have sterilized almost 2,500 animals. In order to continue making a difference, and extending our benefits to other areas, we need sponsorship. There are many ways of helping us – by cash and donations of other items. Please feel free to contact us to find out how you can help make a difference.