A petition has been drawn up to see that the man who ran the puppy mill in Dobsonville, Soweto, gets the harshest possible sentence.
The video was received by Roodepoort SPCA manager Mandy Cattananch, who immediately went into the township to investigate.
Upon arriving at the property, the SPCA team were met with the horrific sight of emaciated dogs tied to chains, with no water or food for the animals.
“The dogs were petrified of humans. Some of them were infested with maggots and seven badly malnourished Boerboel puppies were also recovered,” said Cattanach. “What kind of human does this?”
She stated these dogs are bred in townships for traditional weekend hunting parties, where the dogs are used to hunt for any game they can find.
In all, 21 dogs and two chickens were removed from the property and, sadly, the Greyhound died after succumbing to its injuries.
Jani Cloete from Four Paws in Fourways also expressed her dismay regarding breeding mills like these, where abuse is often prevalent.
“The main cause for abuse cases such as this is pure lack of education on proper animal welfare,” said Cloete. “They also have a lot of superstitions regarding dogs, for instance, they believe cutting the skin under the tongue will prevent the animal from getting worms.”
Cloete believes that many of the strays which come into the shelter are in fact dogs bred in this fashion. “They simply do not regard animals as important. Because they have always seen animals mistreated, they don’t think what they are doing is wrong.”
Inspector at Sandton SPCA, Lilly Motsemme, confirmed that such severe cases of abuse have not been reported in recent years in Joburg North.
“I feel that it is partly because of the educational programmes we run with schools in the area, teaching pupils how to care for their animals. These pupils then take this education and not only apply it with their own pets, but also teach others in their respective communities to do the same.
The video can be seen on ENCA. However, it is not suitable for sensitive viewers.
The man will appear at Roodepoort Magistrates’ Court on 13 February on charges of animal cruelty.
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