Alarming rise in abandoned pets ahead of festive season

With the silly season upon us, the RandWest SPCA is already dealing with cases of abandoned animals.

One such case occurred on November 1 when a dog was left alone on a property for three weeks in Toekomsrus.

SPCA manager René van Straten stated she was called to the scene.

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“According to the neighbours, this was not the first time the resident had left his animals alone. When I arrived at the property, I found the dog with a bleeding tumour on its stomach and no one home. The dog required immediate veterinarian care as she was in so much pain she couldn’t even lie down comfortably. There were also buckets of dirty water and very old food indicating the owner planned on abandoning the dog. Not only is abandoning an animal, whether temporary or permanently, illegal but doing so while the animal needs dire medical attention is unacceptable,” said Van Straten.

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Van Straten noted the dog had to have a hellish operation to remove the tumour and even after there was no guarantee it wouldn’t return, so they decided to rather euthanise it.

She said a case of animal cruelty has been opened against the owner.

“During the festive season, please don’t abandon your animals or leave your animals without care. If you are paying a friend or family member to look after your pets while you are away on vacation, make sure they are trustworthy. Our Westonaria branch also offers boarding services and can be contacted on 078 911 0789,” she said.

Any person who would like to donate to the SPCA to continue the work they do in the community can contact the SPCA offices on 011 412 3114.