We're on the hunt for Neighbours of the Week
The Hamilton Press and Neighbourly are on the hunt for Neighbours of the Week.
Whether you live in an apartment or on a rural property, you have neighbours - and knowing your neighbours matters. Connecting with the people who live around you creates a happier, safer and more friendlier neighbourhood - even if it's just greeting them by name over the fence or popping in for an occasional cuppa. That's what Neighbourly is all about after all. Neighbourly aims to restore the neighbourhoods of old, where neighbours knew each other well enough to pop next door to borrow a cup of sugar or help search for a lost pet.
At the same time, we want to celebrate all the good neighbours who are making an extra effort to support others in communities across the Waikato. These are the ones who organise neighbourhood BBQs, help stack their neighbour's firewood or always put their hand up to babysit.
So if you have a have a neighbour that fits the bill, and needs a bit of thanking, let us know. Nominations can be emailed to julie.kaio@stuff.co.nz
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
How are you celebrating Christmas this year?
From hot air balloon rides to cotton ball scooping games, folks around Hamilton have their festive plans sorted.
On a sunny Monday when most people are already on holiday, there were a few homecomers on Hamilton streets.
How are you celebrating Christmas this year? Tell us in the comments (adding NFP if you don't want your words used in print).