“The tenant was evicted from his property in Morehill and the dogs were still on the property,” said Shelley Owens, Benoni SPCA co-chairperson.
Owens said the landlord informed the society of the dogs in the yard, which were also “full of fleas when we found them”.
Vicky Finnemore, Benoni SPCA acting manager, said the dogs were in fairly good condition.
She added that some of the puppies, of which there were about 11, have been put up for adoption, with the owner’s permission.
Finnemore said no criminal case was opened as the dogs weren’t neglected and there are, to her knowledge, no by-laws limiting the number of pets allowed on a property in Ekurhuleni.
She said: “The SPCA is bringing in dogs every week, as people are evicted or move away and can’t afford to care for the animals anymore; the economy is tough now”.
Finnemore said the society hadn’t run out of space to cope with the influx of pets, but, with winter coming up, she pleaded for blankets from the public.
The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality was approached for comment regarding the number of pets on properties in the city, but none had been received at the time of publication.
