Every dog deserves a safe place, proper care, and a chance to live a happy life. Sadly, many animals don't get any of those things without a little help.
Sidewalk Specials is a South African animal welfare organization working mainly in the township of De Doorns. The organization provides free veterinary care, runs sterilization programs, helps families with food, and works with local communities to improve the lives of animals and the people caring for them.
The before-and-after photos Sidewalk Specials shares show how much can change when a dog finally gets the care it needs. Dogs once frightened, malnourished, injured, or sick appear months later healthier, happier, and sometimes almost unrecognizable.
Scroll down to see some remarkable transformations shared by the organization, along with the stories behind these dogs' second chances.
More info: Instagram | sidewalkspecials.org
#22 Brandy
Brandy was the victim of a hit and run car accident that left her leg shattered. The driver didn’t stop - she limped home, alone, to her horrified owner...
We asked our supporters for help; you guys stepped up, and now here’s Brandy - living life at full speed on three legs!
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18points
#24 Charlie
Anonymous call outs have saved many a dog from a grizzly end…
Thank you to the neighbour who alerted us to Charlie’s plight, to the fosters who took him in, to the donors who covered his vet bill and to his adoptive family for giving him the best home a doggo could ask for!
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18points
#25 Bully
Bully checking in to say a huge thank you for helping, not judging.
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17points
#26 Budgie
Remember when Budgie decided to make friends with a porcupine on Christmas Eve…we do!
Thanks to rescuers and vets willing to sacrifice their own Christmas holidays, to you guys willing to donate at the most expensive time of year, and to Budgie’s family for making a plan to alert us…here’s the happy update we’ve all been waiting for!
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17points
#27 Cleo
Cleo’s owner was beside herself, trying to keep ticks off her dog and children, with no access to medication or education on how to proceed…
Thankfully, with your support, @sidewalkspecials was running our biweekly sterilisation clinic - allowing Cleo’s owner to proactively seek help, before it was too late!
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16points
#28 Penny
Last July, with De Doorns reeling from unprecedented storm devastation, our storm relief outreach team drove there to check for injured dogs…
We named her Penny: her owner had been taken away to jail, local kids said she’d recently gave birth but all her puppies had died in the cold, she had mange, a broken hip from being hit by a garbage truck the week before and she had absolutely nowhere to go…
We asked you guys to help, to cover Penny’s vet bills and share her for her forever home, you did and here she is- totally unrecognisable from the terrified, mangy creature we found shivering on that landfill!
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16points
#29
Our team was alerted to Britney at Steri Clinic. A terrified, unwanted puppy with no home to go to...
We asked you guys to share her story and donate to her vet bill; you did, and just look at her today - what an incredible transformation!
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16points
#30
In 2024, Sidewalk Specials were asked to help clear an overcrowded shelter, a situation where good intentions had led to over 300 animals living together in filthy conditions, with limited resources, no access to veterinary care and minimal human interaction.
South Africa’s severely under resourced and completely overwhelmed welfare system, combined with current soaring inflation, is making the sustainability of physical shelters unrealistic for smaller organisations. One of the many reasons Sidewalk Specials have always been 100% foster based.
Taking all that into account, and taking the blame game out of it, our focus became finding safe forever homes for our new intakes - River being the most concerning intake of all…
When the clever, sensitive ones suffer - they don’t forget so quickly, they don’t adapt so easily, and they often fall through the cracks in rescue.
Thank God for foster homes, ‘foster fails’ and families that take their pets with them when they emigrate!
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15points
#31 Finn
One thing that’s certain in this crazy world – if a dog has no one else in their corner – Sidewalk supporters will step in and save the day!
After spending his first six years on Earth chained to an oil drum, here’s Finn checking in to say thank you for his new, happy life!
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15points
#32 Brookie
Brookies’ owner reached out in a panic after a power breed attacked his beloved dog - leaving Brookies with his jaw broken in two places, multiple teeth missing and being completely unable to eat...
We asked you guys to help and help you did - here’s Brookies, showing how your donations are changing lives in the De Doorns township!
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15points
#33 Liefie
Bringing vet care and sterilisation to townships is the future of welfare - uplifting, educating, reducing breeding and working together with the community for a brighter future for South Africa’s animals! 🇿🇦
Liefie and her family checking in to say thank you for helping, not judging!
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15points
#35 Born
Born’s grown up to be a happy, healthy, stunning doggo thanks to receiving your support when he needed it most.
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15points
#36 Daisy
Only 22% of unchipped dogs make it back home…
Daisy was found, lost, on a busy road - in an overwhelmed welfare system an old girl like her would most likely have slipped through the cracks... Your support meant we could catch her!
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15points
#37 Tyson
We’ll never be able to understand how someone can hit a dog with their car and just drive off?!
Tyson’s mom did her best, moved him to safety, bandaged his paw and called @sidewalkspecials for help!
We in turn asked you, our loyal supporters, to help us with Tyson’s extensive vet bills - you had them covered in a day! 🙌
Now here’s Tyson, with his full body wags, to say a huge thank you for helping him get back home!
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15points
#38 Zeus
Parvo cases always fill rescuers with dread…
Knowing that, with vet care, the patients chances of survival increase dramatically, but also knowing that parvo is one of the most expensive and unpredictable viruses to treat.
But our supporters are dog loving humans, humans who wouldn’t want us to turn a blind eye to a dog’s suffering…so when we were asked to help Zeus, even though we didn’t have the funds, we did have the faith that our supporters would step up!
Zeus’ skinny little body was loaded up, his worried family assured that the vet would do their level best and you guys were asked to donate to give him a fighting chance.
And here he is, strong, healthy, inoculated and sterilised – all thanks to your donations and support!
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14points
#39 Meisiekind
Meisiekind is one of many dogs spotted and saved on Sidewalk Specials' weekly outreaches!
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14points
