- The Animal Welfare Society has served a woman from Manenberg with a final written warning for animal cruelty.
- The woman did not argue when she was told the dog looked very sick and needed to see a vet.
- The dog, Kuhle, is currently on strong antibiotics to help her severely compromised immune system.
The Animal Welfare Society (AWS) of South Africa has served an "elderly" woman from Manenberg with a final written warning for animal cruelty after chaining her dog to a dangerous metal stake.
On 9 April, AWS responded to a call from the Animal Welfare Community Champion in Tambo Street, Manenberg, where a chain had secured a sick dog.
"Our subsequent investigation, led by trainee inspector Sivuyile Kilwa and chief inspector Mark Levendal, revealed that the dog belonged to an elderly lady who claimed that she did not know who to approach for help," said AWS spokesperson Allan Perrins.
He said the woman did not argue when told the dog looked very sick and would have benefitted from seeing a vet.
She had said that she could not afford to take time off from work to take the dog to the vet.
According to AWS, the dog named Kuhle was chained to a dangerous metal stake in the ground, had lost almost all her fur, and appeared to have a severe skin infection.
They then took her in for extensive treatment.
Perrins said that Kuhle was currently on strong antibiotics to help her severely compromised immune system.
"Thanks to generous donations from F10 and Regal Pet Health, she is being bathed twice a week and receiving topical treatments to help clear up her mange infestation," he said.
Police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk said that Manenberg police had been alerted about the possible abuse of the dog. However, they had not opened a case.
They had referred the matter to AWS.
Levendal said they had decided not to pursue criminal charges against the owner, because she had surrendered the dog to them and had agreed that they could inspect her property to ensure that she complied with the warning.
"In our opinion, she is clearly unfit to own any pets, so our number one priority was to extricate Kuhle and, very importantly, ensure that there was no possibility of her ever going back," Perrins said.
"Kuhle still has a very long way to go, but her progress has been heartening, and we look forward to finding her a loving forever home as soon as she has fully recovered."