amllogo final

We are a small, but passionate group of volunteers who want to make the world a better place for all animals and their owners.

WHO WE ARE

Animals Matter Langeberg is a non profit organisation. It was founded in 2019 by a small group of dedicated residents of the Langeberg district. They realised there was a need to assist some of the poorer communities to have their pets sterilised and to provide primary health care to the growing number of domesticated animals in the area. The sterilisations were initiallly done in Ashton. However, AML has since obtained premises in Montagu and has been running Mainee's Clinic from there.

What we do

• Education. Education. Education.
• Primary healthcare in our communities.
• Sterilisation of pets in our communities.

IMG_5394
IMG_4556
c2bfa1f9-1556-4195-96d4-b752baddcdd8 (1)

AML is active in several communities in and around Montagu, Ashton and Bonnievale. We provide primary healthcare including de-worming, vaccinations against rabies, as well as external parasite (tick and flea) treatments.

Our education drive in several schools has gained momentum over the years. We have been visiting schools in Montagu, Ashton and Bonnievale to teach children how to care for their pets.

Our main drive is to assist owners with the sterilisation of their pets. We conduct sterilisations on a weekly basis at Mainee’s clinic in Long street. Our volunteers collect the animals from their owners and drop them off after the operation.

 

We have a resident veterinarian as well as a vet in training who do the operations. They are also able to assist when there are emergencies with pets in our communities.

AML subsidises pet owners who are less affluent but who care deeply about their animals. Our fundraising events are well supported. We are humbled by the generosity of our communities which enables us to help the less fortunate.

We are unable to care for stray animals as we do not have a property with holding kennels where they can be cared for. Unfortunately, we also cannot do any re-homing of pets.

The People

AML was founded in 2019 by a small, but passionate group of residents from the Langeberg area.  Our team consists of the Hilton Preston (chair), Lesley Beviss-Challinor(secretary), Alison Kamffer (treasurer), Colin Skinner (Veterinarian), fieldworkers and volunteers Toni van Houweninge, Ronell Spera, Macushla Falkiner, Vanessa Thurlwell, and Amanda Visser. In the photo we have Colin, Lesley, Toni, Ronell, Macushla and 2023 community service vet Sadiyya Dhan.

hansiue

Education

We believe that educating the young about the importance of caring for an animal is crucial. Knowledge is power and AML is passionate and committed to break the cycle of abuse, back yard breeding and neglect due to ignorance. We engage with people on a constant basis, visit schools with our education drive and spread the message in our communities. We are delighted by the change we have been able to make.

WHAT WE NEED

FUNDING, SPONSORSHIP, DONATIONS
Educational material, medications, vaccines, food, collars and leads, old towels and newspapers.
Carrying boxes, holding cages/pens for dogs and cats.
Blankets, old pieces of foam and kennels.

We now have two vehichles doing rounds in the communities - we have one working Montagu side and another for Zolani / Bonnievale.

VOLUNTEERS
Fieldworkers, fundraising and clinical assistance.
Contact us and ask how you can get involved.

Vaccination campaign

Many owners are unaware of the costs involved in properly caring for the puppy or kitten which they have acquired. Some owners cannot cover the whole cost of deworming, flea/tick treatments and vaccinations but many truly care for and want the best for their pet and it is often uplifting for them to care for a pet. We ask owners to pay for these treatments but we do not want to euthanase pets simply because owners cannot pay for all the preventative healthcare - hence we would like to subsidise some of the cost for some owners.

Vaccination campaign

Young pups and kittens require 2 or 3 vaccinations to prevent some serious diseases such as distemper and parvovirus in pups and snuffles in kittens. We also vaccinate against rabies when the pet reaches 3 months of age. You can help us to support and uplift these families and pets by sponsoring a course of vaccinations for a puppy or kitten.

Fight the mite...

In our work in the communities we see MANY dogs with mange. Mange is a common skin disease in dogs and puppies in our poor communities. Mange can be intensely itchy and debilitating and is caused by different kinds of mites and affects many kinds of animals including, in the case of some mite species, humans.

Options for treatment include dipping and injections, but at AML we have had great success by using the newer (and safe) tablets now available. In most cases one treatment is sufficient to cure the mange so there is no problem with owner compliance where they must keep returning for further treatments.

...and ditch the itch

It is very important to treat all the cases of mange which we see, not only because it is very painful for the dog but also because sarcoptic mange is highly contagious to other dogs and also to people. The tablets are also effective against fleas and ticks, eliminating infestations of these for several weeks as well.

AML provides (and often heavily subsidises) the treatment for mange and we have had excellent results, massively improving dogs' lives! Many thanks to pharmaceutical company Zoetis for donating Simparica.

Kennel campaign

We have a carpenter who makes kennels which we allocate to poor owners whose dogs have little or no shelter. The kennels remain the property of AML and we check on the use of them often, making sure that the dogs are properly cared for. Kennels cost us approximately R400 per kennel and we are always looking for wood offcuts, old pallets as well as any donations of screws, spray paint and gun plastic plus bedding, towels, foam and, of course, financial - any amount helps.

Many dogs have benefitted from the kennels and we hope we can continue to make more – please support this campaign.

Sterilisation

One of AML’s main aims is sterilisation of pets. Many pets face euthanasia each month because there are not enough good homes for all those born, and many pups and kittens born in the poor communities die at birth or within the first few weeks of life – many suffering along the way.

Each female cat or dog can produce more than 60,000 new lives in 7 years and there are many benefits to sterilising your pets apart from the overpopulation problem – and your pet does not need to have a litter – there are no benefits – please do not add to the problem!

We have a clinical facility in Montagu which is registered with the South African Veterinary Council where we can do sterilisation surgeries and other minor procedures which are necessary, such as treating wounds. We also use a registered clinical facility in Ashton. Please note that these facilities are for welfare cases only and are not open to the general public.

Feral cats

We have assisted with a few feral cat sterilisations where we have used a 'trap-sterilise-release' program. We need to ensure that these cats are all being fed and monitored after releasing them back into the area where they came from. If you are aware of feral cat problems you are welcome to contact us although we cannot promise to assist – we have to ask people to help us to help them. That is, we need you to make sure that the cats are truly feral and do not belong to someone, and we need your help to catch them and bring them to us to be sterilised.

IMG_5392
IMG_4792 (1)
c2bfa1f9-1556-4195-96d4-b752baddcdd8 (1)

HOW I CAN HELP?

DID YOU KNOW?

With PBO number 930068573, this allows us to give you a tax  certificate for your donations.
This is a great reason to donate!

DONATIONS

my-schhol-card

BECOME A MEMBER

Premium

12 months
  • you are a valued member helping us maximise our efforts.



    Gold

    12 months
    • thank you, this will go a long way to help our furry friends.                  



      Volunteer

      12 months
      • would you like to offer your assistance?
        Many hands make light work



        From the team at Animals Matter Langeberg and the animals that directly benefit from your contributions, we say thank you!

        IMG_5394
        IMG_5202
        IMG_3699

        NEWS and ARTICLES

        CONTACT US

        The current committee consists of H Preston (Chairman), L Beviss-Challinor (Secretary), Alison Kamffer (Treasurer)

        Contact Number: 076 578 4234 (Available on WhatsApp)
        NPO Number: 232-693

        Please enter your name.
        Please enter a message.