Dog fighting and puppy mills fueled by internet
The animal activist has since appealed to the community not to support the sale or free exchanges of animals, but to rather support and animal shelter or reputable breeders.
AFTER ‘a mad dash’ to rescue Milo, a 15-week-old long-haired dachshund puppy that people were giving away on Gumtee, a free local classifieds website, Durban North’s Lakota Schultz is on a mission to eradicate this prevalent and seemingly ‘innocent practice’.
Schultz who is one of the founding members of The Dachshund Haven said when people buy and give puppies away on the internet, without doing proper home checks, it not only feeds puppy mills but also the underground dog fighting scene.
Social media websites have also become a haven for people wishing to sell or give puppies away.
“Dog fighting has become a massive problem in Durban. The small dogs that are just given away are snatched up and used as bait for the vicious dog fights,” said Schultz.
What is worse, she said is that the bait dogs are never given veterinary treatment.
“They are left to die or to heal on their own,” she said.
In May the Northglen News reported on the issue with puppy mills, which according to Schultz is one of the biggest contributors to the country’s current animal overpopulation crisis.
What’s more she said the unregistered breeders ‘who churn out puppies once a month’ is breeding sick and disabled puppies.
“Unlike reputable breeders, who spend years researching the background history of the mating pair, there are a lot of inbreeding in puppy mills. These puppies are also never vaccinated, leaving them vulnerable to parvo and other diseases,” she said.
There is no cure for parvo, warned Schultz. There is a small chance that a puppy with parvo will respond to treatment, she added.
The animal activist has since appealed to the community not to support the sale or free exchanges of animals, but to rather support and animal shelter or reputable breeders.
