Woodrock Sterilisation Clinic - a good news story!

 Co-founders Nicholas Meldau and Estelle Meldau cut the ribbon to open the Woodrock Sterlisation Clinic with Deborah Blane and the lovely Rosabella Catherine Merle Blane the 2nd from Schnauzer Friends South Africa.

We love to hear stories with a positive outcomes. Especially when there are animals involved. Woodrock Animal Rescue in Hennops River was able to the raise their goal of R1-million to build a state-of-the-art animal sterilisation clinic. It was a dream because their mission states that they are pro-life and want to better the lives of all the animals they rescue and take care of.

The celebration for the sterilisation clinic was held this past weekend. We could unfortunately not attend, but I send a few questions to the co-founders of the rescue centre, husband and wife team, Estelle and Nicholas Meldau. They unveiled the initiative that will go far in helping Woodrock to make a difference to the lives of so many animals. The centre works to educate the surrounding communities about pet care, health and sterilisation, as well as medically treating rescue animals.

Had a good laugh about the anecdotal stories, Woodrock... (see below)

Questions to Woodrock Animal Rescue founders

Please tell me about the leadership at Woodrock.

Stella and Nicholas built Woodrock from the ground up. Both parties were in the corporate world, running two very successful corporate registration and recruitments companies.
After 15 years they began to manifest their dream of the rescue and re-homing of animals which started from a small plot at their home in Woodmead. When Nicholas and Estelle stepped foot on the land on which Woodrock Animal Rescue has now been built in Hennops River Valley, they were fuelled with nothing but raw passion and a big dream. They bought this piece of land with the vision of seeing their dream grow.

What is so special about Woodrock Animal Rescue, and why the need for a sterilisation clinic?

Founded in 1992 Woodrock Animal Rescue set out with the mission to provide assistance, Rescue, and rehabilitation to homeless, abused, neglected, and injured animals.
Wodrock provides assistance to thousands of animals every year. Although Woodrock is predominantly a dog shelter it also boasts an impressive and fully equipped stand alone kitty shelter, a bunny park, a pig pen, geese, ducks, and chickens, and is home to seven very cheeky and incredibly lovable Rescue donkeys and two equally cheeky mules. This currently puts Woodrock number at 300 animals: domestic and farm.
Woodrock is a non-profit, pro life Rescue organization and its goal has always been to educate, sterilise, rehabilitate, and rehome.
Our moto is 'Acta Non Verba' which directly translates Actions not words. Woodrock is funded solely through community support and donations.
The core and cornerstone to rescue and re-homing is STERILISATION. On average one million dogs are euthanized in South Africa every year. One unsterilized dog can produce over 67,000 offspring in five years, of which 6 out of 10 are euthanized. An unsterilised cat can produce over 500,000 offspring 7 years of which 9 out of 10 are euthanized. Over breeding results in overpopulation in shelters, and over half that number often end up in a kill facility.
The reason these numbers are so high is because there are not enough sterilization drives in this country. A sterilization Clinic would make a huge positive impact on these numbers. Sterilisation not only helps to control and alleviate the burgeoning dilemma and epidemic of unwanted pets, but it also has immense health benefits on ailing animals, such a reducing uterine infections in female dogs: often leading to kidney failure and sometimes death, and eliminating testicular, prostate and ovarian cancer in dogs and cats.
It is easy to see why sterilisation is an immensely important goal.

How did you go about in securing the funds for the Woodrock Sterilisation Clinic?

  Arina Very from MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet hands over a cheque of R500,000 to Dean Meldau from Woodrock Animal Rescue to begin phase 2 of the project. 

The Schnauzer Project and Deborah Blane kick-started the project. We held so many events, News Letters, SMS lines, Back A Buddy pages, Calendar sales, even a book was written and sold for our benefit, etc. Our followers were incredible!! …one couple walked across Greenland to raise funds. Some Corporates and Trusts jumped on board. We all always watch our barometer. It became so exciting. Children got involved, selling handmade heart necklaces etc. We would get mystery donors-those are always the best! 

A HUGE gift came in the form of the MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet programme. Woodrock Animal Rescue has been part of the MySchool programme for many years and have proven to be a much loved organisation that also delivers best practice when it comes to animal rescue, rehabilitation and re-homing. The MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet programme is honoured to announce a donation of R500 000 towards equipping the new clinic which will help ensure it becomes fully operational sooner than expected. This could only be done through the support of our MySchool cardholders who help us raise funds every time they shop, without costing them a cent!

We remain focused and kept our eye on the ball. Patience is a virtue whereas calm and GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT! Asking is hard, begging is unattractive. But to ask on behalf of the voiceless, to us was essential. If not us, then who?

Do you have any special challenges at the moment at Woodrock Animal Rescue/Sterilisation Clinic?

We must be super grateful!  We have come so far in building a sterilisation clinic. We must now acquire equipment for our clinic. We have a list of the goods, and  R827,500 is the figure quoted.
The MySchool MyPlanet MyVillage Thuso Fund has given us a HUGE donation of half a million rand and we are absolutely ecstatic to be taking the Woodrock Clinic Dream to the next level.

Overpopulation is always a special concern. People come in and leave their animals with us and how do you say no?
We believe the sterilisation drive is going to have a huge impact on this.

Do you have any special anecdotes about some of the animals that you have treated there?

1. Last week a lady called to surrender a dog called OROS. We imagined that we were collecting a large donation of OROS! (juice). The driver went along… Trailer in tow. He announced himself here to collect the OROS. Well Oros was collected in the form of an unwanted, discarded, little unsterilised dog. The joys and the funny side of rescue!

2. 'The Pig that found her way to us'
One Sunday morning we discovered a pig that had walked from one of the surrounding areas. As if she knew where the land of milk and honey was located, she found her way right onto our plot. We put the word out in the area and nobody could tell us where she came from, nobody came forward to claim her. We are guessing she prefers where she is now as she adopted us and has made herself very comfortable in the piggery where she has daily mud-wallows, delicious snacks, and enjoys leisurely walks around the farm.

3. One year we took in a boarder who happened to be-not a dog but a chicken. The owners went on holiday and their beloved chicken enjoyed quite the summer romance during her holiday on the farm, falling head over heels in love with one of our roosters. Needless to say when the owners came to pick up the chicken her new beau had to be taken with her!


Thanks for doing such a great job, Woodrock. Keep it up.

Check them out: Woodrock Animal Rescue

Remember: Adopt Don't Shop