Why the dogs are there, how they got there and to whom they belong remains a mystery. Why would someone keep so many dogs, mostly cross breeds, in such atrocious circumstances?
Jan Potgieter did not want to speculate why more than 50 dogs are being kept at the house and said that he learned of its existence after doing work at the nearby Goedehoop Mine.
His attempts to feed the animals have weighed heavily on his wallet and Mr Potgieter says that he is now even begging scraps of food from colleagues.
“I told them, if you have something that you are not going to eat, please don’t throw it away, give it to me so I can give it to the dogs.”
He says that more and more dogs are at the house each time he visits the premises. Most of the animals are skinny and in a bad state.
Although there are signs of human activity, Mr Potgieter has never seen anyone at the house. There are several dog houses and beds in and around the house as well as signs that someone else is feeding the animals from time to time.
His attempts to track down the owners of the house have been unsuccessful. The matter was reported to the eMalahleni SPCA last year but Mr Potgieter claims that the inspector said there is not much he could do after visiting the premises.
During Mr Potgieter’s last visit to feed the animals, some of the dogs were trapped in rooms in the house. He kicked down the doors to free them so they could come outside to eat.
Another dog, who appears to be blind, is confined to a small camp without food or shelter. The dog is extremely skinny and Mr Potgieter said that he planned on going back to feed the animal on Monday.
Three puppy litters were also discovered in the house.
“The problem is that I cannot visit the house regularly enough to make sure that the dogs get enough to eat.”
The SPCA Witbank in eMalahleni, said that they have visited the house previously and removed some of the dogs from a lady living there at the time. They undertook to speak to Mr Potgieter and visit the house again as soon as they have all the information.
Do you have information about this story? Send an email to jana@mobserver.co.za.
