Meet the woman with over 180 dogs

Cecelia has dedicated her life to giving dogs somewhere safe to land. Now, we’re asking our Chommies to help.

When you meet Cecilia, you get the feeling pretty quickly that there’s something special about her. The dogs seem to know it too.

Our team first met Cecilia during our recent blanket donation drive, when Imagine Animal Dreams was one of the organisations to receive Chommies blankets. Little did we know it wouldn’t be the last time we drove through the gates of her shelter.

Cecilia started Imagine Animal Dreams in 2017 as a safe haven for dogs in need. Today, she lives on the grounds in a caravan with ten dogs of her own, works part-time to help cover costs and employs four men who help her care for more than 180 dogs (and some horses).

Ask Cecilia how she became the woman with over 180 dogs and it quickly becomes clear that animals have always had a habit of finding their way to her.

It started with Popeye, her first dog and best friend, followed by a childhood spent trying to save just about anything that crossed her path, including butterflies she kept safely in cupboards before learning they were much better off outside. Her animal-loving parents weren't much different and at one point their home included around 15 cats, rabbits and multiple dogs.

Not much changed as Cecilia grew up. At one stage, she found herself with 25 dogs in her suburban Brackenfell home. Eventually, it became pretty clear she needed more space – and perhaps that this was what she was meant to do.

Imagine Animal Dreams
The name Imagine Animal Dreams came from something Cecilia believes deeply: when you really think about it, our most basic needs aren’t that different from those of a dog.

We all want love, safety, security and connection, somewhere to call home.

Imagine Animal Dreams asks us to think about what an animal might dream of and recognise that, underneath it all, those dreams aren’t so different from our own.

Based in Joostenberg Vlakte, outside Kraaifontein and close to surrounding township communities, Imagine Animal Dreams has become somewhere people know they can turn when they need help with an animal.

Cecilia says she often hears people ask why someone would have a dog if they don’t have the means to care for one. But the reality she sees every day is far more complicated. People with very little themselves still take animals in, often for companionship and security, and do their best to care for them.

The problem isn’t necessarily a lack of love. Often, it’s a lack of resources.

Without easy access to information and services around sterilisation, vaccination and veterinary care, dogs continue to breed and illnesses that could have been prevented or treated become much bigger problems. Eventually, many of those dogs find their way to Cecilia.

But Imagine Animal Dreams receives no regular funding and has no financial safety net. Every dog that arrives comes with costs, from food and shelter to sterilisation, vaccinations, deworming and veterinary care. Many arrive suffering from malnutrition, mange, injuries or other illnesses, making those costs even greater.

As Cecilia jokes, getting through each month involves “begging, borrowing, but not stealing.”

Getting ahead of the problem
After years of doing this work, Cecilia has realised that shelter alone isn’t going to solve the problem. There will always be another dog that needs help unless we can start preventing more dogs from needing shelters in the first place.

For Cecilia, that means going into communities, building relationships, educating owners and making sterilisation, vaccination and basic veterinary care more accessible. Her dream is to one day have a mobile veterinary clinic that can travel into communities and provide these services directly to the people and animals who need them.

It’s an important reminder that animal welfare isn’t only about animals. It’s about people too. Cecilia understands that if she approaches someone with judgement, she closes the door to the very people and animals she’s trying to help.

But Cecilia can’t do it alone
Imagine Animal Dreams is currently at capacity. Cecilia simply cannot take in many more dogs.

And while every dog there has food, shelter and someone who cares deeply about them, her dream isn't for them to stay with her forever.

It's for them to go home.

Many are older dogs who are too often overlooked, but spend a little time at Imagine Animal Dreams and you'll meet an awful lot of personalities, wagging tails and very good dogs waiting for someone to choose them.

Cecilia has made caring for these dogs her life's work, but it shouldn't be hers to carry alone.

We might not all be able to do what Cecilia does, but we can each do something.

Here’s how you can help:

Donate
Imagine Animal Dreams relies heavily on donations to cover food, veterinary care, sterilisation, vaccinations and the everyday costs of caring for more than 180 dogs. Even a small amount helps.

We’ve added Imagine Animal Dreams as a donation option at Chommies, allowing you to choose an amount to contribute towards Cecilia’s work when you shop with us.

Adopt
If you’ve been thinking about adding another furry member to your family, consider meeting some of the dogs at Imagine Animal Dreams. Many are older dogs who are too often overlooked, but whose dream is pretty simple: a warm bed, a safe home and someone of their own to love.

Give your time
From helping with adoption efforts to lending an extra pair of hands, time can be incredibly valuable too.

Cecilia Jacobs
imagineanimaldreams@gmail.com
Facebook

When Cecilia named her shelter Imagine Animal Dreams, she was thinking about how similar our most basic needs really are: love, safety, security and somewhere to belong.

There are more than 180 dogs at Imagine Animal Dreams waiting for those simple things and Cecilia has already given them somewhere safe to land.

What small thing can each of us do to help with the rest?

DONATE HERE