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GRAPHIC CONTENT | Horrendous act of animal cruelty in Lydenburg leads to euthanising of dog

Cathy Schutte said nothing could have prepared her for the state in which she found this dog.

The aftermath of the New Year’s celebrations sent shockwaves of disgust through the community as a dog had to be euthanised after suffering severe burns caused by some fireworks.

Cathy Schutte, former owner of Home4Paws, a non-profit animal rescue centre, was called out to a horrific scene involving a badly burnt and malnourished dog found in the industrial area of town on Sunday.

According to her, a local scrapyard informed her that a dog ‘in a bad state’ had turned up at the business.

“Even though I don’t have or operate the shelter any more and try not to attend to rescue operations, there are times when one has to help, especially in life-and-death situations and severe abuse,” Schutte said.

She loaded some medicine, blankets and food into her car and drove to the scene where the dog was last seen. Nothing, however, could have prepared her for the severity of the injuries the animal had suffered.

“His body had been subjected to 90% burns. These could only have been caused by fireworks, particularly those resembling flare-like displays. The animal was burnt with intent. There is no way those injuries could have been sustained accidentally. I think he was tied down,” Schutte said.

She said fly larvae had begun eating away at the dog’s rotting flesh. “He was in a horrendous state. This is one of the worst cases of abuse I have witnessed in all my time of rescue. The amount of pain the dog must have experienced these past 12 days must have been excruciating.”

Schutte immediately phoned around for an available vet. “I got hold of Dr Jacques Brink at Sterkspruit Animal Clinic and immediately took the dog there. Handling any animal, even a human, with burn wounds is very challenging. With a severe burn wound, nerve endings in the skin can be damaged or destroyed, which can lead to temporary or permanent nerve damage. This animal experienced extreme weakness, pain and sensitivity to touch.”

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Unfortunately, nothing could be done for the dog, and the decision was made to euthanise it humanely.

One of the main reasons Schutte closed the shelter’s doors was the emotional impact abuse had on her.

“The things I have seen broke me emotionally. It came to a point where I had to decide to walk away. My health also took a great toll and I finally closed the shelter in 2022.”

Without a witness or suspect, no animal cruelty charges could be filed. “I despise fireworks. I hope and pray this will be a wake-up call and that people will think twice about setting off fireworks.”

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