Arson attacks drive dog rescuers to shut down
The duo said they felt they have a target on their backs from earlier this year. Two fire incidents at their homes have driven them to shut down the organisation.
AFTER more than five years of dedicating their lives to rescuing and saving the lives of hundreds of abused, abandoned and stray dogs, Priya Naidoo and Belinda Harcombe, the founders and directors of PB Paw Rescue Montclair and Yellowwood Park, decided to close their doors on Monday, August 8.
The women said the decision followed two fire incidents at their homes, and that they were fearful for the lives of their children and pets.
“We had initially started our rescue work under the organisation, Yellowwood Park and Montclair Animals (YMA), until one of the directors left the area last year. Priya and I decided to continue with the rescue work and founded our current non-profit organisation in July last year. Despite the change of name, our work ethic never changed,” said Harcombe.
“We have saved hundreds of dogs over the past couple of years, either from neglect or severe abuse, and found many of them foster or forever homes. We also offered a sterilisation programme, and would even give a discount rate to owners. When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, many of the elderly residents could not feed themselves or their dogs, so we reached out to various stakeholders to assist with food for both residents and pets – until now, we have stopped out of fear,” said Naidoo.
The duo said they felt they have a target on their backs from earlier this year.
“We started to feel a shift in energy and had a strange feeling after receiving calls and messages about abused or stray dogs in the area, but when we arrived at the place, there were no dogs. We would also get calls at midnight or while we were at work on a Friday, and one of us would leave work to go to the address or send one of our team members, but again there would be no puppies or dogs crying as the caller would claim. Then came the fires at our homes,” said Naidoo.
Harcombe, a mother of two sons, aged 22 and 17, said in the first fire incident, her refuse, which had been placed on the roadside to be collected, was burnt on July 11.
“My sons normally will take out refuse in the evening. However, the next morning, my husband was outside and when he returned, he told me that someone had burnt our refuse. He showed me a picture of the burnt spot where our four bags of refuse had initially been kept. I instantly knew that it was a message for us to be careful, but why? All we have been doing is dedicating our lives to saving dogs,” she said.
Naidoo, a mother of two sons, aged eight and five, said four kennels at her home were set alight on July 24, at about 19:00.
“I was in bed with my little ones. One of our dogs, who was not in the bedroom, was insistently barking so my youngest son left the room to go fetch him. However, within seconds, my child ran back into the room, and was screaming, ‘Mummy, there is a fire; there are flames’.
“He kept shouting that it was going to come into the house, so I got out of bed and ran towards the lounge. When I looked out the glass door, all I saw were these massive flames around the kennels. The flames were as high as my house,” she said.
Naidoo said firefighters who arrived at the scene managed to put out the fire.
“While looking at the damage, we found an empty plastic bottle and lighter near the kennels. But, what was more strange is that the person who did this knew where I lived, yet no one, not even our family or friends, know my home address as we live a very private life due to personal reasons.
“So was I being watched and followed? I feel this was another scare tactic, but this time, it has worked. I am terrified for the lives of my children, Belinda’s children, and our pets. We decided that it was time to stop, despite it being one of the hardest decisions we have had to make. We have always tried our best to assist the community, but now it has come to an end. But, we thank everyone that has helped us over the years,” she said.
Captain Cheryl Pillay, Montclair police station spokesperson, said a case of malicious damage to property was being investigated.
“It is alleged that on July 24, at about 19:00, a kennel at a property in the Montclair policing precinct was burnt by unknown suspects. The investigating officer appeals to anyone who may have witnessed this crime to contact the station,” she said.
If you have any information, contact Detective Sergeant Nosihle Nene on 031 452 1809.
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