Mandy Cattanach (email)
The Roodepoort SPCA wishes to offer clarity regarding the article Unwanted dogs: Have a heart in the Record (Friday 7 February). The public is being misled into thinking that any dogs they may no longer be able to care for would be going to people who are responsible and caring. This is a commercial, money-making enterprise but thank goodness they were honest enough to state openly that any dogs that do not make the grade simply will be sold.
How ironic that the so-called brilliant idea is being put forward by a person with a vested interest in obtaining dogs for nothing.
The Roodepoort SPCA has been contacted by members of the public who were outraged at the article and statements made. We are heartened that so many people saw through the information, which was a thinly-veiled advertisement and appeal for free dogs. It may have been disguised as an article but far too many people saw through that!
To everyone out there, we put forward issues that were notable by their absence in the piece by Mathilde Myburgh:
• Not all dogs make the grade – and those that don’t simply are sold.
• No mention of any welfare checks or home checks or even whether they ensure dogs are sterilised when sold
• Go further down the line and look at the potential future for an unsterilised dog sold this way
• Dogs handed to this company will be trained. If this means subjecting them to loud noises including gunshots and explosions ( to make them used to such noises which they will encounter on duty), then what happens if the dog is already terrified of fireworks? Animals have very sensitive ears and cannot handle loud noises, which will affect them mentally forever. What will happen to them then?
• Dogs that are trained for attacking, protection or guarding are trained in manners that may not be humane or acceptable.
• After being “trained”, where and to whom is your family pet being sold to? To a company where they have to walk on hot tar all day, patrolling a factory, sold to people who do not have the slightest compassion for an animal because it is just a commodity?
• Eventually all living beings no longer can work and have to retire. What happens to these poor dogs who have been forced to work day in and day out for years? Are they retired to a well-deserved rest or just disposed of because they cost the company money for their upkeep?
The list goes on and on. The NSPCA has an agreement with the SAPS that their unwanted dogs are no longer auctioned off as unwanted or damaged goods but handed over to SPCAs where we find the right home for these animals. These are the animals that did not make the “grade” and now have behavioural problems, and/ or are very petrified of the normal day-to-day activities.
Please if you no longer can care for your pet, be it a dog, cat, mouse, any creature bring them into the SPCA where we will never allow one of our animals to suffer.
A shocking amount of spelling, grammatical and diction errors had to edited before this letter could be published.
Please note that the claims in the letter that dogs that “do not make the grade, simply” will be told was never a statement made by the interviewee or the journalist in the published article.
The fact is that unwanted dogs (of certain breeds) can be donated to this institution where they will receive care and training, after which they will be sold to cover training costs.
The institution is quite a reputable one (founded in 1987) and has been interviewed numerously for their work in training and providing dogs for the K9 Dog Unit.
These dogs assist humans to neutralise highly dangerous situations and their inputs are valued.
An employee approached the Record with this idea that he had approved with his manager. For further comment, please see the open letter addressed to pet owners, animal welfare institutions and animal enthusiasts — Mathilde Myburgh, journalist.
