SPCA comes to the rescue of emaciated and sick Rottweiler in Parow
|Published
Cape Town - The Cape of Good Hope SPCA (SPCA) has urged pet owners who are going away for the holidays to make arrangements for their animals with reputable pet-sitting services.
This comes after the SPCA came to the rescue of an emaciated and sick Rottweiler spotted roaming the streets in Parow over the weekend.
Goodwood Animal Rescue, alongside Friend of the Rottweiler Rescue & Re-home South Africa, had initially taken to social media posting about the stray dog on Sunday morning.
Goodwood Animal Rescue said they could only assist on Sunday afternoon, but that the “dog is definitely not street smart”.
“After many stops and many people assisting, the SPCA came to our rescue and assisted… If this is your missing Rottweiler please go to the SPCA and inquire,” the organisation said.
Both organisations commended SPCA inspectors for “going over and beyond the call of duty”.
Friend of the Rottweiler Rescue & Re-home South Africa said: “Thank you to all involved and the SPCA. We were contacted over a dozen times yesterday asking to assist this stray dog. We can not offer pound services, we also cannot charge the owners with neglect or animal cruelty in the event of and we cannot approach the courts for help.”
They urged the public to work with their local SPCA as they have the authority to handle such cases.
SPCA spokesperson Belinda Abraham said the Rottweiler was in serious need of help when they stepped in.
“Catching a stray dog, especially one that is sick or injured, can be challenging and unpredictable and patience is key. All our inspectorate staff are equipped with the knowledge and the resources to be able to safely and kindly leash and load any animal. It can still be extremely time consuming,” she said.
“Given the state of emaciation of this dog, he’s been without a good bowl of food for some time… The dog obviously can’t speak for himself, so we’re speculating as to what happened, but if I could use this opportunity to please ask people who are going away to make proper arrangements for their pets with reputable facilities or pet-sitting services.”
Abrahams confirms that the dog was admitted to their facilities and is being treated in their animal hospital.
She said: “At this time of year, animal abandonment is frequent, and we see many animals being left behind to either fend for themselves or left in irresponsible hands as their owners leave for the holidays.
“Those who no longer want to keep their animals can surrender them into our care by bringing them to our facilities on the corner of First Ave and 1st Rd in Grassy Park.
“We’d also like to ask people to please look out for animals who have been abandoned without food, water or shelter within their communities and to report this by calling us on 021 700 4158/9 or after hours on 083 326 1604.”