04/12/2025
Shared from SPCA Springs. Our situation and challenges are exactly the same๐
๐๐๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ฎ: ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด
This is our response to a post shared by our colleagues at SPCA Randfontein & Westonaria... our experience is much the same ๐ฉต
Every single day, SPCAs across South Africa, including us here at Springs SPCA, face harsh criticism over euthanasia.
We are called Murderers. Killers. Heartless.
But have those who judge us ever stopped to ask the real questions?
๐น๏ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐บ๐ฎ๐น๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ?
๐น๏ธ๐ช๐ต๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ฒ๐๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ฒ?
๐น๏ธ๐ช๐ต๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ป๐๐บ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ต๐ถ๐ด๐ต?
The facts are simple:
๐ฉตSprings SPCA does ๐ก๐ข๐ง breed irresponsibly. Every animal adopted from us is sterilised. Every animal we treat through our society is sterilised. We run outreach programmes, we sterilise daily, we educate every chance we get.
๐ฉตSprings SPCA does ๐ก๐ข๐ง move house and abandon pets.
๐ฉตSprings SPCA does ๐ก๐ข๐ง allow strays to wander the streets, nor do we โgive awayโ animals for free.
๐ฉตSprings SPCA does ๐ก๐ข๐ง believe in โjust one litter,โ or the myth that sterilisation changes a dogโs personality.
๐ฉตAnd Springs SPCA is ๐ก๐ข๐ง responsible for the shocking numbers of animals that are abused, neglected, abandoned, or unwanted.
Yet, ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐บ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ต ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ฑ๐ฌ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐บ๐ฎ๐น๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ด๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐. Not because they are bad. Not because they are unworthy. But because people have failed them.
๐ Many arrive because their owners no longer want them.
๐ Many are surrendered to us by people asking ๐๐ to euthanase their pets when they cannot, or will not, face the responsibility themselves.
๐ Many come in gravely ill... with parvovirus, distemper, panleukopenia, and other diseases. ๐๐น๐น๐ป๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐๐ถ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐๐. Once these viruses enter our shelter, they put every other animalโs life at risk.
We never refuse an animal. We know there are fates worse than death, because we have seen them. We have pulled dogs off chains that cut into their necks. We have lifted starved cats from garbage bins. We have carried animals broken beyond repair into safety.
But safety sometimes means the hardest decision of all.
When our kennels are full, when our funds are stretched, when too many broken bodies arrive all at once, when deadly viruses threaten to spread through our shelter , we are left with ๐ถ๐บ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ผ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐.
Understand this: ๐๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ผ๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ฎ. We are ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ผ ๐ถ๐ by the endless cycle of neglect, abuse, overbreeding, abandonment, and preventable illnesses caused by irresponsibility.
The faces you never see haunt us.
The paws we hold in their last moments stay with us.
We whisper โIโm sorryโ into their ears, not because of something we did, but because the world turned its back on them long before they reached us.
Every life lost tears us apart. We grieve them. We remember them.
And still, we carry the blame for a burden we did not create.
So call us murderers if you must, but know this:
๐ฉต๐ช๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐บ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ด๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐.
๐ฉต๐ช๐ฒ ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐ป๐ผ ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐น๐๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐น๐น.
๐ฉต๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ด๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฏ๐๐ฒ, ๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐น๐๐, ๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฎ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ ๐ป๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ.
The real cruelty lies outside these walls, in the chains, the cages, the backyards, the breeding pens, in the people who surrender their responsibilities along with their pets, and in the deadly diseases that could have been prevented with a simple vaccination.
We are not killers.
We are the ones left to pick up the pieces.
And we will keep fighting, so that one day, there will be fewer goodbyes.
๐ Springs SPCA, where every life matters, even when the world forgets
