SPCA take missing boys home

HIGHVELD – Five boys were able to return home with the help of the Highveld Ridge SPCA.

The SPCA received a call on Monday about boys roaming the streets of Evander and the nearby farms with a pack of dogs.

The boys and dogs were tracked down, loaded into the SPCA bakkie and taken to the SPCA’s offices.

These boys were familiar with the SPCA as they had brought in a desperately sick puppy over the weekend that they had found next to the road.

When they arrived at the SPCA offices, Senior Inspector Jenneth Geel and the staff checked the dogs for injuries, gave them food and water and tried to find out which dog belonged to which boy.

“The dogs were very hungry, so we fed and kept them safe in the kennels while we spoke to the boys. The boys, ranging between 13 and 16 years old, got a cup of warm coffee and two bread rolls, because it was clear that they had not eaten in a while,” said Ms Geel.

It soon became apparent that the dogs did not belong to the boys though they initially tried to claim ownership.

“We could clearly see that the dogs did not respond to any of the boys on a personal level. These were not their own pets. They all ran into some sort of trouble at school and decided that school was not for them anymore. Three of the boys speak English well and by sitting and chatting to them, we convinced them to tell us more.”

The boys are from various schools in the area and it is suspected that they were afraid of disciplinary action should they return to their schools. They ran away from home and camped near Evander, walking around and whistling and calling to get dogs to follow them.

The dogs tore open plastic bags and fought with other dogs which lead to the chaos that caused residents to call the SPCA.

“I suspect that the boys were trying to get a pack of dogs together in order to hunt, but being city boys, they did not really know how. Luckily they did not succeed,” said Ms Geel.

The boys eventually came clean and told the SPCA staff where they live.

With the assistance of Ms Pinkie Shabangu and Mr Willie Joythe, a regular volunteer, the boys and the dogs were once again loaded into bakkies and driven to eMbalenhle.

“They told us they lived in different parts of eMbalenhle, so we decided to give them a lift home and took the dogs along to ask neighbours and family members whether they know the animals.”

When the boys arrived home, they were greeted by frantic family members.

It came to light that the boys had disappeared from their homes in the past month.

“Some had been missing since last week, but one boy had been away from home for more than three weeks. Needless to say, their families were overjoyed to have the boys back. The boys apparently lived under a bridge for the past few weeks, too worried about school to return home. No wonder they were so hungry.”

A local resident recognised his dog and said it disappeared three weeks ago, about the same time that his young neighbour had gone missing.

“Five other dogs are still in the care of the Highveld Ridge SPCA. Two needed to be treated for minor injuries.”

Ms Geel said the Highveld Ridge SPCA will remain in contact with the boys.

“They are not cruel children. We know them because of the puppy they had tried to rescue. It is clear that they wanted some kind of animal to love and cuddle, but their circumstances made this impossible. We might contact their families and get them to come out on Saturdays to work with our volunteers and staff. They clearly have a heart for animals and we want to help and educate them.”