Marlborough Magazine August Edition | Page 23

...the best bit, is finding those good families and knowing they are going to be loved forever. and left at eight at night,” Michelle says. SUPPLIED Marlborough Dog Pawz rescue cat Teddy with his owner Emily Hulburt, 7. “They look after us well every day of the week.” Michelle believes more needs to be done at a government and local government level to control the ballooning number of cats and dogs born into an environment with a lack of resources. In particular, she believes the ‘four cat’ Marlborough District Council bylaw needs to be enforced, and that breeders of both cats and dogs should need to be registered to breed. MATT BROWN ‘Paws for a Cause’ across the month of August brought to you by helloworld Travel Blenheim We love travel and that’s a fact…but did you know we are also all dedicated animal lovers? This month, join our team in supporting two fabulous animal organizations here in Marlborough – Marlborough Dog Pawz and The SPCA Centre in Renwick. These guys do an amazing job and we want them to know how much we appreciate them. So, how can you get involved? At an individual level, potential pet owners need to educate themselves and prepare for the long term needs of their animal, Michelle says. In-store ‘Paws for A Cause Whine Barrel’ Do you have extra pet food, small warm blankets you want to recycle or toys your pets may have outgrown? A barrel for each cause, we’re providing a drop-off point in store for non- monetary donations for these precious organizations. Simply pop in-store with your item during normal business hours between Mon 5th Aug until Wed 28th Aug, and at the end of the month we’ll present the goodies to these wonderful groups! “People need to make sure that they can afford animals. My biggest hate is seeing animals ‘for free’, no animal is free,” she says. “They have good intentions but then the dogs grow up, we get regular phone calls saying ‘I can’t control this dog’, they get them as a little pup and now they are 40kgs, and they don’t think it through.” Animals are often picked up in an anxious and malnourished state and are cared for by Marlborough Dogs Pawz’ foster carers until they can be placed into a loving permanent home. “That’s the best bit, is finding those good families and knowing they are going to be loved forever,” Michelle says. “It’s the best feeling, it gives me goosebumps every time.” Anyone looking to support Marlborough Dog Pawz can do so by donating food or money via their Facebook page, @marlboroughdogpawz. Kids Be in to Win! Come in-store, pick up a colouring competition entry form and be in to win a prize pack for you and your pet! We have 3 age groups (Under 5 years, 6-10 years and 11 years and over) with the top 3 as chosen by our team from each age group being posted on our helloworld Travel Blenheim Facebook page. Entries to be in by 5pm Thursday 22nd August. It will then be up to our followers to vote for their favourite completed entries. So, let’s celebrate our furry friends this August and encourage our whole community to ‘Paws for a Cause’ 23