Pup-up Shop: New Mobile Clinics for Dogs and Cats

TEARS Veterinarian Dr Tracy Dicks inspects a puppy in one of the new mobile education and treatment clinics. Photos: Ashraf Hendricks

TEARS is rolling out vehicles that will provide both community education and veterinary services

Cape Town, South Africa (19 December 2024) — The Emma Animal Rescue Society (TEARS) launched two “first-of-its-kind” mobile clinics on Wednesday in a bid to take treatment and education training to Cape Town’s poorer communities.

TEARS already has a number of mobile clinics and ambulances, but what makes these vehicles unique is that it combines community education and veterinary services. The mobile clinics were designed in collaboration with Advanced Vehicle Engineering at a cost of over R3 million, providing TEARS with a “classroom-on-wheels”.

The truck’s exterior is equipped with a large TV screen and sound equipment. The inside has 26 cages to transport both cats and dogs. It also has an examination table, basin and fridge for medicines.

Mandy Store, TEARS operations manager, said that the purpose of the trucks is to not only provide veterinary care in communities but to “educate the youth”. She said the screens will give young pet owners an interactive experience while waiting with their cat or dog. “The youth are the ones that are going to take care of our animals in the years to come.”

The new TEARS mobile education and treatment clinics were launched in Sunnydale, Cape Town on Wednesday.

Store said that their mobile clinics currently visit townships from Ocean View to Lavender Hill, but they hope to expand to Philippi soon. One of the busiest communities they work in is Vrygrond, where they can sometimes see over a thousand pets in one day.

For now, the mobile clinics runs once a month, where they offer free services such as deworming, sterilisation, and vaccinations.

“We provide a much greater quality of care in these vans,” said TEARS Veterinarian Tracy Dicks.

TEARS Puppy assistant, Phutisizwe Getye and Operations Manager, Mandy Store demonstrate how the cages work. The new clinics 26 cages on board to transport both cats and dogs.

She said these mobile clinics offer less stress and anxiety for pets and owners because now treatment can happen right there and the pet can go back home immediately. The added space allows them to invite clients in to look at the microscope to see what parasites look like. “I think it will inspire them to take better care of their pets,” she said.

The organisation also hopes this project will help their mission to address challenges like pet overpopulation and neglect.