About

Philosophy and Objectives

THE PHOENIX concentrates purely on sterilisation. We would like to feed and adopt every animal we come across, in fact, we would love to change the world right now. Unfortunately we have to start off somewhat smaller. Therefore THE PHOENIX focuses on spaying and neutering only, since we believe that preventing the birth of more animals is the key to make a real difference.

The mathematics of THE PHOENIX dog project is simple: Less puppies born, less dogs that will have to fight an every day battle for survival on the street and in the townships.

Another thought regarding changing the world: This change is going to go frustratingly slow. There is an overwhelming number of animals in need out there. THE PHOENIX can only do one dog at a time, depending on funds. However, we must not be discouraged by this! Remember, for the particular dog that has been sterilised, it changes everything. As well as for the puppies that would otherwise be born. And their sisters and brothers that would be born a few months later. And a year later. 2 years. And all of their offspring... You get the picture.
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Benefits of Sterilisation

Sterilisation benefits the pups that would otherwise be born into the prevailing unacceptable life conditions. It also keeps the males out of mating-related fights and saves all those brave mothers from the distress caused by having to worry about not only their own lives but also about the ones of their young. On top of that, sterilisation prevents from uterine infection and mammary, uterine, prostate or testicular cancer.

Furthermore, sterilisation has a positive impact not only on the individual dogs but also on the environment that is affected:

Less dogs will run into the street causing accidents, less dogs will get into (especially mating-related) fights with beloved pet dogs and possibly pass on diseases and less dogs will be at risk of being infected with and passing on rabies, which is a lethal threat to other animals and humans.
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Procedure

The chosen dog is picked up by car and taken to the vet. A professional dog trap is available for dogs that are difficult to catch.

The dog is kept at the vet over night and sterilised the next morning. By the afternoon of the same day the dog is awake again and ready to be collected. The dog is then taken back and released with some food and post-operation care (usually painkiller tablets) for the following days.

Should it be required, our local SPCA offers for the dog to be kept at their kennels for a couple of days. We cannot stress enough how grateful we are for this form of support which is so essential!
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Operation Process and Cost

Our local veterinary clinic in Grahamstown is supporting the project by charging welfare rates for all sterilisations done through THE PHOENIX. The exact cost of the operation depends on the dog's sex and weight, factors that define the procedure and the amount of anaesthetic required.

Dissolvable thread is used for the stitching of the wound if the dog is not tame, so that it is not absolutely necessary to catch the dog again in order to remove the stitches.

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THE PHOENIX and Other Organisations

Please understand that THE PHOENIX does NOT disapprove of or work against other organisations such as the local SPCA, as some people seem to conclude from the fact that THE PHOENIX is a separate, independent project. In fact, we respect and are very grateful for the invaluable and hard work day in, day out that the SPCA and other groups and individuals do and wouldn't want to imagine the situation without them. 

The distinctive feature of THE PHOENIX is that we specifically concentrate on the root of the particular problem of dog-overpopulation in and around town and the consequential misery. And we want to just go out and actively do something about it as much as we can!

Please remember - this is in no way a competition. Whoever helps animals in need has our full support, and surely we have theirs!

Let us point out again that our local SPCA Grahamstown supports THE PHOENIX with advice and with valuable shelter for freshly sterilised dogs when necessary. We are immensely grateful for this. 

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Money Handling

THE PHOENIX will always attempt to be as transparent as possible. This website will always update you on all dogs sterilised, on news, problems and on people that get involved.

All donations received go towards the actual cost of sterilisation.

All other expenses like petrol, leaflets, dog trap, food, donation boxes etc. are taken care of privately. 

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