Special Paws Sanctuary, Vanderbijlpark (2025)

18/08/2025

🚨 URGENT APPEAL FOR HELP 🚨

Our funds are running dangerously low, and we are in desperate need of support to continue caring for our rescues. 💔

We are beyond grateful for every single contribution that has helped us cover medical costs, but the aftercare is just as vital and just as costly. Right now, we urgently need to raise funds for:
🐾 Dog food
🐾Vaccinations
🐾Sterilisations
🐾 Diesel
🐾 Dewormer
🐾 Tick & flea treatments
🐾 Supplements, dog shampoo, and other basic essentials

Without these, our doggies cannot flourish, stay healthy, or even have full tummies. 🐶💙

If you are in a position to help, no matter how big or small, it would mean the absolute world to us and to the fur-babies depending on us.

💳 Donations can be made directly to our shelter banking details (below) or via our website using Payshap.
🛒 Alternatively, items such as food, dewormer, and tick & flea treatment can be purchased at Pet Food Warehouse in Rossini Boulevard and left there for us to collect, please notify us if you have left items there that need to be collected❤️

Please, help us keep their tails wagging, their bellies full, and their hearts happy. Together, we can give them the life they deserve.

Shelter Banking Details:
Account Name: Special Paws Sanctuary
Bank: FNB
Account Number: 63165980327
Account Type: Business
Reference: Your name

Donate through our website using Payfast:

https://specialpaws.co.za/product/donation/

18/08/2025

Little West is Still Waiting… 💔

It breaks our hearts that not a single application has come in for our sweet baby West. At just 8 weeks old, this tiny Chihuahua x boy should already be curled up in the arms of a family who adores him. Instead, he’s still waiting… patiently… hoping someone will see him. 🐾

West is the sweetest little soul – social, gentle, and full of puppy love. All he wants is a safe home where he can grow up knowing nothing but kindness and care. 💕

Please don’t let West wait any longer. He deserves a family to call his own.

📞 Contact us on 0703590039 to meet or apply for West today.

Let’s make his happily-ever-after come true.

📍Vanderbijlpark, Out of area adoptions are possible

Home checks and adoption fees apply*

12/08/2025

🚨🐾 URGENT – FRANKIE NEEDS A HOME! 🐾🚨

Meet Frankie, a gorgeous young Labrador cross boy who’s had a rough start. Found wandering the streets with no microchip and unsterilised, his family never came for him. 💔

Frankie is everything you’d want in a best friend – sweet, social, and bursting with energy. He’s still young, which means he’s ready for a lifetime of adventures, playtime, and unconditional love. Right now, he’s patiently waiting at the vet, dreaming of a forever family and a place where he can run freely and be cherished.

He’s been waiting far too long… please don’t let him spend another day without a home.

If you can open your heart and home to Frankie or would like to go meet him, contact us on 070 359 0039.

Let’s get this beautiful boy where he belongs – in the arms of his family. ❤️

11/08/2025

🐾 Meet West – The Tiny Boy with a Big Heart! 🐾

Say hello to West, an adorable Chihuahua x Jack Russell boy with a sparkle in his eyes and a whole lot of love to give. 💛

West came to us last week after his previous family had to make a heartbreaking decision to keep him safe. There were big dogs on the property who attacked him – thankfully, this brave little guy came away without injuries, but his owners knew they couldn’t risk it happening again.

Now at almost 8 weeks old, West is ready to start a brand-new chapter in life. He’s a loving, playful little bundle who gets along well with other dogs. Just keep in mind, he has a bit of cheeky “puppy wildness” in him, so older doggy companions may not be ideal.

If this sweet boy has stolen your heart already, we’d love for you to meet him! 💌 Contact Special Paws Sanctuary to arrange a meet & greet or to apply for adoption: 0703590039

‼️ Adoption rules and fees apply
‼️ We cannot guarantee adult size when parents are unknown
*Based in Vanderbijlpark, out of area adoptions are possible🐾

11/08/2025

Our Hunter is finally home! 🐾💙

After five long days in hospital, our brave boy is back where he belongs - and he’s doing so incredibly well. His road to recovery has begun, and we can finally start looking forward to the amazing life that lies ahead for him.

I want to thank every single special human who made this possible, those who donated to his care, who prayed for him, who checked in on him, and who shared his story far and wide. I cannot put into words how much your kindness has meant to us. None of this would have been possible without you ❤️

And then… a miracle happened. As many of you know, Hunter’s care came with a hefty bill. We hoped and prayed for a way to cover it, and our prayers were answered in the most unexpected and extraordinary way, an anonymous angel stepped forward and paid his entire bill at Vaal Animal Clinic in full. A moment that brought me to tears and that still does every time I think about it. To who ever you are, no words can express how incredibly thankful I am for your kindness.❤️

I’ve often thought of myself as a “nobody,” just someone quietly rescuing dogs. But this journey has shown me that I am surrounded by a family of people who care deeply about me and every precious soul that comes into my care. That is the most beautiful, humbling feeling, and I am eternally blessed ❤️

Finally, my deepest thanks to the incredible Vets who treated Hunter. To them, he was never “just another dog” - he was a life worth fighting for. They showed him such compassion and love, and because of them, from now until forever, our boy will know only love, safety, and hope.

From the bottom of my heart thank you ❤️

08/08/2025

Adoption pending🐾

💔 RILEY IS STILL WAITING… 💔

My name is Riley. A few weeks ago, I was found wandering the streets alone. I once had a family… and even puppies… but nobody ever came looking for me.

Now I’ve been living at the vet, watching other dogs go home while I stay behind. I try to be brave, but deep down I’m just hoping someone will finally see me.

I’m a small girl with a gentle, loving soul. I love to be close to humans, to feel safe, and to know I belong. I don’t need much – just a home, a warm bed, and someone to love me forever 🥺❤️

Please… if you can give me the happy ending I’ve been waiting for, contact Special Paws on 070 359 0039.🐾

‼️No adoption fee, but strict home checks apply‼️

06/08/2025

Hi everyone,

We know it’s been a little quiet on our side lately, and we wanted to share why.

Our brave boy Hunter has needed all our focus and love these past few days. While his surgery initially went well, he developed some unexpected complications. After coming home, he scratched near the surgery site out of panic and began bleeding uncontrollably. It was a terrifying moment - he lost a significant amount of blood and had to be rushed back to the vet. He was operated on again today to repair the vein that ruptured and was causing all of the bleeding.

It’s been an incredibly stressful and emotional time for all of us. We’ve taken a step back from social media to be fully present for Hunter💙 making hospital visits, checking in on his progress, and giving him all the love and strength he needs to heal.

The good news is that our boy is a fighter. 💙 He’s doing much better and is expected to make a full recovery. He’ll be coming home as soon as his condition is fully stabilised.

Thank you for your patience, love, and continued support. We’ll share another update soon 🐾

04/08/2025

While we were in the middle of rescuing brave Hunter, another heartbreaking plea came through… a tiny puppy in urgent need of help.❤️‍🩹

This is Missy. Just 5 weeks old and already discarded like she was nothing. Why? Because she’s blind in her left eye. Her “owners” couldn’t sell her, so they gave her up - not even allowing her to stay with her mother until the healthy age of six weeks. She was robbed of warmth, comfort, and the security every young pup deserves… all for something completely out of her control. It’s cruel. It’s heartbreaking.💔

Missy was rushed to the vet alongside Hunter, where we learned she has a birth defect causing her eyelids to grow inwards. Her tiny eyelashes constantly scrape against her eyeball, leaving her with an abscess. She’s now on antibiotic eyedrops, and we’re hoping her eyelid will improve as she grows. If not, she’ll need corrective surgery when she’s older.

Despite it all, she is pure love, trusting, gentle, and full of the puppy spirit that deserves a fighting chance.

If you’d like to help with Missy’s care, our donation details are listed below. Every little bit helps us give her the future she was so cruelly denied. 💔

Special Paws Sanctuary Banking Details:

Bank: FNB

Account holder: Special Paws Sanctuary

Account number: 63165980327

Branch code: 250655

Reference: Missy

04/08/2025

Today is the big day for our brave boy, Hunter. 💙

After everything he’s been through, today he takes another huge step toward healing - Hunter is going in for his leg amputation. This sweet soul has endured more than any dog should ever have to, and yet he’s remained gentle, trusting, and unbelievably strong through it all.

We know he’s going to come through this with that same quiet courage he’s shown us from the very beginning. There’s a big pot of warm mince and rice waiting for him when he gets home - cooked with love, just for our warrior boy.

Please keep Hunter in your thoughts and prayers today. If you’d like to contribute towards his medical bills or his recovery care, you can use the details below, every little bit helps, and we’re so grateful for your support. 💙

We’ll keep you updated on our boy’s journey. Thank you for standing by him.

Special Paws Sanctuary Banking Details:

Account holder: Special Paws Sanctuary

Bank: FNB

Account type: Business

Account number: 63165980327

Branch code: 250655

Reference: Hunter

02/08/2025

Hunter is all smiles on his way home for the weekend💙

01/08/2025

Meet Hunter 🩵

A few days ago, groups were notified about a severely injured greyhound boy wandering the streets of KlipRiver. He had no name, no help, and no safe place to rest his broken body. That’s when Tracking Paws stepped in, they had been tirelessly trying to catch him, day after day, but this boy was scared and too quick to be trapped.

We eventually found out he did have owners. But heartbreakingly, they didn’t believe he needed medical care and insisted he was “fine.”

We knew we couldn’t leave him like this. So we started planning. This morning, just before sunrise, we returned to his usual spot at 4am… but he didn’t come. Our hearts sank, but we weren’t giving up.

Taking a leap of faith, I knocked on the owner’s door. After a long, difficult conversation and some time for reflection, he agreed to surrender the boy to us. That’s when everything changed.

We named him Hunter, because despite everything, he kept going. We rushed him to the vet where he is now finally getting the urgent medical care he’s been denied for who knows how long. His leg? It’s an old, badly healed break. The kind that must have caused immense pain every single day. On Monday morning, his leg will be amputated, freeing him from that suffering at last.

For now, he’s safe. He’s warm. He’s surrounded by love and finally being treated for the parasites and creepy crawlies that have covered his body. And soon, he’ll be pain-free too.

This isn’t the end of Hunter’s story it’s the beginning of a brand new chapter. One filled with kindness, second chances, and the promise of a better life. 🩵

Please keep Hunter in your thoughts this weekend as he begins his journey of healing. He’s one step closer to the life he deserves.💙

Special Paws Sanctuary

18/08/2025

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