Mrs Singh from Azalea Drive is devastated after her “baby boy”, a Jack Russell named Raju, was poisoned to death.
She has had Raju since 2010, being one of two Jack Russells owned by the family. The other is a female named Rani. Raju, the male, was poisoned on Tuesday last week and died in a field near his home. The sad part is that this is the fourth dog to allegedly be poisoned in Azalea Drive in January and February this year.
On Tuesday last week, Mrs Singh and her daughter arrived home after a long working day to find that Raju was vomiting and looking ill. When they called Rani, she ran to them with a piece of biltong in her mouth. Mrs Singh immediately grabbed the biltong and threw it away, fearing that it might be poisoned. Raju started frothing at the mouth and looked very weak.
Mrs Singh and her daughter then frantically phoned around to see who could help, but in vain.
When they went back outside, Raju had disappeared. They went looking for him and finally found the poor little fellow lying dead in open veld nearby. Tears brimming in their eyes, they carried the dog back home to say their last goodbyes and bury their beloved pet.
Mrs Singh says that Rani knew something was wrong, as she “cried” too. Every morning, Rani sits on top of Raju’s grave, wailing and looking for her best friend in the hopes that he might come back one day. “We are so heartbroken. How could a human being be so heartless as to take away another life? We miss Raju every day. This is so tragic!”
Mrs Singh explains that when she and her daughter went on holiday, they would take the dogs with them. “To us, they are not just dogs, but part of the family.” Other residents of Azalea Drive are also complaining about the same thing, as someone seems to be poisoning pets in the area. This is one of at least six cases of poisoning in the area.
In other areas, reports of dog poisonings are also on the increase. Signs that your dog has been poisoned include frothing at the mouth and vomiting.
Teach your pets not to take any food from strangers. The ideal situation would be that your dog only eats food in one place. Criminals target pets because they make a noise at night and wake the neighbours.