KAREN Janisch, director at Blue Bundu Brigade, has been left feeling like a hollow shell after she had to voluntarily surrender nine dogs due to alleged threats by Metro police and the SPCA on June 2. The NPO now faces a ticking clock to move the remaining from her Farningham Ridge home.

Despite claims made by the metro police that they had found 68 dogs on the property, Janisch claims that she had less than 60 dogs.

Also read: Blue Bundu Brigade hits ‘paws’ after vehicle breaks down

The first visit

An initial visit by the health inspector, accompanied by metro police, was to inspect the organisation’s home after receiving a complaint regarding a stench emanating from the property. The ordeal turned into a heated argument as Janisch alleges that the officers had tried to jump over her gate to gain access to her property.

“He kept saying that he wants to get into the property to see my dogs. I said, well, you can see them from the window because from where they were standing, you could see the dogs and he said no he wants to come in and see if we look after the dogs. I told him that he needed to get a warrant, that he was not welcome to come on my property unless he had one. Despite telling him that, he was still quite aggressive and wanting to climb over,” she said. 

Janisch added that the health inspector was allowed to enter as the health inspector had previously discussed conducting an inspection, however it was not confirmed when. 

The health inspector had signed off on the inspection and asked Janisch to remove the dirt in the front of the yard, which is where the presumed stench came from. “We had already organised for a dirt truck to come and collect that rubbish that same afternoon,” said Janisch. 

Parking offences

The metro officers had also given Janisch a R500 fine for parking their vehicle on the verge.

“We had parked our vehicle on the verge for when the dirt truck came. The truck could come up the driveway and collect the dirt directly. We never knew that it was an issue to park our vehicles on the verges,” said Janisch.

The second visit

Later that same day officials from the Kloof and Highway SPCA, accompanied by the same metro police officers, arrived at Janisch’s property with a warrant to inspect the property and the well-being of the dogs. The officials expressed their concern about the number of dogs on the property and that Janisch was in contravention of the municipal by-laws. The SPCA’s main issue arose with the dogs in crates.

Also read: Woman mauled by dogs in Merebank

Janisch had a few dogs in specialised crates as they often do when they need to step out the house.

“We often keep dogs who have been instructed to have restricted movement for medical reasons as well as keep some smaller dogs away from the bigger dogs in the unfortunate case that anything does happen,” she said. 

The SPCA officials had ordered for nine of the cage dogs to be removed as they had no access to water in their cages. Janisch disputed the claims that the dogs lacked water, as there had been a large bowl available in the room.

“The dogs were only confined temporarily because no one was at home for those 45 minutes. If we go for longer periods, we always leave out water,” she said.

Metro disputes allegations

Colonel Boysie Zungu, metro police spokesperson, said the SPCA obtained a warrant to inspect the property and assess both the welfare of the animals and compliance with regulations governing the keeping of dogs.

Contrary to Janisch’s beliefs, Zungu said there were 68 dogs on the property.

“All dogs are scheduled to be taken away, the first 9 dogs (pitbulls) were taken first because they were violent and fighting with other breed dogs,” he said. 

According to Janisch, the nine dogs that were taken were not all pitbulls. “They had taken four pitbulls, two dachshunds, two German shepherd and one mixed breed,” she said.

Janisch added that all images of the dogs are on the organisation’s Facebook page.

Also read: Yellowwood Park man attacked by five dogs

Zungu also disputed allegations that the officers had tried to jump Janisch’s fence.

“That allegation is unfounded, baseless and far from the truth as the officers knocked by the gate, but it appeared as if no one was at home, the officers together with the health inspector jumped at the rear of the bakkie to check the yard and possible count the dogs as the dogs were heard barking from inside,” he said. 

Zungu confirmed that metro police would not be opening a criminal case against Janisch as there is no crime she has committed that warrants an arrest. 

A mother with no children

Janisch spoke of the experience as an emotional avalanche.

“These dogs were like my children. Watching some of them being led away had simply broken my heart. I could see the confusion on their face, lost, as if asking why this was happening,” she said.

Janisch admitted the setup at her home was not ideal. The organisation had been trying, desperately, to find a more suitable place for the animals. She was not ashamed of keeping the dogs in her home. 

“We should have kennels, but, I mean, we’ve been looking for a place. Unless you’ve got the money to put a down-payment straight away, it’s not going to happen. That’s why we started the BackaBuddy,” she said.

Also read: How to ease separation anxiety in dogs

The rescue organisation director said she felt like there was no other option, it was either she surrender the nine dogs that were crated or have all the dogs on the property removed at once.

I was given ultimatum and there were hard choices to make. I was told they could take all the dogs that were in the crate or all the dogs. How do you make the choice? It’s like, say, choose between children. How do you make a choice?” said a teary-eyed Janisch. 

A huge money blow

Beyond the emotional strain, a financial burden now loomed for the organisation. Moving the remaining dogs would cost her personally, and the non-profit organisation, a considerable amount. But, with the directive in place, she had little choice.

After years dedicated to rescuing and caring for abandoned and vulnerable animals, the thought of parting with so many of them, and so quickly, left her with a profound sense of heartbreak and defeat

“I truly am at a loss for words and not sure how to feel and how to move forward,” said Janisch. 

As Friday’s deadline drew closer, Janisch and the Blue Bundu Brigade team must come to terms with a house filled with only 10 dogs.

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