A park user is appealing for the better treatment of guard dogs kept at The Wilds Nature Reserve in Houghton. Robert Simmonds, who walks and exercises at the park at least once a week, expressed his concern over the long-standing confinement of the dogs to small cages on the premises for more than three years now.
“I very rarely see anyone remove them from their cages to take them for walks. The dogs go frantic when one approaches the cages, which is not surprising given their long period of being caged. They are effectively prisoners,” said Simmonds.
Simmonds expressed his concern that publishing an article on the issue might not necessarily lead to an improvement in the animals’ welfare. He believes that on the contrary, City Parks or Imvusa Security might respond by simply moving the dogs to a more remote site that is completely removed from the public gaze, where their circumstances might be far worse.
City Parks’ manager of environmental protection Cebo Mhlongo said there was no truth in the allegations about dogs and that the dogs were well-cared for.
The Sandton SPCA was contacted for comment by email on July 10; acknowledged receipt of the enquiry on July 13, and said they would give a response on July 14, but had not yet responded at the time of going to print.
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