ADOPT A SHELTER PET DAY: WHY SOUTH AFRICA NEEDS YOU AND HOW YOU CAN HELP

By Ezrah

Adopt a Shelter Pet Day on 30 April is the moment to act. South Africa is facing a companion-animal crisis. With over 4 million homeless dogs and cats, shelters are overwhelmed. Adoption rates generally remain low, with some shelters reporting outcomes as low as 9% for dogs and 19% for cats.

The Cape of Good Hope SPCA alone admitted 23,621 animals in one recent year, while uncontrolled breeding and low sterilisation rates in townships continue to fuel the crisis. The result: overcrowded shelters, stretched resources, high euthanasia rates and countless healthy animals waiting months for homes, often experiencing kennel stress.

By choosing not to shop, but to adopt, you can make a real difference.

Why pet adoption matters

• Companionship and social skills: Having a pet provides steady companionship, helping people feel less alone and more emotionally supported in daily life. Animals offer unconditional affection, which can build confidence and a sense of security. Pets can also improve social skills by encouraging interaction with others, whether through meeting fellow pet owners, talking about shared experiences or developing empathy and communication through caring for an animal. This combination of emotional connection and social engagement can strengthen both personal relationships and overall well-being.

• Advancing physical and mental health: Owning a pet can improve both physical and mental health in meaningful ways. Regular activities like walking or playing with a pet encourage exercise, which supports heart health and overall fitness. At the same time, companionship from animals can reduce feelings of stress, anxiety, and isolation, while promoting a sense of purpose and routine. Interacting with pets has also been linked to lower blood pressure and improved mood, making them valuable for emotional well-being as well as physical health.

• Reducing euthanasia and overcrowding: Each adoption frees space and resources for more at-risk animals. By adopting an animal, you are rescuing that animal as well as the one who can then be accommodated in that space.

Matters to consider when adopting

• Resources and time: Adopting from an animal shelter is a meaningful commitment that goes beyond the initial excitement of bringing a pet home. It’s important to consider whether you have the resources to cover ongoing costs such as food, veterinary care, grooming and supplies. Equally crucial is the time required for daily care, exercise, training and companionship, as pets depend on consistent attention and interaction to thrive.

• Commitment: Adoption also involves a long-term commitment, as many animals live for years and will rely on you through different life stages. Before adopting, ensure your lifestyle, schedule and living environment can support the physical and emotional needs of the animal, helping create a stable and caring home.

• Making sure everyone is on board: Adopting a pet is a careful consideration, so make sure that everyone in the household is on board and looking forward to welcome the new pet.

• Adopting bonded pairs: Animals, especially bonded pairs, adjust faster and show fewer stress behaviours when adopted together. Your local shelter will provide excellent guidance on dogs or cats that are already bonded and best of friends. Adopting a bonded pair is an excellent idea, especially if your new pet needs to spend a few hours alone each day.

• Adopting older pets: Older dogs and cats are often overlooked, yet they may be calm, loving and socialised, while being already housetrained and needing less exercise. Their personalities are also already formed, making matching to an ideal home easier.

• Adopting puppies or kittens: Puppies and kittens are very cute, but require more training, supervision and initial veterinary care. Also remember that their personalities may still be forming, making matching more difficult. If you want to adopt a puppy or kitten, plan for someone to be home or arrange paid support such as doggy day care.

If you can’t adopt

• Foster: Provide temporary care for animals, including mothers with litters or medical cases. Fostering reduces shelter stress and improves outcomes.

• Volunteer: Walk dogs, socialise cats, assist with cleaning, admin, fundraising, transport or adoption events. Even a few hours weekly multiplies a shelter’s capacity.

• Donate: Monetary gifts for medical care and sterilisation drives are most flexible. Supplies like beds, blankets, leashes and food are also vital. Support campaigns like mass sterilisation programmes to prevent future homelessness.

• Create awareness: Share adoption posts, become a humane education facilitator, host community drives or help coordinate low-cost vaccination and sterilisation sign-ups. Public education reduces backyard breeding and abandonment.

Whether you adopt, foster, volunteer, donate, educate or spread the word, your involvement saves lives and brings hope to South Africa’s dogs and cats. Let’s support our local animal shelters today. Together, we can create kinder communities where animals matter.