What to do when you see a stray animal

JOHANNESBURG – You are driving in your car and see a stray dog wandering around, looking lost. What should you do?

1. Firstly you need to ensure your own safety. You cannot help the animal if you become injured or are in an unsafe situation.

2. An animal that is lost, frightened or possibly ill can behave unpredictably. A simple move like opening your car door can cause the dog to run away and possibly be hit by another vehicle.

3. Do not chase the animal. The animal may be a couple of meters away from his house and by chasing the animal you could cause him to become lost.

4. When you approach the animal, speak calmly and try enticing him/her using strong smelling food such as tuna. You can try to lure the dog into your vehicle, but do so with caution, as it isn’t a good idea to drive with a strange dog unrestrained in your car.

5. It is very difficult, even for SPCA staff, to try and catch a dog that is running frantically in the road. To prevent the animal from being injured or causing an accident, we ask the caller to please try and get the animal into a confined area (without making the dog bolt into traffic).

6. Please contact us immediately and let us know when you see a stray animal roaming on the road. Please try and be as descriptive as possible, such as what the nearest corner is, any landmark, what direction the dog is moving in etc., Caltex Gargae on Comaro Road and the dog is running towards the highway.

You can call the SPCA during working hours or the duty inspector is available 24 hours a day for injured stray animals

Jhb Duty Inspector 083 604 1172

Jhb landline: 011 681 3600.