Used to witnessing abuse and other atrocities inflicted by people on innocent animals on a regular basis, it’s safe to say it takes a special kind of person to work at the SPCA.
Their line of work calls for passion and its this devotion and dedication to the well-being of animals that makes their job worthwhile and to the benefit of the community and its furry residents.
There are some days, however, when it all becomes too much.
Last Wednesday was one of those days.
Brakpan SPCA staff were left heartbroken after not being able to help a man who had travelled by bicycle to the local society in Denne Road from Tsakani Extension 11 desperately seeking help for his dog.
Read: Brakpan SPCA needs you to make animal welfare a priority
Sharing the incident on their Facebook page, the society explained: “At first we took a picture, thinking it was going to be a feel-good story with a happy ending. Turned into one of those days where we have to take a step back with a deep breath, trying to hold back our emotions.”
The day’s events started with the arrival of a man named Sibusiso (surname unknown), who loaded his best friend, Baby Girl, as he called her, as comfortably as he could and cycled to the Brakpan SPCA.
He explained she had been struggling the previous day to stand up and walk so he made her a special meal and prayed that whatever was making her feel bad would pass soon.
By the second day, Baby Girl could no longer walk or stand up and Sibusiso knew she needed help.
He made a plan and lost his daily wages as he needed to take time off work to seek help.
When Sibusiso arrived at the SPCA, it was established that Baby Girl had a spinal injury and there was nothing the SPCA could do and Sibusiso was in no financial situation to help her either.
Read: SPCA chair spends 17 hours behind bars
“By now the tears were flowing as we phoned all over trying to seek help for this man and his precious friend,” the SPCA’s Facebook post reads.
“We desperately wanted to save this beautiful, fat, sterilised, otherwise healthy girl that was in excruciating pain, but time and help wasn’t on our side today.
“We broke when he asked if we could please stop her suffering and rather put her down, he loves her too much to let her hurt any more.
“Today this man’s heart broke into a million pieces and there was nothing we could do.
“Our hearts are broken today and tears just wouldn’t dry up as we had to walk away with this man’s dog and he is on his knees crying, not to mention Baby Girl not understanding why her friend is in as much pain as she is.
“Thinking about it, how much easier would it have been to just dump her or phone with no care in the world and say ‘come get her, I don’t need a broken dog’. But he didn’t, he came all the way, with her crying.”
Sibusiso and Baby Girl’s story has highlighted a reality regularly faced by the SPCA – a lack of funds.
It has also brought into the spotlight how some members of the public take advantage of the society.
“We always try to help where possible when owners beg for their furry friends, yet we have to beg for months for them to settle their account which we have to pay within 30 days,” the SPCA elaborated on their Facebook page.
“No wonder vets don’t want to offer accounts anymore and with our account being pushed over the brim due to non-payments and getting treatment for our own pound furries when needed, it cost a loved doggie her life today.
“How many times have we helped people who didn’t deserve it because they were simply irresponsible, for the sake of a fur baby that did deserve help and then they just never came back for their ‘baby’?”
Sibusiso and Baby Girl were deserving of the society’s assistance and if people didn’t waste SPCA resources, perhaps the man and his beloved best friend would have been a feel-good story with a happy ending.
To find out how you can help, call the SPCA on 011 742 2007.
Have a story?
Contact the newsroom by emailing: Thelma Koorts (editor) brakpanherald@caxton.co.za
or Stacy Slatter (news editor) stacys@caxton.co.za
or Miné Fourie (journalist) minev@caxton.co.za
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