SPCA ‘overwhelmed’ by public response to bodybuilder breaking puppy’s leg

The SPCA in Bloemfontein says it is “overwhelmed” by the massive public response after it rescued a puppy that had its leg broken, allegedly by a teenage bodybuilder who wanted to “test his strength”.

The pup, Rover, was rescued from a home in the Bayswater area on Sunday night after 11pm, where it was found in excruciating pain.

A 17-year-old self-proclaimed bodybuilder told SPCA officials that he had broken the dog’s leg after googling how strong bones were and what amount of force could break them.

Rover’s leg had to be amputated during an operation on Monday that set the SPCA back around R8,000. But, by Wednesday, enough donations had been received to cover the cost of the procedure.

Local SPCA inspector Duan Matthee said he was “shocked” by the number of people who had donated towards Rover’s surgery and who wanted to adopt him.

“We’ve had more than 300 people saying they want to adopt Rover and we have had more than 30 formal applications. We could also cover all the medical costs.

“The surgery went well, but it will take a while for Rover to adjust to walking on three legs. It might take a while, but he will be okay. We are positive that he has a good life ahead of him.”

News24 earlier reported that the teenager had told Matthee that he was a bodybuilder who used supplements and wanted to test his strength.

“He saw on social media how people lifted heavy stuff to see what their breaking limits are. We still wanted to know what had happened to the dog, so we asked him again. He said that he wanted to see what he can lift and how strong he was. So he started by lifting heavy metals and breaking a broomstick, but it was not enough. He then googled how strong bones were and what amount of force can break [them]. He then called his dog and started to press on the dog’s leg.”

The teen proceeded to break the dog’s leg until the bone pierced through its skin. Police arrested him after he initially refused to give SPCA officials access to Rover.

A case of animal cruelty against the teen, who cannot be named as he is a minor, would be registered on Wednesday, Matthee said.

“We needed the veterinarian’s report to be finalised before we could press charges. We will do so today [Wednesday].”

There has been a public outcry since the incident. News24’s Facebook post alone received more than 2,700 comments and was shared 2,500 times by Wednesday morning.

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