An emaciated and petrified female dog and four pups, which were abandoned near the Sebenza municipal dump, have been rescued by the Edenvale SPCA.
Following the rescue of the five animals, the Edenvale SPCA has appealed to the community for donations to cover the veterinary bills.
The dogs were dumped metres from the gate of the organisation.
Inspector Jade Nel, of the Edenvale SPCA, was alerted to the dogs’ presence by a security guard.
“When I found the dogs I was shocked,” said Nel.
When Nel first looked for the dogs she only found two puppies. She said the dogs either spent the night outside or had been left there in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
A short while after the Edenvale SPCA manager Marita Acar arrived for work, the other two puppies and mom were found.
Nel said this was the second incident of an animal being dumped that she has had to deal with since joining the Edenvale team.
Acar said she had a few dumping incidents over the years while working with the SPCA.
“Maybe the people felt it would be easier to leave the dogs there than to face the SPCA staff and feel embarrassed or guilty,” said Nel.
When Nel found the dogs, the first thing which ran through her head was whether or not they were alive.
She was concerned because they had been exposed to cold weather and they may have been hypothermic.
The puppies were dirty but okay.
“The mother dog was emaciated and petrified. It looked like she had been tied up somewhere but broke free,” said Nel.
The female dog had a strand of wire around its neck.
It is Nel’s understanding that the dogs were pets at one stage.
“The puppies were not used to affection because they whimpered when I picked them up,” said Nel.
She said with the dogs left in the open something worse could have happened to them.
They could have been killed by passing cars or picked up by dog fighting rings.
“I feel really disappointed. Since I’ve been working at the Edenvale SPCA I feel I have developed a good relationship with the community of Edenvale and other areas. It’s disappointing that the person never phoned me and asked for help,” said Nel.
She explained that the SPCA will always try to help people to the best of its ability and only asks questions for background information.
Nel said the mother dog has since been named Dusty.
Although the dogs have been rescued, there’s still a long road ahead of them.
The dogs will need to be sterilised and receive vaccinations, rabies shots and be dewormed.
Once the dogs have been vaccinated and have been rehabilitated they will be put up for adoption.
Nel estimated the cost for veterinary care for all five dogs to be R5 000.
To assist with the costs for veterinary care for Dusty and her pups, contact the Edenvale SPCA on 011 974 9268.
