End dogfighting and abuse in our communities

A few days ago, I was disturbed and traumatised by dogfighting I witnessed in an informal settlement in Ivory Park near Midrand.

This happened just a few months after witnessing an incident in which a puppy was mourning its mother in Protea Glen, Soweto.

After the puppy incident, I wrote a column expressing how my love for dogs was gradually developing.

In that column, I explained how the pet had to go through the death of its mother without the involvement of its owner.

Its mother’s carcass was on a dumping site and the puppy had spent three days camping next to it hoping that she would miraculously wake up, but to no avail.

I know some black people from rural areas or informal settlements usually don’t care much about pets, especially dogs. Yet many of them keep them in their homes just to protect them against intruders.

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When I witnessed the Ivory Park dogfighting match, I was visiting a friend in Midrand and we decided to go to a park at the informal settlement.

Remember, this bloody dogfighting incident comes at a time when I am still trying to deal with the trauma caused by the mourning puppy.

To be honest, watching dogs fighting until their bodies turned red due to the sustained injuries was horrifying.

The match was organised by two young men, whose ages ranged between 18 and 21, and the spectators were also young people.

To make this worse, this brutality happened on a beautiful Sunday morning, while some people were in church and others relaxing in their homes.

It was the first time I witnessed such a thing.

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My friend and I were so shocked as the two bull terriers at each other’s throats, while the spectators were singing and enjoying their booze.

I am not sure whether some of the spectators or the owners of the dogs were generating money from the fight, or not, but what I am sure about is that all of them enjoyed watching the fight.

When one of the dogs was about to die, they would pull the tail of the attacker and let the animals relax a bit and make them fight again.

One of the dogs was white, but when we ordered the owners to stop the fight, it was already red as the body was smeared with blood.

Everyone seemed to be disappointed and asked themselves why we interrupted the game.

Based on the two horrific incidents that I have experienced, I believe that there are people who are not supposed to own dogs because they don’t care about their well-being.

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More than 20 people were watching the dogfighting match. But none of them wanted to stop the fight or phone the authorities to come and intervene, or seize the dogs.

That’s why it was also not surprising that the mourning puppy from Soweto did not get any support from its owner, or the community members.

It is about time the authorities, especially officials from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, up their game and implement programmes aimed at checking the well-being of pets in rural areas, townships and informal settlements.

Many pet owners, especially in poverty-stricken areas, need to be sensitised about the importance of owning pets.

I also called on the communities to report animal abuse when they see it unfolding, instead of enjoying it.

Pets are lovely, especially dogs. They see their owners as best friends, so it is vital to respect and take good care of them.

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