Randburg SPCA in the spotlight again as another pet is put to sleep

UPDATE: Read the comment provided by the Randburg SPCA here.

https://www.facebook.com/SPCA.Randburg/posts/1847357381975211

Another beloved family dog has allegedly gone missing from the hands of the Randburg SPCA, leaving a family distraught and heartbroken.

This is the second time the animal welfare organisation has found itself in hot water over alleged mistreatment of animals after the Randburg Sun published the article, SPCA under fire.

Siblings Nkululeko and Thando Mlolomba came forward to tell their story after their dog Cosmo, a pit bull-cross, was allegedly put down by the Randburg SPCA due to miscommunication.

Cosmo was reportedly taken into the care of the animal welfare organisation after it had fled home when the yard’s wall collapsed on 6 October last year due to heavy rainfall. The following day, the Mlolomba family filed a missing animal report with the Randburg SPCA, they also printed fliers and advertised extensively on social media about their missing Cosmo.

The family was later contacted by property owners in Honeydew on 20 October where Cosmo had ended up after walking from Cosmo City. They allegedly told the Mlolomba family that Cosmo had been taken by the Randburg SPCA on 14 October.

“This surprised me because when we contacted the SPCA, they said they did not have a dog fitting my description. Cosmo is a white dog, so even if the breed is off, they should still have put two and two together.

“We had called them on 17 October and were told there was no news. However, even after going to the family in Honeydew and having them verify that the SPCA did indeed fetch Cosmo from their property, the SPCA flat-out denied it,” claimed Thando.

The Mlolomba family said they personally went to the SPCA on the weekend of 21 October to inquire further about Cosmo but were told that nobody was available to assist them.

The receptionist who did assist them allegedly told the family to look around for another pet to adopt.  This angered Thando as she was still missing her beloved Cosmo.

Thando and Nkululeko continued their search for Cosmo and again inquired at the Randburg SPCA about where the dog was. The receptionist who answered their calls allegedly continued to deny that there was a dog who fitted Cosmo’s description in the kennels, but when Thando revealed that it was the SPCA who had picked up her dog, the receptionist is said to have changed her story and said Cosmo had been rehomed.

“They promised to give us feedback because they realised we were not dropping this. After a few days of not hearing from them, we called again but this time they were aggressive and questioned why we did not call the SPCA before Cosmo was put up for adoption,” claimed Thando.

“But as far as I know, we were well within the time limit and it was them who tried to dodge us until our time limit expired.
And besides, does it take such a short time to rehome a dog? Two weeks and the inspection and all other necessary paperwork are done? That is not possible,” she claimed

The SPCA allegedly said to Thando that it was not their responsibility to call back a person who submitted a missing animal report once their animal was found.

Thando further alleges that the inspector who had picked up Cosmo in Honeydew called to harass her about why she was asking questions and also insisted that it was not the SPCA’s job to call people back.

Thando was reportedly also told that animals found by the SPCA have to be collected within 96 hours.

This angered Thando after she calculated the time between when the SPCA found Cosmo and when she called – she had still made it well within the 96 hours.

As the SPCA had insisted that they had rehomed Cosmo, Thando vigorously researched the animal welfare’s rehoming policy and how they deal with missing animals. The more she questioned, the more the representatives of the SPCA she dealt with changed their story about how their processes worked. However, they are said to have insisted that Cosmo had been rehomed, but Thando wanted proof that he was safe and happy.

The Randburg SPCA sent an email to Nkululeko claiming that the welfare organisation was well within their protocol of the pound’s laws.
It added that although the missing report of Cosmo was logged, the discrepancy between the areas and the description of the breed did not match and, therefore, no call was made.

“No photograph or follow up calls or visits were made to us in order to assist you in time. Unfortunately, your pet had no microchip or collar disc,” the SPCA said.

Although the SPCA has stuck by their claims that Cosmo had been rehomed, there was no evidence to prove this. However, Thando said that the animal welfare had reported to her family that Cosmo had been put down.

The SPCA has not verified this claim and has not indicated a willingness to share what happened to Cosmo.

According to an email sent to the Mlolomba family and obtained by the Randburg Sun, the SPCA conducted an investigation into what occurred to Cosmo and this led to three employees being called in for disciplinary hearings.

Although there are no reports as to what occurred in the hearings, the employees had to submit written apologies to the family. In the letters, they apologised for not being honest with the family and claimed that they had wanted to spare the family’s feelings as to what truly happened to Cosmo.

In the email, it said that the Randburg SPCA management committee decided to start an annual outreach programme in Cosmo City to microchip animals at no charge.

This will be done in Comso’s honour, but the SPCA has not indicated when this programme will commence.

For Thando and Nkululeko, such an apology is not enough, they still want answers as to what exactly happened to their beloved dog.
“I want to know what happened to Cosmo. Since they lied about him being adopted, who knows if they are not lying about him being put down.  I [am worried] that he has been taken to a fighting ring or a breeder. Cosmo had always had a collar, but when he ran out of the yard, it might have come off,” said Thando.

Randburg SPCA was given the opportunity to comment on the above allegations, but despite acknowledging receipt of our questions and assuring us of a response, none was forthcoming at the time of publication.

Randburg Sun is committed to telling the full story and will publish a response from the Randburg SPCA once received.

UPDATE: Randburg SPCA has since provided feedback on the incident. Click here for more.