Puppy dies, another seriously injured when tied to a pole next to N17
I believe the one that we found dead had been shot. It was really gruesome
LEANDRA – Dehydrated, with a broken jaw and tied to a fence along the N17 highway.
This was the condition in which a couple found a young dog near the Leandra toll plaza on Sunday, 22 September.
Her sibling, also tied to the fence with an injury to her head, was already dead.
Mr Marius and Ms Romi Coetzee from the Standerton area were heading home from Pretoria when they encountered this sad scene.
“We were just on the off-ramp to Leandra when I saw movement, about 20m from the side of the road,” explained Ms Coetzee.
They pulled over and when to inspect the animals.
“These puppies were not even a year old. There was a lot of blood. I believe the one that we found dead had been shot. It was really gruesome.”
Ms Coetzee said both dogs were tied to a dropper pole with blue wire and black rubber. It was quite a mission to untie the dog.
“I suspect the animals were there for a few days. The puppy gulped up water from several bottles. She was very thin.
“The manner in which she struggled to drink, made me realise there was something wrong with the dog’s jaw,” she added.
A vet check-up confirmed that the dog’s jaw was broken on both sides of the face and that she was dying from dehydration. She had to be put down.
Mr Nick Strydom, chairman of the Highveld Ridge SPCA, said the animal suffered greatly.
“It is incomprehensible that someone can abandon an injured animal tied up in the middle of nowhere.”
Only four days prior, a box with two small breed dogs was found in front of the SPCA’s gate.
An unknown person dumped the animals and drove away.
The SPCA personnel initially discovered an empty box, but the dogs were later found.
These are just two of the many issues which the SPCA deals with daily.
Mr Strydom said Sunday was extremely bad, and operating without a trained inspector made things even worse.
The position is currently vacant.
The Highveld Ridge SPCA also needs money.
They will be hosting a fundraising event at Eish!! on 23 November.
Brendan Peyper will be performing that evening on the deck of Eish!!
The show begins at 6pm.
For more information, phone 072 541 9634.
