Every year, more and more light is shed on the cruelty behind the breeding industry that is often kept hidden from the public by breeders. Glossy adverts of cute puppies on platforms such as Gumtree or Junkmail easily pull the wool over the public’s eyes- blinding them of the conditions that the parent dogs are kept in, and where the puppies were born.
Typically, dogs used in the breeding industry will never chase a ball in the park, they will never be taken for walks and they will never get to curl up on the couch next to a loving member of their family.
Basically, these dogs will be deprived of the very thing they have evolved to seek from humans- companionship. Instead, at “best” the dogs will be treated like breeding machines, forced to churn out litter after litter non-stop. At worst? Their lives will be a living hell- forced to eat, sleep and live in cages covered in faeces and urine, left without veterinary treatment, confined to chains and cages indefinitely, and denied of everything that makes a dogs life worth living.
While the breeding industry remains unregulated in South Africa, members of the SPCA movement are still authorized to conduct inspections at any place where animals are kept. Often, the conditions under which animals are being kept at breeding facilities are unacceptable, and multiple laws have been contravened.
This is the case with Mr. Amod Sheik, a dog breeder from Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal. (The Weekend Witness Newspaper)
The NSPCA inspected Mr. Sheiks property on two occasions, both times under the authority of a warrant.
On both occasions, the NSPCA found shocking contraventions of the Animals Protection Act no 71 of 1962, which will soon come to light as the NSPCAs case against Mr. Sheik progresses in Court.
The NSPCA had tried to be reasonable with Mr. Sheik by warning him about the contraventions of the aforementioned Act during the first inspection.
During the follow-up inspection, the NSPCA once again found Mr. Sheik clearly contravening the Animals Protection Act no 71 of 1962. The owner only surrendered two of his dogs that displayed clear and severe suffering from the stress associated with being locked in a cage indefinitely. A qualified veterinarian was also present during this inspection.
“The members of staff who gained access to Mr. Sheiks property and saw how those animals were being kept cannot rest properly knowing what those animals are going through. As winter approaches, there is even more concern for those animals who do not deserve to be treated so inhumanely. The NSPCA will be opening a case of animal cruelty against Mr. Sheik, and we will continue to do everything in our power to bring him to book for the atrocities he has committed against the animals. We have confidence that the Courts will serve justice accordingly once they are aware of what Sheik has done.” – Senior Inspector Nazareth Appalsamy, Manager, Special Investigations Unit, NSPCA.
Contact person:
Senior Inspector Nazareth Appalsamy
Manager
Special Investigations Unit
specialinvestigations@nspca.co.za
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