THE truth is that the Kloof and Highway SPCA are actually very cruel and inhumane to animals.
On Tuesday, 27 October, two of my three dogs managed to get out of the yard. My neighbour messaged me to say that my dogs were out. I was at Pinetown court with my son, where he was a witness. We left as soon as we could.
On arrival home, we found the gate on the front verandah open. We looked for the dogs but could not find them. I had to get back to work, so my son carried on looking for them on his own. Another neighbour told him that the SPCA had taken them, despite her telling them that they were our dogs.
My son called me and, as I was in Hillcrest, I went to the SPCA. On arrival at the SPCA, I spoke to Liz and explained the situation. She told us to go and look in the round enclosure. My assistant was with me, as he knows the dogs well. We found them in enclosure number 48. We returned to the office and told Liz they were there. She would not return my dogs to me.
They said I first needed to pay for vaccinations and/ or prove that my dogs are up to date. They further insisted that the dogs be microchipped. It is a total of R1 000 for the two dogs. We were horrified at this exorbitant amount and told them they were ripping me off. Liz was adamant my dogs were going nowhere until I paid the R1 000.
My assistant said he does not even have a fence around his property to keep his dogs in, to which Liz simply shrugged her shoulders. The way we see it is that the SPCA picked up two well-groomed Pekingese and saw an opportunity to make some money. The Department of Agriculture is giving free rabies vaccinations in my area on Wednesday, 11 November. Why am I being held to ransom by the SPCA? Why must two of my three dogs be microchipped by the SPCA and not the third?
The two Pekingese have their own pillows and blankets in the lounge for when we are watching TV. Since the SPCA took them, they are living in a concrete enclosure, in this cold and wet weather, as opposed to their blankets and pillows. Is this not very cruel and inhumane? Is the SPCA not discriminating because of the area I live in? Why can my assistant have as many dogs as he pleases with no fence? If my dogs were a nuisance or pest, why have the SPCA never picked them up before? One of them is almost six years old and never been subjected to such cruel, harsh conditions as given to them by the SPCA.
Shaun Naude
Northdene
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The Kloof and Highway SPCA’s inspectorate manager, Sue Noakes, responds:
It is both disheartening and sad when a complaint of this nature is drawn to our attention. Our inspector, Israel Silevu, and staff went out of their way to make sure the two dogs in question were found and bought to our Kloof and Highway SPCA for safe keeping. Prior to this call, we had received numerous complaints about this unneutered male and female Pekingese.
When inspector Israel Silevu attended to the complaint, he found the gate of the premises locked and no one home. He did not see the two Pekingese on the premises. He talked to several neighbours who confirmed the two dogs are always on the road and had been seen the previous day on the road for almost the entire day, until the children returned home from school. According to the residents in the neighbourhood, the owners are aware of this as on several occasions they have been notified, but they have made no effort to ensure the dogs remain in the property at all times.
This road in particular is extremely busy and dangerous and it would be cruel to think of the fate these dogs could have suffered by either being run over and left injured or suffering or the thought of someone stealing them.
Inspector Silevu was deeply concerned about the welfare of these two dogs and continued his search for them. He located the exhausted dogs a kilometre form their home. They were panting from the heat and lack of water. On returning to the SPCA, he drove directly to the clinic where the staff did a thorough health check and they thirstily drank bowls of water.
The owner is questioning both vaccinations and microchipping as well as sterilisation. Firstly, we cannot admit strays into our kennels without vaccinating them should we not have the vaccination records. We cannot run the risk of a stray spreading any contagious diseases into our kennels and infecting any healthy animals, which would be completely irresponsible. Should the animals have a microchip, we would be able to locate the owner and find out the history of the animal.
Due to the outbreaks of distemper and parvo, vaccinations are compulsory. These diseases cause severe suffering and eventually death in dogs and, as the SPCA, it is our main function to prevent cruelty to animals. Vaccinating your pets against rabies is compulsory, but needs to be done over and above vaccinating against the major dog/cat diseases.
Inspector Brigitte Ferguson spoke to the owner when he came in. She advised he sterilise his male dog to prevent any risk of future cancers as well as advocating a no-breeding policy. Once again, the owner declined to do the responsible thing.
We had not charged for the transport costs our Inspector Silevu incurred and all we requested was the owner follow the process of a responsible pet owner – microchips, vaccinations and sterilisation. Unfortunately, he declined and is now laying criticism at the door of the very organisation that was there for his two dogs when no one else was. The same two dogs that slept in kennels with heating lamps, warm blankets, food and safe and secure enclosures, away from any dangers.
Another neighbour come into our SPCA to say the dogs have been in the street for months. The whole neighbourhood watch group can testify to the numerous times they have addressed their concerns with the owner. To look for any cruelty here, the owner need only look in the mirror and see the person responsible.
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