ANT KATZ

Chiara Favish, left with some of her dog-walking ‘clients’

She had previously volunteered at the SPCA for two years and keeps in contact with almost every branch in South Africa on Facebook. And that was how she noticed so many branches calling for help with blankets this year. “It is all over their Facebook pages,” she told Jewish Report this week.

And so, as if studying and chasing dogs around parks wasn’t enough to keep Chiara busy (and she has her wedding to Adam Cohen to plan for December), Chiara couldn’t stand the thought of dogs freezing this winter. So she started a blanket drive over social media and the response has been overwhelming.

RIGHT: Chiara Favish with a bakkie-load of doggy blankets

Her initial aim was to collect 90 blankets for the Randburg SPCA and 60 each for Soweto and Booysens. She’s already been there and done that! No problem for Chiara – she simply decided she wasn’t stopping while she was on a roll, and set herself a loftier goal.

Even as her exams loom next week, Chiara wants to collect another 600 blankets, 300 each for the Midrand and Germiston branches.

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This lass is a serial doggie-lover

 
She is already well on her way. “One woman who I don’t know put R2 000 in my bank account,” says Chiara. She added some of her own money, then went to a big retailer and left with a whopping 95 blankets.

Chiara has completed a Montessori course and has her heart set on a teaching degree.

Her university gave students an assignment of putting together a novel business plan. She decided on “Chiara’s Boutique Palace” – a hotel and day-care facility for dogs.

LEFT: On one day Chiara bought almost 100 blankets at Makro

“One day when I win the lottery I will open it,” she says, with hope in her eyes.

Everybody to their own, she says. “There are so many people out there who are collecting for and caring for people, but not enough of us care for the animals,” she says.

She cares about people, she says, but she is passionate about animals. She loves her dog-walking in the mornings. “It’s my happy place, whenever I’m around dogs.”

Chiara has decided that she is going to continue and take responsibility to make the SPCA blanket drive an annual event.

• Anyone wishing to help donate new or old blankets, can contact chiarafavish@gmail.com and she will contact you to arrange collection.