Using Animal Care to Promote Empathy in Children

It was beneficial for me to have my dogs spayed because they are beautiful now and they no longer wander off to other people’s homesteads. Even community people ask me how I did it.

When I am asleep at night my dog would go around eating waste food from neighboring homes, and I feared for it because some homesteads smear their left over food with weevil tablets to exterminate dogs roaming their homes at night.

What also pleased me about spaying my dogs is that I was getting irritated of the new puppies every now and then. The dog would give birth to cute puppies that all eventually die. I could not figure out why this kept happening because my dog took its vaccines appropriately. Then I learned that both mating dogs must have their vaccines, or the puppies will die. This brought me to the conclusion of spaying my dog, so as to give it and myself peace of mind.

Narrated by: Thembi 

Ngisitakele kutsi ngiphakule tinja tami ngobe setinhle futsi atisaphumi tiye lemitini nabomakhelwane bangibuta kutsi ngitente ngani.

Bengitsi uma ngilele iphume ihambe iyofuna kudla lokulahliwe emitini yabomakhelwane. Besengesaba ngobe kuleminye imiti bavele batsatse emaphilisi engobolwane babhoce lokudla kute tinja letifika ebusuku tidle tife.

Lokunye lokwangijabulisa ngalokuphakulwa kwalenja kutsi bengidzinwa ngulemidlwane. Beyitala badlwane labahle kepha bagcine bafe bonkhe. Bengingacondzi kutsi kwenteka kanjani loku ngobe yami inja beyijova base bayangitjela kutsi nome ingajova, yahlangana nalengajovi labadlwane bayafa. Ngase ngiyabona kutsi kuncono ngiyiphakule lenja ivele itihlalele inje nami ngiphumule.

Ibhalwe ngu: Thembi 

Vusumnotfo collected Thembi's story 7 months after the community spay day at Mshingishingini, through the use of Most Significant Change methodology. In response to the many requests that we are receiving, with your support, we would very much like to carry out several more community spay days in May to August, 2015.

My dogs used to wander around looking for female dogs and you would find that wherever they are they attack people who are trying stop them from fighting. The community police had already warned me many times about the dogs and eventually promised to lay charges against me should the dogs bite another person. The dogs were troublesome indeed because sometimes they would attack people passing along the road nearby. The dogs had a lot of offences.

However, after being spayed they now stay at home and look well fed. My relationship with them has improved. Previously, it was not easy to put a leash around their neck when I needed to take them to the dip tank, but now they come to me willingly. Now I feel safe and my homestead secure because my dogs are always home to protect us

There is just one dog which is not spayed because it was young at the time when I spayed the others; it does not look as healthy and full of life as the others are, I therefore want to spay it too once it has grown.

Narrated by: Mandla 

Letami betiphuma lekhaya tiyofuna letinsikati, manje bowukhandza kutsi lengaphandle tiluma nebantfu labatsi bayatilamula umasetilwa. Besebasekhute kanyenti ngaletinja nemaphoyisa emmango asatsembisa kusibopha uma tiphindza tiluma lomunye umuntfu. Vele betiluhlupho ngobe lesinye sikhatsi bantfu betibasukela endleleni batihambela. Emacala aletinja abese amanyenti.

Kodvwa emvakwekuphakulwa setihlala lekhaya atisaphumi ligede futsi tikhuluphele. Budlelwane bami nato sebukhulile ngobe kucala nangifuna kutibamba bekuba lukhuni kepha nyalo sekumelula.

Imphilo yami nelikhaya lakitsi sekuhlala kuphephile ngobe letinja tihlala lekhaya futsi tiyasivikela. Uma umuntfu lovakashile nje atsi wanga umuntfu walekhaya, letinja tiye ticabange kutsi bayalwa bese tiyamvikela.

Kunayinye nje leyasala natiyophakulwa ngobe beyiseyincane, ayikahlambuluki njengaleti letinye, ngako-ke nayo ngifuna kutsi iphakulwe uma seyikhulile.

Ibhalwe ngu: Mandla 

Vusumnotfo recorded Mandla's story 7 months after the community spay day at Mshingishingini, through the use of Most Significant Change methodology. In response to the many requests that we are receiving, with your support, we would very much like to carry several more community spay days in May - August,  2015.