Protea Hotel Fire & Ice! Cape Town is doing it for the (four-legged) kids

What could be better than a sunny day spent in the beautiful Winelands with your whole family – including the furry four-legged members?
Bilton Wine Estate in Stellenbosch is the location of the Animal Rescue Organisation’s Strut Your Mutt family fun day on Sunday, September 30, which will offer a variety of attractions from a Fun Dog Show to market stalls and delicious picnic baskets.

Animal lovers and their four-legged friends will be getting ready to either walk their best friend or show them off in the Fun Dog Show. The Best Friends Dog Walk at 9am gives participants the choice of either a 2km or 4,1km walk through the beautiful vineyards nestled below the Helderberg Mountains.
The Fun Dog Show takes place at 12pm and will include 5 categories: Puppy (6 – 12 months); Veteran (7+ years); Owner/Dog Look-a-like; Waggiest Tail and the Best Brakkie (Cross Breeds Only).

There will be water points all along the walking routes and a senior veterinarian will be on site should there be any problems. Registration opens at 8.30am for the Best Friends Dog Walk and at 10am for the Fun Dog Show. Registration can be done online.

Protea Hotel Fire & Ice! Cape Town has adopted the Animal Rescue Organisation, based in Ottery, as one of its main Social Initiatives this year and the Strut Your Mutt  is just one project they’ve undertaken for the organisation that services the Greater Cape Town area’s neglected and sick animals.

One of the biggest needs the Animal Rescue Organisation has is funds for their Mobile Animal Sterilisation Unit clinics, which work in low-income areas sterilising dogs and cats.
To this end the hotel is running Boerewors Fridays from Bree Street every second Friday (which started on July 27). The hotel sells boerewors rolls for R15 each, the full proceeds of which go to towards supporting the rescue organisation’s mobile units.

From next month the hotel’s restaurant is also offering a Big Burger, Big Beer lunch special (350g Jaws Burger + 500 ml Castle Lite beer for R100) to raise funds for the ARO.
They are planning a golf day and a gala fundraising dinner, as well.

Protea Hotel Fire & Ice! Cape Town General Manager Johan Cronje said the hotel supported a number of charities and social initiatives every year, from STAFF actively participating in projects to raising funds and donating accommodation and food prizes.
“Every hotel in the Protea Hospitality Group has to support at least one social responsibility initiative, but like most we help several NGOs and charities.
“The Animal Rescue Organisation is one that is very close to our hearts, though. There are so many abused and neglected animals in Cape Town, and organisations like the ARO are battling because many corporates have cut back on CSR in the current belt-tightening economic climate,” he said.
“In the hierarchy of CSR needs animal welfare organisations often come in far down the list, so I’d like to challenge other businesses – especially hotels – to spend a day with organisations such as the ARO and at the end of that day when they have seen dozens of neglected pets, ask themselves if their money would be well spent helping those animals. I promise not one person would disagree!”

Visit http://www.animalrescue.org.za for more information.

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