Witnessing hungry and neglected dogs roaming the streets of Ocean View inspired nine-year-old Dane Klein to not only forgo birthday gifts but to also raise funds to feed stray dogs in the community.
His mother Chelsea Hogg says her sonalways had a soft spot for animals.
“He is a big animal lover and we always keep food in the house in case we see a dog roaming the streets which Dane will then feed.
“But he realised that this is not enough for the number of homeless and strays in the area. There have been many times where we see these dogs and the state they’re in and Dane would burst into tears begging for us to take the dog in.”
For his ninth birthday on Wednesday 21 December Dane, a Grade 3 learner at Bay Primary School in Fish Hoek, asked friends and family to donate dog food instead of gifts.
“He didn’t want gifts but asked that people donate dog food for him to feed the stray dogs in Ocean View. We would therefore like to create awareness around this matter and also encourage people to donate food not only to Dane, to feed them, but also to TEARS or the SPCA. Every bit helps,” said Hogg.
So, while other nine-year-olds may be excited to open gifts on their birthday, Dane walked around the community with his friends and family to feed vulnerable animals in need.
“Dane has always loved animals and has grown up with dogs and cats, since he was a baby. We’ve always had dogs and cats around but I think it stems from his great grandmother as well because she had seven dogs and two cats at one point.
“So, his love for animals has been from a very young age and I think that love has just grown since then.”
His favourite animal is a dog and he has two pet dogs named Chop and Tinkerbell and a cat named Fergie.
“Although this is the first time Dane has requested dog food instead of birthday gifts, we always keep leftover food in the house and when we see a dog roaming the streets Dane will quickly go and feed it.
Family and friends donated three 8 kg bags of dog food, two small bags of dry food, four tins and two boxes of dog treats.
“Besides what he got for his birthday he also received five more 8 kg bags.
“Up to now, we’ve given away some food to dog owners, and walked around Ocean View feeding some strays, which we are still doing, and Dane gets very teary eyed and emotional to see the state that some of the dogs are in.”
- To help Dane feed more stray animals in his community, a BackaBuddy account has been set up at https://www.backabuddy.co.za/dane-klein-5475525444027404685
