POLOKWANE – The Vermaak family from Leeuwkuil small holdings is saddened after their two beloved Golden Retrievers were found dumped in a manhole on the property after an attempted robbery on Wednesday.
Jannie Vermaak said he was woken by a noise in the early hours of the morning and upon inspection, saw two men run from the house into the nearby bushes.
The family did a quick inspection of the house and found that the living room window had some putty removed on the outside, but the thieves did not gain access to the house.
In the front garden, a chiseled knife was found a few metres away from the window.
Jannie said at around 06:00 the following morning, the family noticed that the two Golden Retrievers did not make their usual stop at the kitchen door, and he set out to look for them.
“When Lassy and Jimbo did not come for their morning snack, I suspected something was wrong. I searched everywhere, called and even banged their food bowls, but there was no sign of them,” Jannie told Review.
He said late in the afternoon, he passed an open manhole in his garden, and upon investigation on why it was left open , he found dogs’ bodies.
“We took the dogs to the vet who confirmed that they had been poisoned and died before they were thrown into the manhole as there was no water found in their lungs,” he said. Jannie said he did not open a case at the police station as the criminals did not gain entry to the house and nothing had been stolen.
“They have robbed my children of their two best friends.”
Westenburg police spokesperson, Capt Mohlaka Mashiane, urged residents to report matters such as attempted house breaking to the police.
“When a robbery occurs, evidence that has been found at the crime scene can assist the police in identifying the suspects and can lead to arrests. But when cases are not opened, the police cannot investigate and items like the knife found at the Vermaak home cannot be used in evidence should an arrest be made,” Mashiane said.
He said people should report all crimes no matter how small as this assisted in the fight against crime.
