Romy’s Heartwarming Tale of Second Chances
On a weekend marked by cruelty, 8-week-old Romy faced the harshness of the world after a harrowing incident with a group of children. Kicked and left bruised and frightened, Romy's fate took a positive turn when a compassionate rescuer swooped in, bringing her to TEARS Animal Rescue for safety. Under the watchful eye of the TEARS Veterinary Hospital, Romy received medical care, vaccinations, and deworming and defleaing treatments.
Romy was then placed into the loving care of a seasoned TEARS foster volunteer, Kelly Farr. For six weeks, Kelly provided a warm, loving home for Romy, which, together with the comforting influence of Kelly's dogs, saw Romy's confidence increase and her true personality emerge.
Fostering rescue dogs and cats takes more than compassion and patience, it takes courage. For Kelly, fostering for TEARS is more than a way to help vulnerable pets, it has evolved into a rewarding journey of witnessing trust and joy being restored in a once-traumatised innocent animal that demonstrates an often-inconceivable capacity to love and forgive. The hardest part of any foster’s role is saying the inevitable goodbye, but for Kelly, the joy of seeing Romy in her forever home made it all worthwhile.
Adoption Bliss
Tineka Kriel and her family became the next chapter in Romy's story. Adopting Romy from TEARS instead of opting for a breeder was an easy decision for Tineka and her partner, Pierre. Romy's story and charming personality won them over, and she quickly became the darling in the family - forming a special bond with their other TEARS-adopted dog, Shenzi.
Tineka shares amusing anecdotes about Romy's daily life, from her constant presence in the kitchen to her morning ritual of gifting toys and demanding playtime while everyone is still in bed. Romy's mock tantrums, when she doesn’t get enough attention, akin to a toddler's, adds a playful touch of humour to her endearing personality.
Tineka passionately advocates for adopting pets from shelters, emphasising the life-saving second chance it offers deserving dogs. She regales the comical proceedings of convincing her partner - who was determined that they were not getting a second dog - to adopt Romy, who has now become Pierre's clear favourite. The family's decision to “adopt rather than shop” from a breeder reflects the belief that rescue dogs, like Romy, bring immeasurable joy and fun into homes, and they have the potential to surpass all expectations as they seem to perceive that they have been given another chance.
Fostering Saves Lives
The heartwarming tale of Romy wouldn't be complete without a call to action. TEARS is actively seeking dedicated foster families in Cape Town to help provide vulnerable and rescued cats and dogs like Romy a second chance. Fostering puppies usually lasts 2 - 6 weeks, which gives a rescued puppy or kitten the best start at a new life during their stay with you. Hill’s Pet Nutrition is an integral part of TEARS’ Rehabilitation Programme and provides for the nutritional needs of all TEARS rescue pets - including foster puppies and klittens - and TEARS covers all associated veterinary and treatment costs at the TEARS Veterinary Hospital.
In most circumstances, your foster will become available for adoption after spending two weeks in “quarantine” with you. Thereafter your foster will be ready for adoption and TEARS will manage the assessment, home checks and arrange appointments with potential adopters who are a good match.
As rewarding as it is, fostering takes up a lot of time! Puppies and kittens need constant supervision, so we are looking for new fosters who have the time to dedicate to raising a puppy or kitten. Fosters need to be able to bring their furry stooges to the TEARS Veterinary Hospital for scheduled vet appointments (up to 2 - 3 a month) or in cases of emergencies and be available to attended adoption events to help find their puppy or kitten a forever home.
Fostering saves lives. To apply to join the life-saving TEARS Foster Network, please visit tears.org.za/dog-foster-application.
To donate, visit tears.org.za/donate. Every act of kindness contributes to these animals' second chances, making the world a brighter place one rescued pet at a time.