40 dogs poisoned in one night in Roodepoort

The Roodepoort/ Krugersdorp SPCA has provided some tips to prevent your dogs from being poisoned, after approximately 40 dogs were poisoned in just one night in the Florida area, reports Roodepoort Record.

Mandy Cattanach, the SPCA manager, urged residents to do the following:

• Keep dogs in the backyard during the day
• Keep dogs indoors at night
• Check the entire yard for possible poison before letting them out to roam in the yard
• Make sure there is no unknown bread or meat in the yard, because poison is normally hidden in it
• If you do find something which seems suspicious, do not pick it up with your bare hands
• If you suspect that your pet has been poisoned, immediately rush it to a veterinarian

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They are also calling on anyone with information regarding the dogs that were poisoned recently to come forward.

“If anyone has CCTV cameras in these areas, please contact Inspector Pretorius or Senior Inspector Cattanach as we would appreciate it if we could view any footage you may have of the particular day the dogs were all murdered,” said Mandy.

She went on to say that on the footage they had received thus far, the suspects could be seen scattering peanuts in different yards as bait. She cautioned owners to be on the lookout for these items.

According to Cora Bailey, founder of the Community Led Animal Welfare (CLAW), criminals were more reluctant to enter a property where the dog could alert homeowners.

“Communities have to start putting pressure on their local police stations to prevent the sale of this banned substance (the poison), that is freely available all over the city,” said Cora.

She also reminded residents that toddlers could also pick up baited food, so it’s not just animals that are at risk.

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