SPCA urges owners to claim lost pets
"A total of 15 animals have been claimed by their owners as of Wednesday morning."
THE aftermath of New Year celebrations has kept staff at the Durban and Coast SPCA very busy tending to lost and injured pets.
Juliet Nadarajan said one dog had been brought in dead on arrival, five dogs had suffered bite wounds, and one was severely bitten and bleeding excessively.
“We assume the dogs had run away from their properties as a result of the fireworks and been involved into fights with other dogs. On 31 December to 1 January, 14 dogs were brought in and 11 were claimed by their owners. From 2 January we had more coming in, with the number of strays that came in up to 2 January standing at 53. A total of 15 animals have been claimed by their owners as of Wednesday morning,” she said.
The numbers could go up over the next two weeks as people keep animals at their homes to try find their owners themselves before bringing them in.
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Turning to New Year celebrations, Juliet said it seemed fireworks had been worse this year in general, however for the SPCA, it was on par with last year.
Juliet said five of the dogs brought in to the SPCA were microchipped, which helped a lot in locating their owners.
“We urge pet owners to microchip their pets, it is a cheap, quick and easy process and is the only way to guarantee that you will be reunited with your pet if it goes missing. Microchipping is done at Durban and Coast SPCA,” she said. It is also important for pet owners who have microchipped their animals to ensure that they update any information should it change, such as address and contact details.
Juliet urged pet owners to visit the SPCA to identify and claim their pets or to contact the SPCA or email a photo of their lost pet.
“Pet owners need to identify their pet themselves and also to speak to all SPCAs in the area as we don’t share lost pet reports between the different branches,” she said.
Contact Durban and Coast SPCA on 031 579 6500 or email: info@spcadbn.org.za. Operating hours are Monday to Friday from 8am to 4pm and Saturday from 8am to 12.30pm. They are closed Sundays and public holidays.
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