50 Uplifting Posts That Prove We Don’t Deserve Animals, As Shared On This FB Page

“The inspector handed her over to me and she put her little head on my shoulder and put her front paw on my chest. I named her Cindy. They say animals can't speak but that day she told me she was so grateful that we saved her, and that she was going to fight her way back to a healthy life,” says Clare Travers during our interview. She’s seen a lot in her 14 years working at an animal shelter, but this is one of the memories seared in her heart and mind.

“It was two months ago,” she goes on to tell Bored Panda. “A member of the public called us about a puppy that was living on a rubbish dump. Our inspector went out and collected her, and brought her back to the kennels. She was around 3 months old and had been on the dump from about 6 weeks of age, withstanding the elements and struggling to survive. She was in horrific condition and severely neglected and emaciated. One of her legs was only half a leg and terribly infected. She was so sad and depressed on arrival.”

Travers dedicates her days to saving abandoned, abused, neglected and surrendered dogs. She still thinks of all the dogs she helped, including Cindy. “Our medical staff took a look at her and suggested euthanasia, because of the bad shape that she was in. But Cindy and I had made a pact - I would do everything I could to restore her health and find her a loving home, and she would be very brave and fight for her health.”

Thankfully, Cindy’s story had a happy ending. “With the help of the public we raised enough money to cover all her medical costs as well as her leg amputation,” Travers told us. “A foster home came forward, her adoption fee was sponsored, and as soon as she was ready for adoption the most wonderful family came forward to adopt her and give her a loving home. It wasn't easy for Cindy and she went through a lot but we both kept our promises to each other. Today she is living her best life and in the most beautiful family home.”

It’s stories like those that keep Clare going. Many times, her work is heartbreaking. “Every single day, there is sadness. There are dogs arriving that are so ill because the people have not done anything to help their sick animals and come to our shelter for help when it is too late,” she told us.

“Many animals suffer and don't get the help that they need. Many dogs are brought to our shelter for medical treatment. It's very hard to see their owners and how they are treated, because often you can tell that the dogs don't belong in a good home but there's nothing you can do about it. It's also incredibly sad when stray animals are picked up on the streets and they are in the most neglected and sad condition and you think about the tough life they have lived.”

It takes a special kind of person to be able to work in this kind of environment. Being an animal lover is not enough. Travers says for her, it’s a passion. Not a job. She’s been at Animal Welfare Helderberg in South Africa since 2010. “You never know what the day is going to hold,” she told Bored Panda.

“My average day would involve taking in strays, taking in surrenders, dealing with adoptions, doing home checks, making sure all the kennel animals are healthy, assisting the public that are coming to view the animals, taking dogs into theater for sterilization and other operations, getting all vaccinations and deworming up to date. Lots of admin work.” Travers is a Jill of all trades, doing a little bit of a lot every single day. All in the name of dogs.

“Getting any ill dogs checked out by the vet, networking, advertising and posting animals on our social media pages, dealing with a huge amount of phone calls, emails and WhatsApps from the public that need help with rehoming their dogs or helping their sick animals, and the list goes on,” she explained.

Her work is taxing but Travers says she wouldn’t change it for the world. “I love everything about my job but there are two things that are particularly wonderful. Firstly, it's when our kennel dogs are adopted and find loving homes. There's nothing more beautiful than watching an orphaned shelter dog go home with a loving family, and you know they are going to be so happy and spoiled,” she said, beaming from the inside out.

“The second thing that I find very rewarding is when abused dogs arrive at the kennels that are petrified of the human race and after a few days of working gently with them they transform into happy, loving and confident dogs. It's incredibly rewarding to see that transformation.” It's why Travers finds it hard to part with the dogs that do get adopted.

Travers bonds with each and every dog that comes through the shelter doors. "I grow to love the dogs so much and they're so special to me. They're all so unique. I spend so much time with them and give so much of myself to them. I love them almost like they're my own," she told us.

Her aim is to find forever homes for all the dogs. But she says it's bittersweet each time an adoption happens. "It's so wonderful to see them go off to loving homes. It's really beautiful. But when they get adopted, it's so hard to see them go and to say goodbye. Knowing that you've invested so much of yourself into the dog and the dog just gets taken away, it's a very hard thing to deal with. It's really hard to let go," said Travers and we could hear the sadness in her voice.