Puppy drowns in open pool

COLIN AND SONJA BOUWER write:

It is with great sadness that I write this letter.

Our Scottish terrier of three months fell into our pool on Sunday afternoon, March 30 and drowned.

I am writing this letter to make people with animals aware of the dangers of a pool for animals. It only took a few minutes for this little one to drown.

Just a few minutes when you turn your back or go into the house to do something quickly. This is horrific.

We had ordered a pool cover in January already to be fitted by the time we drove down to Pietermaritzburg on February 8 to fetch Anabelle.

The open pool was a concern for us as she was a tiny pup and we were afraid she would fall into the pool.

We had and are still having a problem with the company manufacturing and fitting this cover. They have been out to our house on numerous occasions to work on this pool cover.

The cover does not fit properly and as a result lifts where the hooks are inserted. This is also a risk element for a small puppy to crawl underneath and fall in.

They had to remove the cover and took new measurements, again. My husband was told that when the cover was made, they used a flat surface as opposed to mimicking the pool surface. This resulted in the loss of an innocent life.

I urge all pet owners with swimming pools to ensure adequate covering is installed before you introduce a puppy to your house.