Puppy sellers at intersection in the spotlight
'We will continue to remove animals at this intersection'
After another huge social media outcry about puppies being sold at the infamous Tarlton intersection, the Roodepoort/ Krugersdorp SPCA has released a statement.
“We have taken over the Krugersdorp area from the Johannesburg SPCA approximately six months ago. This doubled our area we are responsible for, with the same amount of staff members. During this period, our inspectors have been to the Tarlton intersection nearly every third day and have removed puppies, rabbits and tortoises. Not many of these puppies that were removed, were in an emaciated or dehydrated condition,” said Mandy Cattanach, the manager at the Roodepoort SPCA.
She added that the distance to the specific intersection is approximately 100 kilometres – round-trip – and, with added traffic, it can take more than an hour to get there. “This means that, most of the time, by the time we arrive, the animals have either been purchased by motorists or hidden,” she said.
Cattanach said that, unfortunately, there is no law stopping people from selling puppies and other domestic animals on the side of the road, and explained, “Should the animals have water and shelter, and be in a good condition, the SPCA actually cannot remove them, as this is theft. However, we have removed animals, and will continue to do so. We will deal with the consequences should they arise.”
Although many organisations are raising money to have the female dogs in the surrounding informal settlements sterilised, Cattanach believes that this is not the sole solution to the problem. “Informal settlers breed and sell these puppies as a form as income, and as long as the public buys from them, they will continue breeding to meet the demand. The public must realise that, in the hope of saving one puppy’s life, they are causing hundreds more to suffer. The trade will only stop when people stop buying animals from the side of the road,” she said.
She added that public attacks on the SPCA inspectors are very disheartening and demoralising, as they are doing everything they can to help the animals being sold at the specific intersection – often putting their own lives on the line. “We desperately need donations to continue working in this vast area as our fuel account has doubled. Without the SPCA, many animals will suffer, something our staff members will never allow to happen, but we need the community’s assistance,” she concluded.
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