Greater Educational Role For SPCA

Sponsor to fund new appointment and help boost animal adoptions

Young New Zealanders will soon have more opportunities to learn about their responsibilities to other creatures, thanks to a sponsorship agreement between our largest animal welfare body and a leading pet-food manufacturer.

The Royal New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is to appoint a full-time Education Manager with the help of funding from Masterfoods Australia New Zealand, the makers of PEDIGREE food for dogs and WHISKAS food for cats.

The Education Manager's role is to include liaison with the Ministry of Education, with a view to making animal welfare an accepted part of the school curriculum. The appointee will also work closely with local SPCA education officers in promoting responsible pet care and the humane treatment of animals.

"We have long wanted to appoint an appropriately senior person with a nationwide educational brief. We are very grateful to Masterfoods for providing the funding to make such an appointment possible," says the Royal New Zealand SPCA's Chief Executive, Peter Blomkamp.

"Education is the single most important factor in ensuring animals are well-treated. If young people are taught at an early age to respect and care for their pets and other animals, they will tend to do so throughout their lives and eventually pass the same attitude onto their own children," he says.

The new position will be Auckland-based. An appointment is expected to be made within the next two months.

In addition to aiding the SPCA's educational work, Masterfoods is to help encourage adoption of thousands of unwanted cats, and dogs, including kittens and puppies, which are looked after in the Society's shelters around the country.

Everyone adopting a cat or dog from the SPCA will now receive a "Friends for Life" Starter Pack from WHISKAS and PEDIGREE.

Starter Packs for cats and kittens will include WHISKAS cat or kitten food, an information booklet and a discount coupon. Packs for dogs and puppies will include a selection of PEDIGREE dog food.

"Masterfoods has been extraordinarily generous in offering to provide a Starter Pack each time an adoption takes place. This should encourage many more New Zealanders to offer a loving home to a dog or cat in need. There are so many of them in our shelters, just waiting to be someone's special 'Friend for Life'.

"We must also applaud Masterfoods' emphasis on the responsibilities involved in pet ownership. The adoption certificate should remind owners that they have taken a new member into their family and not simply purchased a cuddly toy to be discarded when the novelty wears off, " says Peter Blomkamp.

"The packs' pet care booklets will also be a valuable resource for owners who want to make sure their furry or hairy friends are well and happy," he adds.

Janine Chamley, Masterfoods' Marketing Manager - Petcare (NZ), is absolutely thrilled by the company's new nationwide relationship with the Royal New Zealand SPCA.

"We take our responsibilities to pets and their owners very seriously. We've had a tremendous relationship with the Auckland SPCA for a number of years. It's fantastic to now be working with the SPCA on a national basis," she says.

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