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WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT: Neglected hound sparks outrage
Not only was Dino covered in mange, ticks and sores but the poor dog's tail had also been brutally chopped off.
IT is one of the worst cases of animal abuse that local animal activist, Gianna Scoulelis, said she had seen in her 20 years of rescues.
Dino, as the dog has been named, was rescued from Shakaskraal in an extremely shocking condition, she said.
Not only was he extremely emaciated, covered in ticks, mites, fleas and sarcoptic mange, but he was also riddled with sores. His tail was even chopped off, she added.
Scoulelis said she believed his owner moved and simply left him to fend for himself. “I first spotted him in the area five months ago. He was healthy with a beautiful black coat. And then recently I noticed him getting thinner and losing his fur, so I began putting out food to gain his trust and rescue him. However, it has been a long struggle to capture him,” she said.
Scoulelis, the founder of Animally Haven, said they made a breakthrough of Friday when they chased him to a house where the home owner knew of Dino.
“He said he often put out food for Dino and that he often let him sleep on his veranda. He assured me that when he saw him again he would corner off the veranda to prevent him from escaping. And on Saturday I got the call,” she said.
Outrage over his neglect has garnered support from the members of the Durban North Neighbours Facebook page, with hundreds of Rands already been collected for his treatment and rehabilitation.
“Physically he is one of the worse cases of abuse I have ever seen, however, he still has spirit. He is a fighter and we expect that we will be able to put him up for adoption in the future,” she said.
