SPCA concerned by the rise in animal disfigurement
‘We have received a lot of cases involving animal disfigurement recently’
“The cropping of a dog’s ears or the docking of its tail is not pretty, it is cruel and causes a lot of pain to the animal.
“It is also against the law, and anyone found guilty of these acts can (and will) be prosecuted under section 21A of the Animals Protection Act 71 of 1962,” said Mandy Cattanach, the manager of the Roodepoort/ Krugersdorp SPCA.
She added that they had received numerous complaints about tail docking recently, and said, “Ear cropping and tail docking are illegal. Not even a veterinarian is allowed to perform these procedures, and could lose his licence if he did.”
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One of these complaints involved a boerbull puppy. Senior Inspector Mike Allen explained. “We received a complaint from an owner who had bought a puppy from a breeder in Tarlton, after she noticed that there was an elastic band around the puppy’s tail. We asked her for the breeder’s address, and were shocked by what we saw when we arrived there.”
He said that the owner of the kennels had almost 14 breeding pairs on the property. “Not only were these breeding pairs producing litter after litter of puppies, the tails of all the dogs on the property were docked. I gave the owner numerous warnings, and even explained to him that this was illegal. I gave him ample time to stop doing this, but, when I visited the property again, I noticed that it was still going on. We then confiscated seven pups (about one week old) together with the mother,” Allen said.
Upon arrival at the SPCA premises, the puppies were taken to the veterinarian for a check-up, but the verdict was not good. “Three of the puppies’ tails were halfway off and dangling by a thread, and two still had the elastic tied around them.”
Allen said that the owner sent his kennel manager to the SPCA during the weekend, demanding that his dogs be given back to him, and, although they originally received a warrant from a magistrate at the Roodepoort Magistrates’ Court, the kennel manager was there with the Sheriff of the Court. “So we had to give the dogs back, otherwise I would have been arrested.”
He added that this was the fifth case of the same nature that he has opened since December last year. “This will be the first case we handle against a breeder, but it does not mean we will not try our best to get justice for the animals.”
Cattanach echoed his sentiments, and added, “Since we have taken over the Krugersdorp area as well, I feel that the animal cruelty is just getting worse and worse. It is true what they say –humans are the worst animals on the planet. Animals do not even treat their own kind the way we treat ours.
“If you have bought a puppy, or acquired one from someone else, and you notice its tail has been docked or its ears cropped, contact us. We need to stop these practices immediately, and make examples of the culprits. This is the only way we can eradicate this cruel behaviour,” said Cattanach.
Any act of cruelty can be reported to the SPCA on 011 672 0448.
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