A group of teenage suspects are being tracked by the National Council of SPCA’s Special Projects Unit (SPU), after an informal dogfight was disrupted and one severely injured pitbull-type dog saved from the endless cycle of violence and suffering.
On 13 January 2025, three Inspectors from the NSPCA’s Special Projects Unit (SPU) were travelling on the N12 in Johannesburg South, when they noticed a commotion on the side of the highway. Little did they know their instinct to investigate would lead to the heartbreaking discovery of a roadside dogfight.
The team, already on their way back from an inspection of a property suspected of links to dogfighting, slowed due to a traffic backlog. A refuse truck had stopped on the shoulder, and its occupants were peering into the culvert below.
As the Inspectors passed the scene, they were horrified to witness a dogfight in progress.
Unable to access the site from the highway, the team quickly found an alternative route through a nearby residential area. It was there that they encountered a group of teenagers walking with two pitbull-type dogs. One dog, black in colour, appeared unharmed, while the other, brown and white, was visibly in agony, covered in blood, and suffering from several severe injuries.
Believing the group to be connected to the dogfight, the Inspectors hastily approached them. When the teenagers noticed the Inspectors, they fled with the uninjured dog, leaving the injured dog behind. Exhausted and unable to move, he collapsed in the road.
National Senior Inspector de Klerk carefully placed the injured dog into a crate in the back of their vehicle. Meanwhile, National Inspector Lebethe pursued the fleeing teenagers but lost sight of them shortly after. The team transported the injured dog to a nearby veterinary hospital, where the NSPCA’s Consulting Veterinarian, Dr. Marock, assessed his condition.
“This dog’s injuries tell a story of unimaginable pain,’” shared Dr. Marock. “A fractured leg, torn ears, and multiple deep puncture wounds – all signs of both past and recent dogfights.”
Despite their best efforts, the team was faced with a devastating decision: the injuries were so severe that the kindest act was to humanely end his suffering.
Although the teenagers were not apprehended, the SPU remains resolute in identifying and prosecuting those responsible. The NSPCA urges anyone with information to come forward. Every tip could mean saving another dog from this cruel fate. Rewards may be offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of dogfighters. Inciting animals to fight one another is illegal in terms of the Animals Protection Act 71 of 1962 and all offenders will be prosecuted.
Listen to the first episode of NSPCA Today, our brand new animal welfare news podcast, as we delve deeper into this story:
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