Editor
I refer to the letter penned by Samantha Dicks, which appeared in your newspaper on 7 November 2014. Thank you for voicing your opinion and thus demonstrating your obvious love for animals. Unfortunately it is not the responsibility of the SPCA to drive around the streets of Estcourt and round up “troublesome and roaming dogs” We in fact, wish it were that simple. The Estcourt AND DISTRICTS SPCA is just that, serving an extensive DISTRICT as well as the town of Estcourt! Our area reaches into the Berg and includes Winterton and Weenen. Our role is to respond to an emergency, an injured animal and cruelty complaints.

A letter outlining our responsibilities was recently published in this newspaper and we have publications available in our office that clearly state these. We simply cannot use valuable resources trying to catch stray dogs in the street. On so many occasions, we have responded to call outs, only to find that the animal in question is long gone.
It would be such a pleasure if we could all walk around the streets without worrying about the welfare of ourselves, our pets and those animals roaming on our roads.

We continue to appeal to owners to secure their premises and prevent dog fights or attacks on hapless victims.
Please rest assured that the SPCA inspector is working tirelessly in his massive area, to answer satisfactorily, as many calls as he can.

Estcourt and District SPCA