Pit bulls rescued from certain starvation
One puppy rescued from drain
A security response team made a shocking discovery at a Strubens Valley property recently.
According to a Facebook post from BCI Security, they were contacted by a concerned client. “The client was worried about the welfare of a dog at a property in Strubens Valley. Our Tactical Response Team members went to the property to investigate. They looked through a hole in the gate and were shocked to see an emaciated female pit bull. The SPCA was contacted immediately, as the dog was in distress and starving,” the post read.
Mandy Cattanach, manager at the Roodepoort/ Krugersdorp SPCA confirmed this incident and said, “The complaint came from one of the neighbours, who said that it sounded as if the dogs were busy eating each other. Senior Inspector Mike Allen responded to the complaint, and at the address, he found members of three different security companies – BCI, Londoloza and Dowry. One of the security officers told Allen that he had managed to open the electric gate after getting no response from the homeowners. He confirmed that he had phoned them several times.”
Also Read: GRAPHIC CONTENT: Severely injured dogs rescued at illegal dog-fighting gathering
The security officer added that, after opening the gate, they found the emaciated female pit bull as well as a male, who appeared to be in good condition. The officers also heard a puppy whimpering, and when they went to investigate, they saw the puppy stuck in a drain, and rescued it. They found another four puppies at the back of the property. “If they had arrived at a later time this little puppy would have fallen into the drain and drowned,” Cattanach said angrily.
See video here (NOT for sensitive viewers):
She added that the drain was probably the only source of water for the puppies, which were approximately six or seven weeks old.
“There was a toilet with its lid open, from which the adult dogs could drink, but the puppies were obviously still too small,” she said.
Allen confirmed that they inspected the property, and, save for the open toilet and one empty dog food bag that had been torn to pieces, they could not find any other source of food or water for the dogs. “According to the neighbour, she has been providing the adult dogs with water for the past week, as it seems that the owners had gone on holiday, leaving the animals to fend for themselves,” Cattanach said.
Both the adult dogs, as well as the five puppies, were confiscated, and taken to the SPCA’s veterinarian for a checkup and treatment. A case has been opened and a full report will be attached to the docket. “The owners will be prosecuted in terms of the Animal Protection Act 71 of 1962 as soon as they are back from their vacation,” she concluded.
She concluded with the following, “I would like to ensure the community that we do re-home pit bulls, but we try not to advertise it too much, because of dogs being stolen and used for fighting. We have procedures in place to handle adoptions of this specific breed in a way that will benefit both the new owner and the dog.”
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