Puppies in appalling conditions at the West Rand Pet and Bird Farm

Yet another resident’s complaint about the West Rand Pet and Bird Farm has surfaced after her visit to the premises on Saturday 6 July.

“How many animals must suffer before West Rand Pet and Bird Farm will be closed down?” resident Gaynor Lawrence asked as an introduction to her formal complaint submitted to the Roodepoort SPCA. The complaint was forwarded also to the National Council of Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA).

According to Lawrence, she was visiting the premises with her son to buy a new cage for her budgies, but decided that she would not support “this hell hole”.

Upon her entering the premises, she found “little Boerboell puppies lying on a thin blanket on the cold brick paving in a bird aviary in front of the shop entrance.

“The pups were huddled together and kept climbing on top of each other to get warm – at times, they were whimpering from being cold.”

Lawrence felt upset and she asked the employees to call the manager, to whom she expressed her disgust at the situation.

“His first response was that he was trying his best and that the dogs had just arrived at the Pet and Bird Farm.

“I said that the pups should be moved from the cold or I would be contacting the SPCA immediately.”

The manager’s annoyed response triggered Lawrence to keep her word and contact the SPCA from her car on the premises. The call was made at around 9.15am during which Lawrence requested that an inspector be sent out immediately.

“I waited for the inspector to arrive but after an hour and twenty minutes, I left without anyone from the SPCA arriving.”

Lawrence also was quick to contact the NSPCA via facebook, where they advised her to send photos and her complaint to the relevant organisations.

“On another occasion in December, fans were installed for the benefit of the manager and other employees while the pups’ struggling in the heat were ignored,” Lawrence remembered.

Viewing footage and posts about the West Rand Pet and Bird Farm (some of which were posted on www.looklocal.co.za) made Lawrence share this with local media.

“I am appealing to the NSPCA and the SPCA to close this place down,” Lawrence told the Record.